Hollywood legend Danny DeVito was given short shrift by the live National Television Awards audience last night, prompting the star to brand them “mean”.
The 74-year-old’s jokes fell flat with the crowd assembled in London’s O2 Arena as he fired off a series of funnies before presenting the gong for best drama performance to Bodyguard hunk Richard Madden.
A football gag seemed to go down particularly badly and even drew some boos – but the Batman Returns actor shrugged off the disapproval to emphasise his support for north London club Arsenal.
Apparently endearing himself only to fellow Gunners Piers Morgan – also in attendance – the pint-sized performer joked he would be making the most of his trip to the UK by trying to wangle a trial at the Emirates Stadium.
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“This is a big week for me this week. It’s really nice for me to be here,” said Danny, setting up his punchline.
Suggesting he could take over between the posts following the 6 foot 5 goalie’s retirement announcement, Danny continued: “I’ve got tryouts. I’m going to get Petr Cech’s job. Go Arsenal.”
However, the feeble response received from the crowd – along with a smattering of boos – made it clear that either there weren’t all that many football fans in or not everyone in the arena was familiar with ‘keeper Petr’s height to get the joke.
“You’re not nice,” Danny commented, apparently pretending to be disappointed his support for the Premier League team was not universally shared.
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Danny’s underwhelming special appearance was also marred by him reading out the nominees at the wrong moment.
“You want me to say the name? They told me not to say the name,” he floundered briefly.
The Twins star also gushed to winner Richard about how much he enjoyed the BBC thriller as the Scottish actor collected his award, holding the winner up from making his speech.
Viewers reacted with far more enthusiasm on social media, however – and Arsenal fans were especially delighted to welcome Danny into their ranks.
“Thought I couldn’t love Danny DeVito anymore and then he comes out as an Arsenal fan. What a [bleep] legend,” said one on Twitter.
Noting how warm and chummy Danny was, another tweeted: “Get you someone who looks at you the way Danny Devito looks at Richard Madden.”
And another reflected: “Watching Danny Devito and Richard Madden on stage together is a memory I’ll always treasure.”
Do you think the audience was a bit harsh on Danny? Or was his appearance just a series of blunders?
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