The cast of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" is renowned for its comedic brilliance and outlandish characters. But beyond the laughs, the actors embody dedication and discipline in their personal lives, particularly when it comes to health and fitness. This article delves into the specific approaches various cast members take to maintain their physical well-being, drawing from their own accounts and interviews.
Glenn Howerton's Intermittent Fasting
Glenn Howerton, who portrays the narcissistic Dennis Reynolds, employs intermittent fasting as a core component of his diet. As he mentions to Men’s Health, “That’s the main staple of my diet.” Intermittent fasting is a dietary strategy that cycles between periods of eating and voluntary fasting on a regular schedule.
Rob McElhenney's Weight Loss Journey
Rob McElhenney, known for his role as Mac, underwent a remarkable physical transformation involving both weight gain and subsequent weight loss. He revealed in The Wrap that he initially followed a diet of "chicken breast and rice and vegetables." However, the monotony of this strict regimen led him to incorporate less healthy options for convenience and caloric intake. “But when you’re four months in it and you have to muscle down 1,000 calories for the third time or fourth time in a day and you have to either eat three chicken breasts, two cups of rice and two cups of vegetables - or one Big Mac - you start to see the Big Mac and realize it’s a lot easier to get down … And then every once in a while I would eat three donuts."
Danny DeVito's Pre-Show Ritual
Danny DeVito, who plays Frank Reynolds, has a unique way of preparing for his performances. He revealed to GQ, “I have a trampoline. I don’t know if you can see it, over there. I start every night with it to get myself going.” His trampoline routine serves as a pre-show exercise, helping him energize and get into character.
Kaitlin Olson's Perspective on Roles
Kaitlin Olson, who plays Dee Reynolds, appreciates roles that allow her to explore complex characters. She shared with The Hollywood Reporter, “I’m really attracted to playing broken people. Mickey was very scrappy and self-sufficient; for Dee, [life is] just a giant competition. Neither of them had the little-girl quality D.J. has. I thought it was a nice opportunity to play something different and to have actual emotion. There’s a relationship there, and it’s one of the driving forces behind the whole season, because D.J. is a bit in the [comedy special] that Deborah’s doing."
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Charlie Day's Confidence Boost
Charlie Day, who plays Charlie Kelly, credits the show with boosting his confidence as an actor. He told Backstage.com, “It was ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ that gave me the confidence to say, OK, well, I don’t always have to be making something just [to have a project] to act in."
Mary Elizabeth Ellis Advocates for Women in Television
Mary Elizabeth Ellis, who plays The Waitress, is a proponent of greater female representation in television production. She told Marie Claire, “I think having women behind the cameras is exciting-whether it’s as a director or a writer or a producer-because it does feel like we’re in the middle of this awakening of realizing that it’s important for women to have a voice. But I also think it’s still easy for us-as women, as writers and as directors and producers-to let it fall into the same patterns. Like, ‘and then the woman brings in the food, because the woman’s the one who makes food.’ It’s easy for that to happen, because that’s what we’ve always known. We all have to hold each other accountable and point that behavior out to each other in a kind way."
Artemis Pebdani on Overcoming Adversity
Artemis Pebdani, who plays Artemis, discussed her experiences with racism and the importance of setting boundaries in The Daily Beast. “Being an Iranian kid in the 1980s, well, that wasn’t the easiest. I’m fair complexioned, so it would have been easier if I had just kept my mouth shut about being Iranian, but I didn’t, so I received my share of ‘antagonism’ at an early age."
Alberto E. Travis Schuldt's Pandemic Hobby
Alberto E. Travis Schuldt, who plays Ben Smith, discovered a new hobby during the pandemic. He shared with Digital Journal, “I started up a garden, which is very fun. We grow cucumbers, cantaloupes, and tomatoes."
Brittany Daniel's Wedding Workout
Brittany Daniel, who plays Carmen, detailed her fitness regimen in preparation for her wedding in a blog post. “To commit myself to getting stronger, I wanted to create a workout program for myself that was succinct and efficient, so I enlisted my friend and Hollywood trainer extraordinaire, Jeanette Jenkins to help me out. My faithful workout partner Cyn came along for the training sessions, and we made sure they were all only 30 minutes so that she and I would have no excuses to ditch our workouts for lack of time. Jeanette designed each workout with high interval training and super sets. That way, we were able to keep our heart rate up, and burn the most calories in a short time span."
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Jimmi Simpson's Desire to Learn
Jimmi Simpson, who plays Liam McPoyle, values continuous learning from his peers. He revealed in an interview with The Imagista, “The way I run my life, I enjoy surrounding myself with people who know more than me. I have been blessed to be surrounded by a lot of those people, I just love to absorb that. As far as artistic idols, when I was in college considering going after this as a career, there really were not dudes like me doing something that was interesting to me. However, when I saw Richard Burton’s work that was pretty profound for me because he was speaking to me in his performance in ways that no actor ever had with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe, with footage of his contemporary Hamlet and the movie Becket. I had never seen an everyman just knock my dick in the dirt with their performance. He kind of reinvented what it was like to be a man and I bought what he was selling."
Josh Groban's Wellness Routine
Josh Groban, who has made cameo appearances on the show, emphasizes the importance of overall wellness. He shared with GQ, “Now that it’s getting warmer, what I’m trying to do is be good to my body in ways that aren’t necessarily, like, lifting or going to the gym. I’m trying to be good to myself and good to my body right now outside of the theater with things like, biking a lot, or taking long walks, or, playing and doing stuff in the park. Getting exercise in ways that allow me to get a little bit of vitamin D and, and let me see the world outside the stage door."
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