Former WWE wrestler and Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista was almost cast as Mac’s dad in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
It’s Always Sunny stars Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton revealed the surprising detail while discussing the casting of Mac’s Dad in the latest episode of The Always Sunny Podcast posted on YouTube. While on the topic of auditions, McElhenney stated that one of the finalists for the role “went on to become a rather big star.” When McElhenney’s comment was met with confused looks, the actor reminded his co-stars that Bautista had auditioned for the part back in 2006.
“Get out of here!” remarked a surprised Howerton, who added that Bautista was “way too young” to play the actor’s on-screen father because he’s just nine years older than McElhenney.
It’s Always Sunny first debuted in 2005 and stars McElhenney, Day and Howerton as Ronald “Mac” MacDonald, Charlie Kelly and Dennis Reynolds, respectively. The series follows The Gang — which also includes Danny Devito as Dennis’ father Frank and Kaitlyn Olson as Dennis’ sister Dee — as they struggle to run Paddy’s Pub, an unsuccessful Irish Bar in Philadelphia. The five dysfunctional characters cause problems for just about everyone they meet, including Charlie’s love interest the Waitress, whose name has still not been revealed.
Fans may recall that actor Gregory Scott Cummins, who is 13 years Bautista’s senior, was ultimately picked to play Luther MacDonald and has appeared in seven episodes so far. Howerton explained, however, that the crew still had to “age him up” as Cummins also looked too young to play Mac’s dad at first.
The topic of fathers seemed especially pertinent after the most recent season finally shed some light on Charlie’s dad. Midway through the season, the Gang traveled to Ireland where Charlie meets his pen-pal Shelly Kelly. He quickly discovers that Shelley is in fact his father. The two bond, much to Frank’s dismay. As is tradition with the Gang, their presence soon causes disaster for Shelly.
It’s Always Sunny has received plenty of backlash over the years, with several episodes currently unavailable to watch on Hulu. Even so, the series aired a record-breaking fifteenth season in December, making it the only American comedy series in history to reach the milestone. It’s Always Sunny series has also already been renewed for at least three more installments, which will take the show to 18 seasons.
While Bautista didn’t make the cut for It’s Always Sunny, he went on to play Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers movies. He is also set to feature in Knives Out 2, which hits Netflix in late 2022.
Source: The Always Sunny Podcast, via YouTube
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