The two actors will reunite, in a way, as voices on DeVito’s animated series Little Demons. But if Twins never has a proper follow-up film, its place in the culture seems pretty firmly established. For one thing, Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld has acknowledged that the movie, and the bizarre dynamic between the two brothers, inspired his conception of Wade Wilson, who he viewed as the foul-mouthed Vincent leftover in comparison to Wolverine’s Julius-like perfection. “I stole that crap straight out of Twins,” Liefeld has said.
Then there’s Twins’ comforting rewatchability. “Little kids watch that movie over and over and over,” Webb says, adding with a laugh, “I see the residuals, and I’m like, ‘That movie’s 30 years old now!’ You know which movies have life by the size of your residual checks. I mean, that’s tacky but true.”
She thinks the key to the film’s longevity is its message about family — how we eventually find like-minded souls who understand us. Clearly, Twins strikes a chord — she’s always surprised who will want to talk to her about the film. “I’ve done all these super-cool, iconic, weird, edgy movies,” Webb says, “and somebody who’s super-cool, iconic and edgy comes up to you at a party and says, ‘I loved you in Twins.’”
Davies, who recently wrote the big-screen adaptation of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, hasn’t run into Twins’ stars in a very long time. “I haven’t seen Danny DeVito for decades,” he tells me. “But I do remember he was so lovely on that movie. To say we were unimportant is a massive understatement. That he took so much time (with Osborne and me)I — I can still remember the launch party, having our photograph taken with him and having such a laugh with him. He was just the sweetest guy. I wish that our paths had crossed again, but they just haven’t. Maybe they will.”
I was curious what those who had worked with DeVito would say his secret is. From Taxi to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and all the stops in between, what defines his legacy? “What he has is the very thing that I think makes an actor great,” Webb suggests. “It’s the willingness to expose parts of your own humanity that most people hide.”
“He’s obviously very intelligent,” Weingrod offers. “When it comes to comedy, he knows where the jokes are. He knows when to talk, when to be silent, when to just roll his eyes. Ultimately, he comes across as very amiable and very approachable, which he is in real life as well. He’s incredibly friendly. I mean, I’ve bumped into him over the years. He had a restaurant for a while or I’d bump into him at a pharmacy, and it was just a big hug and a big smile. He’s just a really decent human being. I really like his work as a director as well, Throw Momma From the Train and Hoffa and all that stuff. I mean, he’s immensely talented.”
When’s the last time Weingrod saw him? “I ran into him at Ivan’s memorial,” he tells me. “He said, ‘Why don’t you write something for me?’ I said, ‘I would be happy to.’”