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Henry Winkler opens up on how playing The Fonz on 'Happy Days' almost derailed his career

Henry Winkler discussed the 'debilitating' effect his character 'Fonz' had on his career as he was typecast for years after playing the famous role on 'Happy Days'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: As HBO’s ‘Barry’ is fast approaching its series finale, Henry Winkler, the star of the show, opened up about his “debilitating” days after the conclusion of his iconic show ‘Happy Days'. The 77-year-old television veteran recently opened up in an interview about his days following the ending of ‘Happy Days’ in 1983 where he essayed the role of Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, fondly called ‘Fonzie’.

In the interview, Winkler spoke candidly about the character that was responsible for his massive stardom but was responsible for his inability to get work. He said, "There were eight or nine years at a time when I couldn't get hired because I was 'The Fonz' because I was typecast." The star continued, "I had psychic pain that was debilitating because I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to find it, whatever it was, I didn't know what I was going to do. I had a family. I had a dog. I had a roof. Oh. My. God."

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In the interview with Today, he further said, he would not change a single thing about his time at ‘Happy Days’. Winkler said, “I loved doing it. I loved playing ‘The Fonz’ I love those people. I loved learning how to play softball. I loved traveling all over the world together with the cast. I would not have traded it,” before adding, "Not only that but also, I don’t know that I would’ve gotten here if I hadn’t gone through the struggle.”

However, everything was not unhappy for the septuagenarian after the show as it implored him to explore his worth. The result of which was the show ‘MacGyver’ which he produced through his production company. The show was produced because “Will and Fear” ran for seven successful seasons and earned five Emmy nominations. 

‘It is not easy to find your authenticity’

As he has now found his happiness, he has also found out the answer to one of the most common questions people ask him, as he was found quoting, “People say, ‘Hey, you were The Fonz!' What’s cool?" Winkler continues to explain, “I think that is the key to living. And it is not easy to find your authenticity," before narrating about the small things that he achieved throughout his life, "I’ve opened so many doors. I’ve found canoe paddles. I found scuba gear. I found unread books. I never found, for the longest time, authenticity, which I now know."

When he was asked what he would like to tell his younger self, the Daytime Emmy winner said, "Life is more fun than you think it is, than you allow it to be. Don't worry so much, I worried way too much, to the point where it literally made me inert."

Winkler can now be seen as an eccentric acting instructor Gene Cousineau in the hit HBO series 'Barry', for which he also won a Primetime Emmy. 

‘Happy Days’

‘The Fonz’ was initially written as a foil character for the show’s protagonist, Ritchie, played by Ron Howard. However, Winkler’s own rebellious nature of not conforming to the script and not maintaining the appearance as prescribed by the producers brought him to the forefront. Ultimately his character gained the cigarette-smoking, leather jacket-wearing iconoclast. By the second season, he started appearing as the main protagonist of the show and finally, in the third season, he was transitioned to the lead character, as he himself has narrated in a Television Academy Foundation interview.

His non-conformity to the written material on the script was also partly due to his Dyslexia with which he was diagnosed while filming for the series. As his stepson Jed was diagnosed with a learning disability, Winkler slowly realized his own condition. Earlier, he had problems with memorization but did not understand why such was the case. He said that given the chance of memorizing the script before the shoot, he would memorize it "as quickly as I could because I couldn't read the page and act at the same time to make an impression on the casting person or on the director and the producers...and I improvised the rest. And when they said, 'Well you're not doing what's written on the page,' I said, 'I'm giving you the essence of the character'," reports NPR. 

'Fonzie made him and broke him'

"Tell him to go look at what happened to Frances Bavier (Aunt Bea) and smile. Keep working," said one fan. The second said, ":( aww poor Henry. I enjoyed every role I've seen him in." The third said how they prefer it when Winkler plays a "bad" guy, "But he found his way. I like it when he plays a creep or a bad guy. He does it so well."

Another remarked, "He’s actually a very good actor. Fonzie made him and broke him. It’s got to be so hard to be typecasted into a character that will not progress./"

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