The actor has not even left Dublin yet but he is already planning his return visit… Rick O’Shea interviewed the star after his appearance at JDIFF’s L.A. Confidential screening where DeVito gushed about his love for Ireland, his relations and his plans to come back here and film next year.
DeVito first came here in 1996 for Matilda: “I was staying at the Clarence Hotel and it happened to be the night that U2 were having their Christmas party and I drank all night long… They’re crazy those guys and I’ve been back several times.”
The actor talked at length about his famous troll foot pictures which he posts to twitter and proceeded to take off his boots to add another photo to his collection. The picture later made his twitter account.
The star chatted freely about his career to date, filming with Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas on War of the Roses where he discussed how he left the actors suspended in mid air in the legendary chandelier scene while the crew went off to lunch. His mention of his turn as Oswald Cobblepot in Batman Returns drew wolf whistles from the crowd and DeVito revealed he made the renowned Tim Burton crawl into a coffin for his film Hoffa.
The film festival is not the only reason the actor was in Dublin, DeVito confirmed: “I have the script for a book that I like, it’s called The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. It’s the story of a 13 year old girl who’s forced to take this voyage in 1832. I’ve been trying to make the movie for a while. At one point I had Dakota Fanning and the movie fell apart. The last incarnation was with Saoirse Ronan and now Saoirse is too old. We’re going to hopefully shoot here in Dublin in June or July 2014. I’ve been here for a couple of days looking at locations and the studios and going around the great countryside.”
DeVito has strong ties to Ireland: “I’ve got a lot of family here. In the 1800’s, my grandfather’s brother went to Belfast so I have tonnes of DeVito’s and they married into another family. I was here in 1996 and I went to Shannon Airport and then to Kilkee to visit my relatives. There’s a gaming joint on O’Connell Street, that’s one of my relatives, figures right?”
War of the Roses will run as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival this evening with DeVito as a special guest.
