It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiais known for pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable in comedy, and Glenn Howerton initially rejected one of Dennis' most heinous scenes.It’s Always Sunnyreturns for season 17on July 9, and the new season will hopefully offer some of the most daring bits yet.
At theIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia20th Anniversary Panel attended by Screen Rant on July 1, stars Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, and Charlie Dayrevealed that Howerton initially rejected doing the “implication” scene from the season 11 episode “The Gang Goes to Hell,“but eventually ended up filming it anyway. Read his full quote below:
Howerton: “I do remember that with the with the cruise ship scene, with the young girl, where I actually had, where you actually had to see the implication. And actually, that was one that I actually was like, ‘Please, guys, please don’t.’ There’s just certain things that as a human being, you know, it’s just tough to stop. I don’t remember. I remember thinking the implication conversation that you guys wrote was super, super funny, so, but maybe I was, like, worried about crossing a line or something with that.
What Glenn Howerton’s Dennis Reveal Means
This Is One Of The Show’s Most Discomforting Scenes
While arguments could be made for Frank, Dennis is typically seen as the most immoral member of the Gang. While Charlie and Mac are generally just unintelligent,Dennis is an outright sociopath, and it’s consistently implied that he’s doing atrocious things off-screen. The scene on the cruise ship from “The Gang Goes To Hell” is undoubtedly one of the worst.
As mentioned, there’s a consistent implication about what Dennis is doing to women, butit’s rare that something like this is directly shown to the audience, especially with a character who’s revealed to be a minor. It makes complete sense why Glenn Howerton wouldn’t want to act this out, even if there’s some humor to it.
Glenn Howerton has been consistently vocal about not wanting audiences to view him as being anything like Dennis Reynolds. Even though he’s nothing like hisIt’s Always Sunnycharacter, it could still bediscomforting to act out something with such an apparent implication of sexual assault.
Actors have a right to draw the line where they please, even when playing fictional characters. This is one of the most sinister scenes in the entire series, and it’s difficult to imagine even pretending to be Dennis in that moment. Howerton’s comments suggest that he saw it through after finding some comedic purpose in it.
Our Take On Glenn Howerton’s Comments
The Gang Is Always The Butt Of The Joke
While I can totally understand Glenn Howerton’s perspective in not wanting to film something like that,the reasonIt’s Always Sunnyhas remained so successful is that the Gang is always the joke. The series doesn’t glorify these characters or their actions in any capacity.
The series doesn’t glorify these characters or their actions in any capacity.
Specifically, regarding Dennis, it’s obvious throughout the show that he’s an awful human being; he’s a sociopath, among many other things. Sure, this is one of the show’s most uncomfortable scenes, but the point ofIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiais generally that the Gang’s behavior is intended to be discomforting.
