Rob McElhenney Recalls 'Humiliating And Terrible' Experience Of Getting Cut From Feature Debut In ‘The Devil's Own'
Rob McElhenney may have been cut out of last year's Deadpool & Wolverine, but a previous acting experience of his blotted out from another film stung more.
Appearing on Sean Evans' Hot Ones interview program, the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star and co-creator addressed a particular core memory from the industry that isn't as bright and cheery: his vanishing from the 1997 Columbia Pictures' The Devil's Own, centering on an Irish American policeman (Harrison Ford) and IRA extremist (Brad Pitt).
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'Not even close, by a country mile: getting cut out of The Devil's Own,' McElhenney said. 'That was one of the most humiliating and terrible experiences of my life because it was my first acting job in a movie. I got to do a scene with Harrison Ford, I got to do a scene with Brad Pitt, I got to do a scene with Julia Stiles, Rubén Blades — all these incredible actors.'
He continued, 'Then the movie's coming out, and I notice I don't get an invite to the premiere or the friends and family screening, but I'm still just starting out — I'm like 19 or something, 18, I'm thinking, 'Oh, it'll be fine.' Of course, for a year, I'm telling everybody I got this movie; nobody believes me because I hadn't worked at all doing anything else. And then, we go to the movie — all my friends, everybody, my family buys tickets — and I'm just not in it at all. They cut me completely out of the movie, didn't give me a heads up, nothing. They were all A-players and I was a D-player on the ground. I wasn't even a player, I was on the editing room floor.'
McElhenney would then go on to make his feature debut the following year, in 1998's Oscar-nominated John Travolta vehicle A Civil Action, from director Steve Zaillian.
And, all's well that ends well, given that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, soon to return for its 17th season, remains the longest-running live-action U.S. sitcom. McElhenney is also the showrunner and star of Apple TV+'s video game workplace comedy Mythic Quest, currently airing its fourth season.
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Sam Nivola and Cooper Koch Confront Nepo Baby Criticism and Being Accused of Playing Sexual Deviant Brothers: ‘You Still Have to Love Your Character'
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This is the thing that I've conceived. Do you like it or do you not like it? If you don't, then I can move on.' Rothwell: 'Paradise' is so tonally different from 'This Is Us.' To have that kind of artistry expressed by the same man, were you kind of caught off guard by that? Or did you know he had the capacity? Brown: I knew he had the capacity for anything; he can write his ass off. He's done 'Crazy, Stupid, Love.,' 'Life Itself' — dude is all over the place. He, like me, is eager to have opportunities to show the diversity of what he can do. Rothwell: I was texting with Mr. James Marsden this morning. I asked him about his experience with you, or even for something innocuous that feels like it says a lot about your character. He told me a little anecdote about how you've passed up being No. 1 on the call sheet many times because for you it's not about the numbers but about the work. And so I'll just reflect that back to you. 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Rothwell: It was my pitch. Listen, this is why I love Mike White. Originally it was Belinda's son, Zion, running the show. I told Mike I really wanted to see Belinda have agency in this moment. Can she take over the negotiation in some way? What is an authentic way for her to show that she's pushing her chips in along with her son? Being able to show that turn, she sees that she has power over a white man — the kind of man that she's been rubbing the backs of for a long time. Brown: Is she breaking bad? Rothwell: I don't know that she's breaking bad, but I think she feels that there's an opportunity here. I also come from a place of great empathy. I remember when I was first able to not think about money 24/7. I used to carry around a check in my wallet when I was fucking broke. I wrote it for the amount of my student loans just to say, 'Someday I'm going to be able to [pay this].' 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I'm pretty attuned to people's discomfort. Seyfried: Everybody watched 'Nobody Wants This.' But with our shows, we're talking about opposites when it comes to genre and tone. Brody: Yours is sad and dreary. And you're in almost every frame. Was it a lot of heavy lifting? Seyfried: It was the first time I had been away from my kids five days a week. Our days were so long, I'd stay in the city and then I'd go home on the weekends. That was a lot of 'I'm here for you, kids. If I end up taking a nap accidentally, you can cuddle with me.' Brody: You were a producer on this as well. What did that mean? Seyfried: I was the kind of producer whose agent just negotiated a credit. But I did have the leadership role on set. I was No. 1 on the call sheet, which was nice because you set the tone. If you're a No. 2 or 3 and you have an asshole No. 1? The show can just be [awful]. Brody: I haven't been a lead on a series in a while, and I enjoy saying, 'OK, we're all going to be here for a minute. This is the family; let's get into a groove.' Seyfried: My friend Katherine Pope, who works with Liz Meriwether and produced 'The Dropout,' sent me this beautiful book, 'Long Bright River.' I thought, 'OK, I'm ready for this.' The strike had just ended. What about you? Brody: Kristen Bell and I are connected in a few ways. I heard through the grapevine she was doing this and was really recommending me for it. I knew I had a job at the other end of the strikes, and it did afford me some time do research. Seyfried: The show was originally called 'Shiksa.' Brody: It was. Seyfried: That's a genius title. We need romance. Brody: That's something that I love doing. It doesn't come your way that often, and if it does, it's not good. They make [fewer romances] now. Romance and comedy are a pure dopamine hit and were sorely needed in 2024. They're going to be sorely needed in '25. In terms of the interfaith relationship, I think it's been relatable. So many people have come up to me and said, 'My wife is a shiksa.' We're a great stand-in for any differences between two people, philosophical or cultural. When you merge two individuals, growth and compromise is what you have to navigate. Seyfried: And it's about what your families want. It's 'Romeo and Juliet.' Brody: On 'Long Bright River,' the kid who plays your son is so good. We're parents of similar-age kids, and I haven't portrayed a parent yet. Had you done that before? Seyfried: As soon as the people of Hollywood understood that I popped something out of my body, they're like, 'You're a mom now.' And it comes with a lot of benefits. The roles are richer. Are you more collaborative now that you're in the second season of 'Nobody Wants This'? Are you bringing your own ideas? Brody: It's a very collaborative set, but I would say the first season was so in flux that we were finding the show together. Now we know what we're doing, so the die is cast and there's a little less to discuss. Seyfried: Remember when you played an iconic teenage character on 'The O.C.'? Brody: In my 20s. You were younger when you did 'Mean Girls,' right? Seyfried: I was 17, the perfect age for that. Except my mom had to live with me. Brody: I was that Steve Buscemi meme of the old man saying, 'Hello, fellow kids.' Seyfried: You weren't that old. Are you kidding? The people from '90210' were in their 30s. Brody: Have you rewatched 'Mean Girls'? Seyfried: No. It's on often enough though. I love it. I really love seeing my face on people's T-shirts. I'm a little resentful because Paramount still owes me some money for the likeness. Every store sells 'Mean Girls' T-shirts with our faces. Don't I [get something from that]? Even the girl at TSA tells me it's her favorite movie. Oh my God, remember when we did 'Lovelace,' and I gave you a blow job? Brody: An iconic blow job. The deep throat — the titular deep throat. How do you feel about that movie now? Seyfried: I had a great experience. It was a move towards attracting a level of respect for skill as opposed to … I didn't care about the reception as much as just changing the idea people had of me in the business. It's just so easy to get pigeonholed. Brody: I remember Harvey Weinstein bought it. Seyfried: I had heard a few rumors about him, but not to the extent that it became. I invited him to the screening [at Sundance]. He showed up and said, 'I bought it,' and I gave him the biggest hug. The whole room was buzzing. He was the big papa of the room — we all needed him to want our project if it was an indie, because that meant it was going to go somewhere. So 2003 was the year I graduated and did 'Mean Girls,' and the year you started 'The O.C.' We both had these pivotal career moments, and you became a pop star overnight. I can't imagine that was easy. Brody: It was. We were in a bubble. 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