This was the moment during Henry Winkler's Happy Days audition that won him the role of The Fonz
Henry Winkler may not be exactly like Arthur Fonzarelli, but he certainly knows his way around a jukebox, if you know what we mean.
In an interview with the Daily Record, Winkler was honest about the differences between himself and the Happy Days character. "At Fonzie's age, my buddies and I were talking about Princeton and Yale and wore blue blazers and neat slacks," he said.
However, Winkler was an actor above all else and camouflaged himself for the sake of a role.
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The process of casting the roles of Happy Days was no small feat, especially when it came to Fonzie. Someone who could channel that effortlessly suave and confident nature was necessary for the character to have the impact the creators desired.
Talent spotter Bob Hoffman said they knew Winkler was the man for the job when he first auditioned for the role. "He walked in, and he had done his homework," said talent spotter Bob Hoffman. "He owned that character."
Winkler even impressed the director by taking Fonzie in a new direction that went beyond the script "He only had four lines to say," said Hoffman.
"But he asked the director, 'Can I try something?' And he did that bit where he walks into the bathroom, goes to comb his hair, and stops because it is already perfect...That was The Fonz, and that was all Henry. No director told him to do that."
While the Fonz is a pretty confident character, it was Henry Winkler's confidence that won him the role of a lifetime.
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