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Henry Winkler shaped The Fonz, and insisted on showing what was there ''underneath the cool''
Here's how Winkler broadened his characterization to make The Fonz a whole person.
The concept of "cool" is thrust upon us early and can mold our entire youth. Do we chase it? Have we embodied it? Will it elude us? Is it cooler to stop trying to be so cool? Where do we land on a scale of Gilligan to Fonzie?
Entire generations looked to The Fonz for their definition of cool. His leather jacket and affinity for motorcycles signified a midcentury ideal of carefree independence. Fonzie wasn't bound by rules. He was mechanically minded and could fix anything effortlessly. The Fonz represented an unobtainable social status while not being a snob about it. We can't be The Fonz, because we're too busy being Richie Cunningham.
So, as an actor, how do you take on this character who nobody could ever really be? If there's nothing more uncool than trying to be cool, how did Henry Winkler approach the role when he was cast on Happy Days?
"I didn't know I was creating this at first, this character," Winkler told the Chicago Sun-Times in 1976.
"The Fonz is what we all wish to be. There are sides to The Fonz that I would want to be in my life— except that it's not feasible. It's not who I am in my soul, it's not what gets along in this world.."
Luckily for television viewers, Winkler knew how to find aspects of the character to latch onto. While he may not have related to The Fonz's easy charm and tough-guy charisma, Winkler felt he could bring depth to his performance. He worked with the show's writers and creators to round out what would become one of the most iconic portrayals in TV history.
"When I got on the phone in 1973 and talked to Tom Miller, who became my mentor and who is one of the executive producers on the show, I said the only way I can come and act is if you allow me to show what must go on underneath the leather, underneath the cool."
By humanizing The Fonz, Winkler found he could better inhabit the character.
"What I try to show in The Fonz is that a lack of self-assurance does not need have to stifle one's life. I also know that self-respect is the cornerstone of joy. Without being cocky about it, possession of one's self is strength— there is nothing stronger in the world, not a diamond or anything."
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19 Comments
To humanize without sentimentalizing: THAT'S the hard part, something that actors and shows often fail to pull off, in large part because they don't understand the distinction.
Winkler did an AMAZING job as The Fonz and showing the "underneath the cool" aspect of the character was so meaningful for viewers and fans alike.
