Veteran actor Tony Danza says his current role as a tough-talking character as mob boss Stefano in “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” has allowed him to showcase a side of him that differs from the family-friendly persona established in classic sitcoms like “Taxi” and “Who’s the Boss?”
“I get to do something that I wouldn’t usually get called for,” Danza told “CBS Mornings.” “It’s toward the end of your career, and to get something like this — one of the great things is we shoot in New York. So I sleep in my own bed.”
The 73-year-old actor appears to relish playing against type in the series, now entering its fourth season. He said he enjoys the show’s dialogue, comparing it to being in a “’40s gangster movie” with lines like “somebody’s going to be wearing cement sneakers.”
Danza said the network has also been supportive of the show.
“I can tell when I’m in a good one,” he said. “This is the first time they have gone out of their way to promote it.”
When asked about a possible “Who’s the Boss?” revival, Danza clarified it would be a sequel rather than a reboot.
“It’s, ‘Where are these people 30 or 40 years later?’ And dealing with the issues of today in a funny way.”
Danza also discussed his involvement with a youth organization called Stars of Tomorrow Project Inc., which recently performed at New York’s Triad Theater. Drawing from his own upbringing in Brooklyn during the 1950s and ’60s, he described it as “the toughest neighborhood in the city” but also “the greatest time to be alive.”
When asked about his decades-long acting career, Danza mentioned taking piano lessons and booking performance dates, emphasizing the importance of keeping an active mind.
“Exercise and moisturize,” he said. “And keep trying to expand.”
