This was not the name I had written on my calendar this week, but when It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered a couple weeks ago, I was shocked and mad at myself that Charlie Day wasn’t written down at all. How could that be? This was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made recently next to bombing a huge job interview and confusing plums with nectarines for a week straight. I’m pretty sure all three are on the same level.
So here we are and instead of telling you the long-winded tales of why we love Hayden Christensen like I initially intended, we’re going to spend the next (enter your reading speed here) minutes admiring all that is Charlie Day.
Name: Charles Peckham Day
Birthday: February 9, 1976
Place of Birth: New York City, NY
Twitter: @AlwaysSunnyFXX
Best Known For
If you happen to live anywhere with TV promos plastered on the sides of public transportation, you know Charlie Day’s face from the Sunny ads that start to pop up in early August. You also know him from that show because despite what some think, it’s been on since 2005. Bonus points if you can name the show it premiered behind! You won’t win anything but a mental high five from me, but still. Other than the FX, now FXX, show, Day’s known for his breakout movie role as Dale in Horrible Bosses with Jason Sudeikis where he played a dental assistant being sexually harassed by Jennifer Aniston. He also stole that movie running into a closed garage. Before that he was with Sudeikis in a much lesser known movie, Going the Distance. Don’t feel bad if you haven’t seen it, it’s in the $5 bin all the time; that’s why I own it. This year we saw Day step outside what we’re used to seeing him as and play Dr. Newton Geiszler in Pacific Rim. Let’s not forget he voiced Art in Monsters University — “I can’t go back to jail!” Next up is The LEGO Movie and possibly another Horrible Bosses.
5 Quick Charlie Day Facts
- Both of his parents teach music. His mom is a piano teacher and his dad is a music professor.
- The music was passed along, Charlie is a musician himself. Some of his music has even appeared on Sunny.
- He met his wife in the NYC theater circuit in 2001; they married five years later.
- Charlie became a DILF on December 15, 2011 when he and his wife welcomed their first son, Russell Wallace Day, to the world.
- On Horrible Bosses: “I’m choosing my words carefully cause I’m sure, when it comes to being naked with Jennifer Aniston, they will be printed. But, believe it or not, it was just really silly, fun, funny and entertaining, at the end of the day.”
Reasons You Love Charlie Day
It doesn’t matter what TV show you watch, you attach yourself to a character (or two) and no matter how many times you’re told that they’re not real, just actors — you ignore those harsh truths. It’s easier to live in a world where Charlie Day is Charlie Kelly. That show, along with his peculiar charisma and incessant erratic behavior, are the reasons you love him.
Charlie Kelly is the King of the Rats who can read as well as a two-year-old, wears a latex suit, and stalks a waitress at a coffee shop. You’re unsure why your ideal mate loves to eat milksteak and enjoys ghouls, but you stopped questioning your devotion to Charlie before season one ended. While Dennis has the charm (most of the time) and Mac is badass, they don’t compare to your Dayman.
Even when his last name isn’t Kelly, Charlie manages to keep that off-the-wall demeanor going. This is just the way he is. He was that way before he moved to Philly when he was an inbred twin on Reno 911! and he continues to be that way with every role he’s had since then. You love that his scratchy voice will raise in an instant when he’s alarmed or trying to prove a point.
One of those points is that Charlie is hotter than he leads people to believe. You not only believe it, but know that it’s a fact. Look at that profile picture — how can someone deny that man is attractive? Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best example to use. Still, he’s just this compact little man who you just want to cuddle up with.
Reasons I Love Charlie Day
Weeks before I took off for college, a show premiered that instantaneously hooked me even though I’d originally tuned in that night for Starved (answer alert!). I’m still a little upset that show was canceled but am not surprised Sunny took off like it did. I wouldn’t say took off, but gradually gained steam. It was the first time I encountered Charlie Day and from that first episode, I claimed him as my boyfriend and that hasn’t changed all these years later. I think my love for Charlie goes above and beyond a character though, because I (along with a handful of others) got to actually act alongside him once upon a time.
Wait, say what? Yes, when they toured with The Nightman Cometh around the country, Playboy held a contest for tickets and an amazing opportunity. I’d remind myself every day to enter said contest numerous times and went on to win a pair along with three other people. The three of us then had our names put in a hat; the winner would actually play the role of Gladys onstage with the cast. Yup, I won that and got to rehearse one on one with Charlie Day backstage. I’d have to say that moment tops all my other TV fandoms because really, come on — it was remarkable and Charlie was a sweetheart. I could never hate him, no matter how hard I tried.
Of course I think he’s a cutie and Horrible Bosses was so good I had to see it twice in theaters, but Charlie Kelly and our moment together will always be the reasons I love Mr. Day. Oh, and the following pretty much sums up my life for the past year or so.
