Becoming highly visible and successful playing a certain role on TV can be good and bad. On one hand, there can be fame, money, steady employment, and massive recognition. The downside is that shaking a character off after years of portraying him or her can be very hard. In the public's mind, you are that character. Getting rigidly typecast is an actor's nightmare. And when a show inevitably ends, what is next? That question troubled one of the most beloved actors ever to grace the small screen, Henry Winkler.
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He was Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the sitcom Happy Days for 11 amazing years. Then, in 1984, it ceased production. Winkler, now 80, was stranded with no job and an iffy future. On top of that, people still always thought of him as Fonzie. The fan-favorite role stuck to him like glue, limiting his professional opportunities.
Winkler Opened up on Ted Danson's Podcast
On June 17, the actor was a guest on the podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name, hosted by Ted Danson. Danson was an ideal person for Henry Winkler to discuss this with. He played Sam Malone on the hit sitcom Cheers for years.
Winkler was honest about how the bottom dropped out for him when Happy Days ended. "After Happy Days finished. I'm sitting in my office. All I'm getting are Fonzi[e]-like [offers]. I have no idea, 'Am I ever going to do anything that is as powerful?' And I went dark. I went dark." The future must have seemed more like a dank abyss than a beckoning horizon.
"You Have To Learn To Pivot"
He had to start seeing himself doing something else. So he rebranded himself and developed new ways to use his valuable expertise. Winkler shared with Ted Danson, "The greatest thing you learn is to pivot...You have to learn to pivot. And when you pivot, the universe opens up and all of this generous stardust falls on you."
His Lawyer Put Him on a Different Path
Henry Winkler's lawyer, Skip Brittenham III, was instrumental in helping him. Brittenham launched a production company for Winkler. At first, he was skittish and skeptical that he could make it work. "I said, 'I can't do that...I only know how to do what I'm doing.'" Brittenham would not back down. He sternly advised Winkler, "You'll learn."
He was right. Henry Winkler caught on. He had a hit show with MacGyver. "First show I ever produced. And you learn there are things I can do."
Per People, he also directed and exec produced an after-school special on CBS. It earned Winkler a Daytime Emmy Award. His acting career revived as well. Winkler was in 1990s films like The Waterboy and Scream. Furthermore, he had a role on Arrested Development and played Gene Cousineau on the HBO series Barry.
He added to his resume by becoming a prolific children's book author. To date, per the outlet, Henry Winkler has written 40 of them.
