New England — and especially Massachusetts — has a special place in Charlie Day’s heart.
The “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star is hosting several tasting events in Boston from through Saturday to promote his whiskey brand, Four Walls Whiskey.
While meeting with fans at Cheers Boston in Beacon Hill Friday, Day took a moment to reflect on his pivotal college years that he spent in North Andover.
“It was great. It was a good experience,” the acclaimed actor told MassLive. “I don’t think I would have pursued acting had I not gone to Merrimack [College].”
Day added that his old theater professor, the late Robert Heinlein (no relation to the science fiction writer), also inspired him to go into acting. He also recalled going to Williamstown Theatre Festival at Williams College for further inspiration.
Day was born in New York City but moved to Rhode Island shortly after. He spent most of his childhood in Middletown and attended Pennfield School and graduated from the Portsmouth Abbey School, both in Portsmouth.
At Merrimack, Day majored in art history and was active in the college’s student theater organization called the Onstagers. After graduating in 1998, the actor moved to New York and lived there until 2003 when he moved to Los Angeles.
Two years later, he helped develop “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” The sitcom was created by Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney) and co-developed by Glenn Howerton, who both star in the show alongside Day, Kaitlin Olson and Danny DeVito.
“When we sold the show to FX, originally it was set in Los Angeles, and we were playing versions of ourselves as actors” Day recalled. “And FX said, ‘There’s too many shows about the industry. Can they do something else.’”
That was when Day and his counterparts settled on the concept for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” The show follows a group of ego-centered, heavy-drinking friends who run an unsuccessful Irish bar called Paddy’s Pub in the neighborhood of South Philadelphia. “The gang,” as they’re often referred to as, frequently get entangled in hairy situations from getting held hostage at gunpoint in Paddy’s Pub to finding an abandoned baby in a dumpster and deciding to raise it as a child star.
With its impending 18th season, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is the longest-running live-action sitcom in television history. The show has received critical acclaim amassed a large cult following for its dark humor and outlandish antics. Day himself has received nominations for a Critics’ Choice Television Award and a Satellite Award for his role on the show.
In May 2014, he gave the commencement speech for Merrimack’s graduating class and received an honorary Ph.D from the institution. During his speech, Day encouraged students to push themselves out of their comfort zones.
“You cannot let a fear of failure, or a fear of comparison, or a fear of judgement stop you from doing what will make you great,” he said. “You cannot not succeed without this risk of failure, and you cannot have a voice without the risk of criticism, and you cannot love without the risk of loss. You must go out and take these risks…do what’s uncomfortable, and scary, and hard, and what pays off in the long run.”
Day will step behind the bar at Back Bay Social at 8 p.m. and at Flight Club Boston at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, the actor will host a bottle signing at Total Wine at South Bay Center in Dorchester at noon before pouring shots at Lansdowne Pub around 6:30 p.m.
All events are first-come, first-served event, so there are no tickets or reservations required for entry. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to get a good spot before the bars fill up.