Tony Danza on his character as a mob boss in "Raising Kanan" and why he still enjoys pursuing roles
Veteran actor Tony Danza says his current role as a tough-talking character as mob boss Stefano in "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" has allowed him to showcase a side of him that differs from the family-friendly persona established in classic sitcoms like "Taxi" and "Who's the Boss?"
"I get to do something that I wouldn't usually get called for," Danza told "CBS Mornings." "It's toward the end of your career, and to get something like this — one of the great things is we shoot in New York. So I sleep in my own bed."
The 73-year-old actor appears to relish playing against type in the series, now entering its fourth season. He said he enjoys the show's dialogue, comparing it to being in a "'40s gangster movie" with lines like "somebody's going to be wearing cement sneakers."
Danza said the network has also been supportive of the show.
"I can tell when I'm in a good one," he said. "This is the first time they have gone out of their way to promote it."
When asked about a possible "Who's the Boss?" revival, Danza clarified it would be a sequel rather than a reboot.
"It's, 'Where are these people 30 or 40 years later?' And dealing with the issues of today in a funny way."
Danza also discussed his involvement with a youth organization called Stars of Tomorrow Project Inc., which recently performed at New York's Triad Theater. Drawing from his own upbringing in Brooklyn during the 1950s and '60s, he described it as "the toughest neighborhood in the city" but also "the greatest time to be alive."
When asked about his decades-long acting career, Danza mentioned taking piano lessons and booking performance dates, emphasizing the importance of keeping an active mind.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
8 hours ago
- New York Post
Danny DeVito ‘lusted after' Michelle Pfeiffer on set of ‘Batman Returns': ‘She was a goddess'
Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman had Danny DeVito purring. The actor, 80, revealed he pined after his co-star, 67, when the two filmed the 1992 film 'Batman Returns.' DeVito sat down with Colin Farrell to swap 'Batman' stories for Variety's 'Actors on Actors,' published on Monday, June 2, and divulged his secret crush. Advertisement 7 Danny DeVito and Colin Farrell on Variety Actors on Actors issue June 2025. Variety 'She was a goddess,' DeVito said of Pfeiffer. 'If I knew she was going to be in a scene that day…' 'Did you brush your teeth that morning?' laughed Farrell, to which the 'Taxi' star revealed he went to great lengths to make sure he looked his best in front of the blonde bombshell. Advertisement DeVito played the villain Penguin alongside Michael Keaton as Batman and Pfeiffer as Catwoman in the Tim Burton-directed flick. 'I got all flushed. Put extra makeup on — 'Give me another pound of makeup.' It was very difficult,' DeVito confessed, saying working with Pfeiffer was 'just so wonderful.' 'And I lusted after her. I loved her,' he admitted. 7 Danny DeVito as the Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman from 'Batman Returns.' Snap/Shutterstock Advertisement 7 Danny DeVito revealed he 'lusted after' his co-star. Corbis via Getty Images Farrell loved the confession and pried more from the star, who once claimed his Penguin was 'better than' Colin's in 'The Batman' opposite Robert Pattinson's lead role. 'We're moving on from your lust,' the actor stated. 'Just tell me what form did the lust take, behaviorally?' 'It was not me. It was the Penguin,' DeVito interrupted, blaming his character. 'It was Oswald that was lustful.' Advertisement 7 'She was a goddess,' DeVito told Farrell. WireImage When Farrell asked if Pfeiffer ever called security on DeVito, he responded, 'I kind of feel like she liked it. She liked Oswald.' DeVito gushed over his 'Batman Returns' experience, saying he'd 'absolutely' reprise his role as the monstrous Penguin. 'I loved it because it gave you a freedom that burst out,' he explained. 'For you too. You can go off the rails with something.' 7 The pair starred in Tim Bruton's 1992 'Batman Returns.' Corbis via Getty Images 7 'I kind of feel like she liked it. She liked Oswald.' Moviestore/Shutterstock 'The music and sets and the whole thing,' DeVito elaborated. 'The Shakespeare of it — 'All the world's a stage.' Oswald's realm and his penguins and his minions and his passion. I loved that.' The actor didn't even care that his transformation took him three hours in the makeup chair. Advertisement 'It's a cakewalk. I was there every day for 66 days,' DeVito shared. 'In makeup, cooking pasta in the afternoon, having meals, making meatballs. I'm in the middle of a scene in the Penguin's lair, and this wonderful guy who worked with me, I [call] him over. He goes through all these catwalks; he goes, 'What is it, Dan?' And I said, 'Stir the sauce.' He had to go back to the trailer to stir the tomato sauce.' 7 DeVito hinted at his crush when he penned a comic in honor of the Penguin's 80th birthday. Warner Bros/Dc Comics/Kobal/Shutterstock DeVito seemingly hinted about his crush on Pfeiffer when he penned a comic in honor of Oswald 'The Penguin' Cobblepot's 80th birthday in December 2021. The comic had him and Selina Kyle (Catwoman) falling in love. Advertisement 'At first I was a little bit hesitant about doing the comic, but then I got into the fact that I've always been a big fan of Michelle Pfeiffer's, and the Penguin obviously lusts after Catwoman,' DeVito told Entertainment Weekly at the time. 'So I figured I'd put those two together, and then it was also in the middle of the pandemic, which we're still fighting with. I thought it would be good if Penguin had a little bit of Robin Hood in him.'
American Military News
16 hours ago
- American Military News
‘White Lotus' creator Mike White returning to ‘Survivor' for 50th season
CBS has spoken. Mike White, the writer of the hit HBO series 'White Lotus,' is returning to the island for 'Survivor' Season 50. The 54-year-old Emmy winner placed second on the show's 37th season in 2018. He is one of 24 returning players who will compete in the milestone season, which will be filmed in Fiji. 'Mike, after he finished playing, said, 'I want to play again,'' host and executive producer Jeff Probst told CBS Mornings on Wednesday. 'Then 'White Lotus' hit, and I thought, 'Well, he'll never play again.' But he kept texting and saying, 'Look, I'm serious. If you ever do anything where you have returning players, I want to play again.' So we're happy to have Mike. Other returning fan favorites include Cirie Fields, Ozzy Lusth, Colby Donaldson, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Aubry Bracco and Benjamin 'Coach' Wade. White, whose other credits include 'School of Rock' and 'Enlightened,' told the New Yorker in a 2021 interview how the show has inspired him. 'I still feel like, even on the most contrived reality show, the people are human and they're more interesting than some of the most well-scripted drama,' he said. 'And for me, as a writer of drama, I aspire to do what reality television already does. To create characters that are surprising and dimensional and do weird s– and capture your attention.' White also competed with his father Mel on two seasons of 'The Amazing Race.' 'The White Lotus' has already been given a Season 4 renewal. 'Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans' will head into production this summer and air in February 2026. ___ © 2025 New York Daily News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Los Angeles Times
Broadway star Patti LuPone apologizes for ‘demeaning' and ‘disrespectful' comments
Twenty-five years ago, on a warm summer night in Los Angeles, Broadway stars Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald closed a show at the Hollywood Bowl with back-to-back encores of 'Get Happy'/'Happy Days Are Here Again.' Today, those happy days appear to be over for the two Tony Award winners. In a May 26 interview with the New Yorker, LuPone ignited a firestorm when she referred to McDonald as 'not a friend' and refused to comment on McDonald's celebrated performance in 'Gypsy.' (McDonald is nominated for a 2025 Tony Award in the category best actress in a leading role in a musical — its her 11th nomination.) LuPone also referred to Tony winner Kecia Lewis, who, like McDonald, is Black, as a 'bitch.' Speaking with Gayle King in a 'CBS Mornings' clip, McDonald sounded surprised by LuPone's comments. 'If there's a rift between us, I don't know what it is,' she said. 'That's something that you'd have to ask Patti about. I haven't seen her in about 11 years, just because I've been busy, just with life and stuff. I don't know what rift she's talking about. You'd have to ask her.' (A full interview is set to air this week, according to a 'CBS Mornings' Instagram post.) Following public backlash, however, LuPone did something she rarely does. The outspoken diva apologized. But that was not without some stage direction. In an open letter from her colleagues in the theater community dated May 30, more than 500 actors, including Tony-winning actors Wendell Pierce, James Monroe Iglehart and Maleah Joi Moon, called LuPone's language 'racialized disrespect,' 'bullying' and 'harassment.' They asked the American Theatre Wing and Broadway League to discourage those who disparage fellow artists, including LuPone, from attending industry events 'including the Tony Awards, fundraisers, and public programs.' (The 2025 Tony Awards are scheduled for June 8 in New York, and will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.) On Saturday, LuPone responded to the criticism in a statement on her Instagram account: 'I am deeply sorry for the words I used during The New Yorker interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful. I regret my flippant and emotional responses during this interview, which were inappropriate, and I am devastated that my behavior has offended others ...' She went on to write that she hopes to speak to McDonald and Lewis in person. LuPone is well-versed in calling people out herself, particularly audience members who text during her theater performances. Last year, she even complained about noise from the Alicia Keys musical 'Hell's Kitchen' when she was performing in 'The Roommate' with Mia Farrow next door. After LuPone asked the theater owner to fix the sound because she found it to be too loud, Lewis took offense and posted a video on Instagram, describing LuPone's actions as 'bullying,' 'racially microaggressive' and 'rude and rooted in privilege.' She also noted that 'calling a Black show loud dismisses it.' Last year, Lewis won a Grammy for best musical theater album and a Tony in the category best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical for 'Hell's Kitchen.' Although flippant, LuPone's words only serve to hurt everyone during a turbulent time for the arts in America, the open letter said. 'Our industry is under threat. The arts are being defunded, theater programs are disappearing, and artists are being pushed to the margins. We need each other now more than ever. We need community. We need leadership. And we need accountability.' Humbled, LuPone agreed. 'I wholeheartedly agree with everything that was written in the open letter shared yesterday,' she wrote. 'From middle school drama clubs to professional stages, theatre has always been about lifting each other up and welcoming those who feel they don't belong anywhere else. I made a mistake, and I take full responsibility for it, and I am committed to making this right. Our entire theater community deserves better.'
