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Always Sunny: Kaitlin Olson Willing to Play Dee "Into Her 90s" & More

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson on what it means to have "Sweet Dee" to come back to and why Emmy voters ignore the series.


While we will readily admit that our updates on FXX's Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson & Danny DeVito– starring It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia can be a bit all over the map when it comes to topics. But for this go-around, we're getting serious and going "insightful," courtesy of a profile piece on Olson that was released earlier today.

While the complete interview with Vanity Fair is an excellent read and definitely worth your time, there were two "Always Sunny"-related topics that caught our eye. First up, Olson explains why "Sweet Dee" Reynolds is "always going to be there" for her "into her 90s." Following that, Olson shares some of her thoughts on why the longest-running television sitcom in U.S. history has never been nominated for an Emmy Award – let alone walk away with the gold.

always sunny
IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, (from left): Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Danny DeVito, 'The Gang Saves The Day', (Season 9, ep. 906, aired Oct. 9, 2013). photo: Patrick McElhenney / ©FXX /Courtesy: Everett Collectionf

At one point during the interview, the topic turned to Olson's choices in roles and any concerns she may have about being typecast as a "Sweet Dee"-type character in other projects. She explained that she actively looks for roles that break that mold (like in Max's Hacks and ABC's upcoming High Potential) so that she can continue to challenge herself within her craft and that knowing she has "Sweet Dee" waiting for her at home (metaphorically speaking) makes it easier to "experiment and try new things."

Olson explained, "It's a huge comfort. I'm happy every single day I go to work. I'm working with people I find to be at the absolute top of their game. I'm so well taken care of. My showrunner [McElhenney] knows what he's doing. I also happen to be married to him. It really does allow you to go off and experiment and try new things, because I still always have that to come back to. Now, we do eight episodes a season; it's a six to eight-week commitment. It's a no-brainer."

At the Emmy Awards earlier this year, The Gang got the band back together to present the award for Outstanding Talk Series (Trevor Noah & The Daily Show would take top honors) – and to take a moment to address their topic of the show being ignored by Emmy voters. "Have you guys been doing this every year without us?" Day asked toward the opening of their segment. "I feel like we're getting the full Marvel treatment here."

To make matters even a little more insulting, this year also marked the first time that The Gang was invited to attend the biggest awards ceremony in television. DeVito really drove the point home when he reminded them that he had already won an Emmy for his work on Taxi – which would run for five seasons, picking up 34 nominations and 18 wins. "34 nominations in five years vs. zero nominations in 16 years? That math is bad!" Olson observed – before DeVito added, "Rhea [Perlman] won four for 'Cheers.'"

As fun as that was to watch, the point can't be ignored. How can a show that's run for 16 seasons (and counting) be as ignored as "Always Sunny" has been over the course of its run? "We talk about that a lot," Olson shared. "I think there are some shows where it's just decided, 'Oh, this is the hit show of the season,' and people will give it a shot. And then there are just some shows that are just like, 'No, this isn't an Emmy show.' And if you jumped in and saw a clip of our show and didn't quite understand it, you'd think this show is raunchy and gross—not appropriate and not classy and lowbrow. And the truth is, that's true. And if you really watch a full episode, it's so smart. We're making lots of statements. We are making fun of extremists. It's a lot more intelligent than people think."

Olson added, "It just became a thing where it was like, 'Oh, that show again.' People are looking at new shows. The truth is we are getting a lot of validation every single day. We have fans that will cry and shake if they take a picture [with us]. We're doing what we want to do, making a show that we're proud of and making people happy. I really am truly good. But will I take an Emmy? Yeah, I'll take an Emmy."


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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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