Henry Winkler and Ron Howard had a conversation about the Fonz's popularity years after Happy Days ended
The two didn't let petty problems stand in the way of their friendship.

Sharing the spotlight is never easy, especially when you work in television. Actors are frequently branded as "divas," celebrities who are unwilling to share the spotlight with anyone else.
Despite having spent his entire adolescence in Hollywood, Ron Howard was anything but a diva.
Breaking into the entertainment industry as Opie Taylor of The Andy Griffith Show, Howard later spent much of his adolescence starring in the hit sitcom, Happy Days. But as the series progressed, Howard found that he had to share the spotlight with his co-star, Henry Winkler. Winkler's character, Arthur Fonzarelli, was becoming increasingly popular, which led to an expanded role for him in the series.
But during an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Winkler said the struggle for the spotlight never got in the way of the two actors' friendship.
"First of all, he is a very good friend of mine," said Winkler of Howard. Years later, the two actually discussed the matter when they appeared on a podcast together.
"We were all in my living room doing the podcast together, and that was two weeks ago," said Winkler. "Ron said to me, 'I have to admit it, it hurts my feelings, and I have to admit you are doing nothing to make anybody feel bad. You're just being good, and that's good for the show.' That was the only time we discussed it."
It was a mature gesture on Howard's part, and it spoke to how deeply he respected his co-star. Winkler also credited showrunner Garry Marshall with cultivating a healthy atmosphere on the set of Happy Days, so as not to foster any hurt feelings or bruised egos.
"We had an amazing creative leader," said Winkler. "Garry Marshall would not let bad behavior into the set. At all. No matter who you were, no matter what, you were part of an ensemble. Everybody respected each other."


