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Danny DeVito talked U2 Christmas parties and getting beaten up by Russell Crowe at the Jameson Cult Film screening of L.A. Confidential last night

By Genna Patterson

Legendary actor and director Danny DeVito was in town last night to attend the screening of his movie L.A. Confidential at the Jameson International Film Festival. The movie was chosen as the Cult film and took place at the Mansion House on Dawson Street Dublin last night.

The venue was set up to look old school, just like the movie, with ancient typewriters, old desks and filing cabinets, and multiple staff dressed as cops or reporters.

The Jameson was flowing freely for attendees who received three free drinks at least and giant burgers served wrapped up in paper. The tunes pumped out were 1950’s classics such as ‘Earth Angel’ by The Temptations before the screening started. The movie was shown on a large pull-down projector screen in front of a set on the stage.

At numerous stages in the movie, the scenes were acted out on stage by actors, often in silhouette behind screens. The famous interrogation scene, the holding a guy out the window scene and the big shoot-out scene at the end were all played out dramatically, adding to the event.

After the screening, Danny DeVito was interviewed by 2FM presenter Rick O’Shea where he revealed some tasty topics in his long running career. The actor revealed on his a previous trip to Ireland in 1996, that he stayed in the Clarence Hotel and ran into U2 on their Christmas Party. He said, “I drank all night long…I got wasted. It was a lot of fun, but they’re really nice guys.”

De Vito described how he got involved in L.A. Confidential; “My friend Arnon Milsen who produced the movie took me to meet this guy Curtis Hansen (director) and I didn’t know anything about the movie. Curtis had collected alI  these authentic photographs, all these crazy people laying around bloody. It turned me on so I did the movie. It was like invasion of the Australians, with Russell and all the Australians.”

He went to discuss getting a hiding from Russell Crowe in an interrogation scene, “I don't think I’ve ever gotten beat up on film before and Russell – he was very really into it… He was like, bad. We had a good time making it though, it was fun.”

DeVito regrets just one thing though, “Kim Basinger, I should’ve had a scene with her…”

Part-way through the interview, DeVito was requested by the crowd to shoot a ‘Troll foot photo’ – a series of photos he has presented on his Twitter account. Previous ‘troll foot’ photos include ones of his foot in snow and beside Manhattan Bridge. DeVito then removed his shoe and shot the ‘troll foot’ in front of the audience (we’re in there somewhere).

DeVito also discussed his 1989 movie War of the Roses and described how he found the script on the floor of his friend’s car; it even had his footprint on it. He had only just made his first movie Throw Mama from the Train so he wasn’t sure if he would be allowed to direct.

He told how he tortured his friends and actors Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner on set of War of the Roses; “I made them build the foyer of the house larger than usual, fifteen feet higher… We hoisted them (Turner and Douglas) up (on the chandelier) slowly for the first time and they’re worming around and finally everybody’s quiet, looking up at them. (I ask) ‘You all set’? and they say ‘Yeah’, so I said ‘That’s lunch, a half hour’. And we all walked off set. What a pisser.”

DeVito assured the crowd that that’s what you do with friends, you abuse them. Presenter O’Shea noted that he tends to play a lot of assholes and asked DeVito if he is drawn to asshole characters. DeVito replies, “Everybody has got a little bit of it in them… I guess those kinds of characters stick with you. Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin in Batman Returns) was a lot of fun (to play).

DeVito told the audience that he has worked on four movies with Tim Burton, including Batman Returns, and asked if anyone can name the other three. The movies are Big Fish and Mars Attacks and when no one can think of another, he tells us; “I did a movie called Hoffa, and Tim came to visit one day. I was shooting a scene with open coffins, and men fighting for the working man. I said ‘Tim, do you want to be in one of the coffins?’ You gotta check it out.”

When asked what Arnold Shwarzenegger is like to work with DeVito said, “Arnold is a nice guy, but a republican. He’s a good guy, always joking around. On the movie (Twins) I was working out and trying to stay fit and everyday he would bring big deserts to my trailer. We smoked a lot of cigars together. We also did Junior together - that was his idea. Now he’s done with politics, we re thinking of doing Triplets... with Eddie Murphy as the third brother.”

He adds, “Might as well do triplets and stick someone in there who is really funny… and black.”

DeVito told the audience about his favourite episode of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia; “Obviously the Christmas episode because I get naked. They sewed me into a couch. I had to wear a little pouch because you can’t be naked. So one time I came out without it.”

When asked about his latest project DeVito says; “I have this script for this book that I like called ‘The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle’. It's written for young folks about a 13 year old girl who makes a sea voyage in 1842. I’ve been trying to make the movie for a while. I had Dakota Fanning, then the last incarnation was with Saoirse Ronan. Morgan Freeman was playing the lead and he had a car accident, so Saoirse was then too old. I need a 13 year old Charlotte. And we’re hopefully going to shoot here, in Dublin in June or July 2014. I’ve been looking for locations the last few days.”

De Vito also told how he has family in Ireland. His relatives are in Kilkee and in Dublin, some who own the pizza place at the top of O’Connell street and the gaming joint in the middle of O’Connell Street.

So now you know where to find him next time he’s in town.