Charlie Day's Hilarious Career: The Highs And Lows

Charlie Day’s career took off in the early 2000s with his role in ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’, the irreverent, boundary-pushing sitcom that made a cult hero out of the man-child "Charlie Kelly." If you’ve never watched ‘It’s Always Sunny’, you’re missing out on the absurd genius of Charlie—a janitor, self-proclaimed "wild card," and someone who might just drink rat poison if it had enough "extra cheese" in it. His character’s incredibly strange behavior and bizarre love for his “work wife,” “The Waitress,” have earned Charlie Kelly a beloved spot in TV history, a character that is lovable because of how hopeless and messy he is. But let’s not forget Charlie's involvement in some of the more baffling plotlines, like his attempts to write a musical or his unhinged obsession with “The Nightman” and “Dayman.”

It’s hard to imagine the show’s massive success without Charlie Day’s unique energy. The gang (which also includes "Dennis Reynolds," "Mac," "Dee Reynolds," and "Frank Reynolds") have helped It’s Always Sunny become one of the longest-running live-action sitcoms in history, and much of that success is thanks to Charlie’s pure, chaotic comic timing. At the heart of it, he’s the glue that holds the gang’s crazy antics together, even if that glue sometimes looks like it was made from spaghetti and glue traps.

While ‘It’s Always Sunny’ remained a constant part of his life, Charlie didn’t exactly stick to playing the same bumbling, lovable loser for the rest of his career. He branched out into films, proving that his comedy chops could be stretched into more mainstream territory.

The first big post-Sunny success came in ‘Horrible Bosses’ (2011), where Charlie Day traded his janitor’s uniform for a more polished look, but still played a version of "Charlie Kelly" who was hilariously underpowered, constantly finding himself in over his head—this time, in a terrible work environment where his boss, “Dr. Julia Harris” (Jennifer Aniston), is a little too obsessed with him. The film was a hit, and Charlie Day’s performance as the perpetually stressed-out "Dale Arbus" gave audiences a taste of his broader comedic range, proving he could do more than just yell incoherently about rats.

Then came ‘Pacific Rim’ (2013), a movie where you might have expected more of the usual monster-thriller tough-guy characters, but instead, there was Charlie Day as the eccentric, fast-talking scientist "Dr. Newton Geiszler." In a film filled with giant robots fighting even bigger monsters, Charlie’s character brought the right amount of wit and quirkiness to balance out the big action. Who else could deliver a line like "It’s a neural handshake!" with such enthusiasm and somehow make it sound credible? In typical Charlie Day fashion, he was the one providing the comic relief amid the chaos, and although ‘Pacific Rim’ may not have been ‘The Dark Knight’ in terms of critical acclaim, it still helped secure his place as the go-to guy for out-of-the-box comedic talent.

Charlie Day’s appeal extends far beyond playing slightly deranged scientists or bumbling janitors. He’s dabbled in several voice roles, including his recurring work on ‘Family Guy’ and ‘American Dad!’ He’s the kind of guy who can make even the strangest animated characters come to life with his distinctive voice—an asset that works in both serious roles (like his appearance in ‘Fargo’s’ third season) and zany ones (such as ‘The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part’).

And then there's the most surreal of all his career choices: his role in ‘Arrested Development’. A ‘Sunshine’ guy among a sea of established, hilarious actors like Jason Bateman and Michael Cera, Charlie Day took on the role of “Buster Bluth’s” insane intern and ran with it. The role was ridiculous, his performance was absurd, and it proved once again that Charlie Day was perfectly capable of bringing the weirdness even outside of his home turf in ‘Sunny’. He can play straight-faced neurotics just as well as he can play a man obsessed with his "wild card" energy.

Of course, no career in Hollywood is without its bumps along the way. In between making us laugh until we couldn’t breathe, Charlie Day has had his share of movie flops, questionable roles, and projects that didn’t quite live up to the hype. Not everything has been an instant hit. There were films like ‘Fist Fight’ (2017), which, despite its comedic potential, didn’t quite find its audience. There was also ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ (2018), which saw Charlie Day reprise his role, but unfortunately the sequel didn’t land as strongly with critics or audiences.

But here’s the thing: Charlie Day thrives in chaos. He doesn’t need every film to be a box-office smash because ‘Sunny’ remains his North Star. It’s a testament to his unwavering commitment to playing characters who aren’t trying to be anything other than delightfully weird, which is the key to his charm. At the end of the day, his career has been marked by a willingness to dive headfirst into oddball roles and projects—sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don't—but it's always a ride worth taking.

So what’s next for Charlie Day, the man who once believed the sun is “a huge ball of gas”? After so many years in the business, it’s clear that Charlie Day’s career isn’t about playing it safe—he’s all about keeping things as unpredictable as possible. Whether it’s more ‘It’s Always Sunny’ hijinks or further ventures into both the action and animation world, there’s no telling what role he’ll take on next. One thing is for certain, though: wherever Charlie goes, he’ll bring his trademark wit, a few oddball characters, and the perfect amount of absurdity to keep us laughing along the way. And who knows? Maybe one day, he’ll even find a way to make a musical about “The Nightman” and the “Dayman” that actually becomes a Broadway hit. With Charlie Day, anything is possible—just as long as there’s some rats involved.