Danny DeVito Reveals Peculiar Pre-Show Exercise Ritual at 78
Danny DeVito revealed an interesting exercise ritual during a sit-down with GQ. The Haunted Mansion star was promoting his new Broadway show I Need That, which opened Thursday. DeVito stars in the play, alongside his real-life daughter Lucy DeVito, as irascible hoarder Sam, who faces eviction from his longtime home due to his condition.
Before being taught the term "short king," the actor was asked about any superstitious pre-show rituals he indulges in. DeVito brushed the question off before admitting he does partake in a bit of aerobics each night. “I have a trampoline. I don't know if you can see it, over there,” DeVito told the interviewer, referring to his dressing room.
“I start every night with it to get myself going,” he explained. “I guess you would call it exercise, but it's like getting ready to go out.”
Though DeVito seems fairly blasé about his habit, studies have found that jumping on a trampoline carries significant health benefits. According to Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, trampolining builds bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Professional trampoliners, for example, were found to have higher bone density in the hips and spine than their peers. It can also lower your resting heart rate and cholesterol levels while relieving stress.
“Jumping causes you to repeatedly tense and release your muscles, which is good for your circulation,” exercise coordinator Lori Lyons told the outlet. “Then, when you’re done jumping, your muscles are loose and relaxed.”
Perhaps it’s all those years of trampolining that give 78-year-old DeVito his endurance. In addition to his role on Broadway, he continues to appear on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, and hinted to GQ that he has projects in the works with Billy Crystal and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Billy and I want to work together again…And then Arnold and I want to work together. We missed Twins 2 because he became governor,” DeVito lamented. “Now we have a little thing going, a little project that we've been chatting about.”