Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Ron Howard had to disguise himself in public to avoid being recognised by fans due to the popularity of Happy Days.
The actor played wholesome protagonist Richie Cunningham in the ABC sitcom from 1974 until 1980, but away from filming, the star had to adopt a tougher look that resembled Henry Winkler’s rebellious Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli to go about his life without being recognised by viewers.
Appearing at the 2026 Hamptons International Film Festival, Ron, now 72, recalled: “It did get to the point, the show was so popular that – it sounds a little ridiculous, but you’d sort of have to wear little disguises and things.
“If you wanted to go to a mall or go to Disneyland or go out to the movies even, you had to lay low.”
He continued: “I had kind of a leather jacket that was tough. Not a Fonzie leather jacket, but this ’50s motorcycle cop kind of thing.
“And I would let my hair grow out a little bit and what I could grow of a moustache or something like that and wear shades.
“I tried to look tough. My disguise was simply to try to be a little bit tough.”
Ron noted the frenzy surrounding Happy Days “was another thing that pushed me to want to get behind the camera”, per Entertainment Weekly.
He went on to helm the likes of the 2001 thriller-romance film, A Beautiful Mind, for which he won the Best Director Oscar, the 1995 adventure-drama movie Apollo 13, and the 2000 holiday classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Last year, Henry, now 80, admitted that he thought his “life [was] over” when Ron quit Happy Days.
Speaking to People, Henry explained: “When we worked together, there was something that happens out of the blue. We had a shorthand with the script. He went where I went, I went where he went, and it became something else.”
Henry has vivid memories of the day he found out Ron had decided to leave the show in 1980.
He shared: “There was a phone booth right by the front door of stage 19. They said, ‘Oh, the phone is for you, Henry.'”
Ron told his co-star at the time: “It’s going to come out in the press in about 10 minutes, but I wanted you to know first, I’m not coming back.”
Henry was initially shaken by the news, but he ultimately encouraged his showbiz pal to follow his long-term ambitions.
The entertainer said: “My first thought was, ‘I’m going to die now’. My great acting partner on this show, my good friend, is no longer going to be here. My life is over.
“And that was in the first two seconds. Then I said, ‘Ron, we’ve talked about this since the beginning. All you want to do is be a director. It’s in your DNA. Go and be the best you can be, and I cannot wait to see what you do.'”
Henry remained on Happy Days until the sitcom ended in 1984, and he went “dark” after the programme wrapped.
Appearing on an August episode of the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast, the star explained: “After Happy Days finished, I’m sitting in my office [and] all I’m getting are Fonzi-like [offers].
“I have no idea, ‘Am I ever going to do anything that is as powerful?’ And I went dark. I went dark.”
Henry admitted to feeling lost and unsure of his future when the show ended. The actor explained that his career ground to a halt for “eight or nine years” after Happy Days.
He said: “The greatest thing you learn is to pivot.
“You’re going on a way and you’re thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve got to stay. I can’t do anything else. I don’t want to do anything else.’ You have to learn to pivot. And when you pivot, the universe opens up and all of this generous stardust falls on you.”
