Henry Winkler ensured that The Fonz was a good influence on children

The actor wanted to keep a clean reputation.

October 2, 2024, 9:31AM By MeTV Staff

CBS Television Distribution

There are many different definitions of the word "cool," but for many young people, the definition of cool is often synonymous with succumbing to peer pressure.

While the Fonz is often considered to be the epitome of cool, fans were lucky enough to have an even cooler man playing the character: Henry Winkler.

Winkler wasn't cool because of the jackets he wore or the women he dated. In fact, during an interview with the Sunday Sun, he explained that he couldn't be further from The Fonz. "I'm different, completely different," Winkler said. "People have got to know I could never live up to that fantastic character."

"I sure am happy," he said. "That is the character who started it all for me. I love to play him. But it's my job to create him. It's an acting job."

Winkler was aware that the sort of content they were promoting on Happy Days was, in many ways, a fantasy; a nostalgic look back at the good old days. It was a time period that, in Winkler's opinion, was much kinder than the present to kids.

"Look, the main reason is that the 1950s were a far more gentle time, a more easeful time to exist," he said. "Here in the United States, family life is falling apart. But Happy Days is about family life and this is very important. Kids love to tune in to that. We figure out here that only nine percent of American families sit down to dinner together, and watch T.V. together as a family. This is very low. It's an incredible shame because the family is the most important institution in life."

Winkler had his own vices, but he never let that affect his character, lest they influence his fanbase. "I smoke cigarettes, yes, but I won't be photographed smoking," he said. "I don't drink."

Moreover, the actor also had strong convictions about guiding young people in the correct direction. Winkler refused to film promotional material as the Fonz for any sort of content he felt wasn't appropriate for children. "There are two kinds of money," he said. "There's dirty money which you make from perverting what has made you successful, and there's the other kind you make from doing what you want to do."