In the 1970s, Henry Winkler was one of the most famous stars on the planet thanks to his role on Happy Days. The Yale-trained actor played Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli for 11 seasons on the ABC sitcom and became a pop culture phenomenon.
And while he went on to a successful career as a film producer and director, Winkler never lost his love for being in front of the camera. More than 50 years after becoming a household name on Happy Days, Winkler, 80, still auditions for acting roles.
During a Sept. 2026 appearance on In Depth With Graham Besinger, Winkler explained why he still goes through the audition process.
“So, auditioning,” he said. “There are actors who say, you know, they know me. When I sat in that room with the metal chairs up against the wall, the younger actors said, ‘Wait a minute. You’re Henry Winkler. What are you doing here?” I said, ‘Hey, I’m looking for a job. You?’”
The Emmy-winning actor noted that just because he is Henry Winkler doesn’t automatically mean people should hire him.
“Because they need to see that you can do it,” he explained. “They need to. Because they are, I believe that part of being part of this business, especially on the executive side, is fear. They make a wrong choice and it’s off the air and it affects the life of the organization they’re with. They’re not around long, so it’s hard to make a decision. ‘Yes’ is very difficult to come by.”
Winkler added that he still loves his job decades later, comparing it to a puzzle.
“I’m just in heaven when I’m working,” the Hazardous History host said.
RELATED: Henry Winkler Reveals Why He Refuses to Stop Working at 80
In the interview, Winkler also shared one of his biggest career regrets from 48 years ago. When Besinger asked him why he turned down John Travolta’s role as Danny Zuko in the movie Grease, Winkler replied, “Because I’m an idiot.”
“Oh, it was like I was completely convinced that I was right,” he added. “I had just done the Fonz. I did not want to be typecast. This was exactly just continuing. And of course, you cannot stop typecasting by turning down an incredible role in an incredible movie. John made history with that movie.”
Winkler previously explained why he turned down the role in one of the biggest movie musicals of all time.
“In my pathetic mind, I thought to myself, ‘I have now been the Fonz for 10 years,’” Winkler said on Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast in 2024. “‘I’m now gonna play him again in the movies? I’m gonna be so typecast. I will never get work again.’ So what happened? I go home. I relax. I have a V8. John Travolta goes home and buys a plane.”
While Grease wasn’t part of his career path, plenty of other films and television shows were. And more than 50 years after becoming the Fonz, Winkler is still willing to prove that he belongs in the room.
Related: ‘Happy Days’ Icon Henry Winkler Had to Re-Do His Famous Movie Death Scene
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