Rhea Perlman Embraces the Grandma Role — Onscreen and Off

What’s the best part about being a grandmother so far?

Oh, besides everything? I love hanging out with them. I love when they come over to my house and they boss me around. “Hey, listen, really, we have to play.” This is the older one — Sinclair is Grace’s daughter [with husband Andy Giannakakis], Carmine, who’s my grandson [daughter Lucy’s son], isn’t talking yet. He’s engaging, but he’s not talking yet. He’s only 11 months old. We all go outside, and Sinclair is dictating to me, “OK, I’ll pick up this basket. You have to have a basket. You get that basket. You take that basket. You play with that ball. I’ll play with this ball.” Bossing me around. And I just love it.

Danny DeVito and Perlman shared the screen in a 1979 episode of "Taxi." The couple met in 1971 and married in 1982.

Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Images

How’s Danny as a grandpa? What does he like to be called?

He’s Pop-Pop. Oh, he loves them. We both spend as much time with them as they allow us to.

Is this the best part about getting older?

Yeah. So far, this is the best part. Getting older is not something I love. There’s no other good parts of getting older besides the people that you are close to and can get even closer to in different ways. Getting older, people say, “Oh, you become wiser, I feel better now that I’m this age or…” I don’t get that at all. I liked being young.

When you were starting out, did you have female role models? Who were some of your comedic inspirations?

When I was starting out, I wasn’t really thinking about becoming an actress. I was thinking about being a teacher or something. For the actress thing, I figured I’d take a couple of acting classes. I never thought I was going to actually work as an actress and make money as an actress! I did a bunch of off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, very far off-Broadway parts. But my role models were always whoever were the great actresses —  Meryl Streep [76], people then and now still. Lucille Ball, always for comedy.

When did you know that acting was going to be your career?

I guess when I was in college, which was Hunter College. It was a city school, and there wasn’t a major acting program or anything. But I was always in plays. I always would try out for plays because I liked doing it. And then a good friend of mine went to Columbia film school and he said, “Look, I’m going to do some movies. You want to be in them?”  I said, “Yeah.” And then gradually from there, I just got odd jobs to make money, and then I would try out for off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway plays. And I started getting them. I started thinking, This might be something I can do.

From left: Perlman was a wisecracking barmaid on "Cheers," which ran from 1982 to 1993. Among her castmates in the ensemble comedy were John Ratzenberger and Ted Danson.

NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Were your parents Philip and Adele Perlman supportive? 

They didn’t encourage, but my dad in particular loved actors. He knew every actor or actress, every actor, in everything. He knew their names. He could have been a casting director. I think they both enjoyed it to some extent, especially him. And you know my dad was on Cheers for a while.

I remember that. Was that the biggest thrill for him?

The biggest thrill ever. First he said, “Can I just be an extra? Can I just come down?” And Jimmy Burrows [84], who was our director, said, “Of course.” And he would hang around the craft services table and get to know everybody. And eventually, we had this guy, Al Rosen, on the show, and he had all the funny lines. And then at some point he passed away, and then they needed a new old guy. And he had Phil. I’ve told this story many times, but I would get to interact with him as Carla — mean to everyone. Didn’t matter if it was my father. I got to throw beer in his face. I got to crack an egg over his head once. It was a trip. It was a great time.

In the 2023 blockbuster "Barbie.," Perlman played Ruth Handler, inventor of the Barbie doll. Margot Robbie (right) had the title role.

Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

You played Barbie inventor Ruth Handler in the big-screen blockbuster. How did that feel to be part of that cultural moment?

It was huge. I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a couple of friends on a birthday trip. I got a call from my agent saying that they wanted to talk to me about Barbie. It was like, What? Who wants to talk to me? What do you mean they’re doing a movie of Barbie — Barbie the doll that I had four zillion of them? My kids, my daughters, were already grown out of having dolls by that time, but they had every Barbie doll there was.

Did you know the movie would have such an impact?

I thought that it was so well done, and it was an important [movie]. I really resented when people thought, “Well, it’s just about a toy. That’s not even a smart thing to do.” But having children, you know how smart it is, because toys are not just toys to children. Toys are almost as real as the people they meet. And they were to my kids, and they were to me as a child.

You’ve worked with so many amazing people over the years. Is there somebody still on your wish list that you hope to work with?

It’d be great to work with Danny and Lucy [her daughter, who is an actor as well]. I haven’t done that really together — we have worked together in little tiny things — but how Lucy and Danny get to work together [the two most recently shared the Broadway stage in 2023’s comedy play I Need That]. I haven’t had that experience. I think that would be great. And I love a lot of these people I worked with on Too Much. Meg Stalter is amazing. And the thing I appreciate about Lena and her is the freedom that they have with their bodies, the confidence in their being who they are, and letting that all hang out. I don’t think I could ever have done that. I know I couldn’t. And I couldn’t do it now. I admire them so much, and they’re great actors.

Who gave you the best advice, and what was it?

I think the best advice was somebody [no memory of who] said to me, “Just be yourself. Be yourself.” And I went, I wonder who I am.

Any regrets?

Oh no, I have no regrets! Every day was perfect. I’m sure I do, but, well, you’re asking me all the hard questions. Stop asking me hard questions!