A celebrated actor, author, producer, director and recipient of the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), Henry Winkler’s career in entertainment began with commercials and bit television appearances before getting his big break in the hit sitcom Happy Days, winning the hearts of millions in the role of Arthur Fonzarelli. This role, forever cementing Winkler in the world of popular culture, was just the beginning of a 40-year career that still gives audiences some of their heartiest laughs today. Visiting Music City as a guest for Wizard World Nashville’s first year, Mr. Winkler was able to chat with the Pulse for a few moments about touching the lives of so many people.

Murfreesboro Pulse: Mr. Winkler, thank you for joining us. You caught us at an excellent time, as we were just discussing a reverse mortgage.

Henry Winkler: There you go! (laughs) You sound a little too young, but I want to tell you something: remember where you keep that folder.

MP: We will. Mr. Winkler, you are a pop-culture icon. There are so many people who have so many different impressions of you because of that. What is that like, having so many perceived versions of yourself?
Winkler: Well, see, there is only one. It is who I am.  Those people who know me… uh, those people who meet me as we’re walking through an airport, or in England, where we’re shooting Hank Zipzer, the television show, the books that we’ve written together… that impression is pretty much “Wow, he’s easy to work with!” [and] “He’s a good guy,” “He is an alright fisherman,” “He is a good dad,” “He is a spectacular grandfather.” That is the impression people get within the first 30, 45 seconds of meeting me.

MP: We can sense that already. I guess that’s the only impression you really need to rely on…
Winkler: There you go. And then hopefully, when you dig a little deeper, somebody says “Oh, well, he’s a good actor.”

MP: We think you’re a phenomenal actor.
Winkler: Ah, well, okay, so my point is made.

The power of acting

MP: (Laughs) Let’s talk about your visit to Nashville. I’m sure Music City will be excited to receive you. What are your thoughts and impressions of Nashville?
Winkler: Of Nashville, Tennessee? Let me think about Nashville, Tennessee… what do I think about Nashville? People unbelievably warm. Great ribs. Good music. And now, the Comic-Con, where it all comes together. So here’s my question to you:

MP: Yes?
Winkler: The best restaurant in town. Don’t tell me what it looks like. I only need great food.

MP: We can bring you food from the best chef in Tennessee, in my opinion. Miss Daisy King.
Winkler: And what’s the restaurant called?

MP: She’s actually operated a few restaurants. She owns a catering service and market now. Miss Daisy’s Kitchen.
Winkler: On Saturday night, I need to go leave the venue, and go and have a great meal. And then come back, renewed.

MP: I’ll tell you what, we’ll set that up privately, so that way you can eat in peace. How’s that sound?
Winkler: That sounds good.

MP: We’ll definitely make that happen, and we’ll bring you a chess pie or something from Miss Daisy King. You mentioned  Hank Zipzer shooting as a TV show. Let’s talk about that.
Winkler: So, 2003, I started writing with my partner Lin Oliver. We have no idea where it was going. Our first contract was for four books. But four turned into 17, and 17 turned into series number two, which we’re doing right now: Hank Zipzer in the second grade. And it’s called Here’s Hank, and that will be out in February. And we’re writing the first four of those. And then the BBC is shooting Hank Zipzer as a television series, which will be on in February, and I just went over there to play the music teacher, Mr. Rock, who was very important in my life.

MP: So is it fair to say that there’s a lot of you infused into the Hank Zipzer character? And not just your connection with the advocacy for dyslexia?
Winkler: He is me. The emotion in the book is true. And the comedy is exaggerated. Every letter that I get, no matter what country it comes from, all say the same thing. Which is, “How did you know me so well?” And, “You are hysterical.” I think hilarious and hysterical must be fourth-grade words, because those are the two words that all the children use.

MP: Wow! That’s awesome.
Winkler: Thank you.

MP: So it seems you’ve really tapped into a universal piece of the human condition with these books.
Winkler: Without knowing it. And never thinking that I could have written a book in my life, and then “Boom!” So that’s one of the things that I talk about. Right now I’m talking to you from Houston, Texas, where I am doing a fundraiser at a lunch today with Marlee Matlin, who is like my second daughter, for breast cancer awareness. But the speech is the same. And that is “I was told I would never achieve, and I’ve had a pretty good life.”

MP: Do you think that’s the message that everyone receives? That we’re all told that we’ll never achieve, and that we have to overcome?
Winkler:  No, I think that there is a tremendous portion of the population who, for whatever reason, has very little self-confidence. One out of five children have some sort of learning challenge; whether a state, a school, a teacher recognizes that, even acknowledges that, it’s true. That’s a very big portion of the population. So I would say at least 20 percent of the population feels that.

MP: And that major chunk of people is going to have to overcome those boundaries if they want to learn and grow…
Winkler: To give themselves the confidence to say, “You know what, I’m good enough to try whatever it is that’s in my imagination. So many people don’t even have the courage to try.

MP: So it’s not about whether you fail or succeed, but putting forth the effort, would you say?
Winkler: I would say that exactly the way you just said that. That’s what I would say, because the fact of the matter is you cannot… you know, I’m a fisherman. I love to fly-fish for trout. I would say that you cannot catch a fish, as a metaphor for life, unless you have your fly in the water.

MP: One could say that applies to your role in popular culture. You’ve been an inspiration with the extensive body of work you’ve produced, ranging from several decades. Starting out from Happy Days and going to two of my favorite programs to watch, Arrested Development and Children’s Hospital.

Winkler: And they came from heaven. They just fell out of the sky for me. But here’s the thing. You’ve hit on something that’s really important. We’re all capable of it. It is all possible. It is your sense of your self, your attitude, and your ability to be tenacious. You know, many years ago I got a gift. It was a metal cutting, and it said, “If you will it, it is not a dream.” And I thought, “Wow, that’s a great phrase.” But I never understood until recently the absolute power of those words. It makes our universe turn. We have the power, truly, to make things happen. Through our will.

MP: We could say that applies to comedy especially, the power to tell a joke and make someone laugh, to uplift that person. Even for just a little while. You can completely change that person’s outlook, because you willed a positive outlook from them and made them forget about their troubles.
Winkler: I agree with you 100%. The Hank Zipzer books are comedies first. They’re not self-help books. They’re funny books about a guy who happens to have dyslexia. My speech, is hopefully, mostly funny. And in the middle of it, weaved through, are thoughts that I have.

MP: And as you said, those are pieces of yourself. It’s hard to realize how much of you is involved in that. But once you do, it’s incredibly inspiring. Touching back, let’s discuss your work on Children’s Hospital and Arrested Development. Would you care to describe the differences in your experience with each program?
Winkler: All right, Children’s Hospital. Five or six years ago, I had a new manager. And he said, “The people I work with are interested in you for their webisodes.” I said “Okay, I’ve never heard of a webisode before.” He said it was a show that was an absurdist comedy called Children’s Hospital. I said, “Just based on the way you’re describing it, it feels right. So if they’re interested, they should call me.” They did, and I said yes without ever meeting them.

The cast of Children’s Hospital

MP: Oh, wow!
Winkler: And then five years later, it just won its second Emmy. So that’s Children’s Hospital, with an incredible bunch of truly thoughtful, funny, crazy human beings. Then, [writer/producer] Mitch Hurwitz [called], I got a call to be on Arrested Development. As the family lawyer, I was going to do one or two episodes. Four seasons later, I’m still there.

MP: Which, given the popularity of the program, we’re sure that’s become one of the most watched items on Netflix.
Winkler: And here’s the thing: I don’t always understand what I’m doing. Except that I do understand that Mitch Hurwitz is a genius. So I just shut up and do whatever he says. Truly!

MP: That must take a tremendous deal of faith to do that. Now, we have a friend that wanted me to ask this as a favor. He wanted me to bring up your work in the movie Night Shift.
Winkler: Yeah, that’s one of my favorite movies. 

MP: It’s one of ours too, actually. We wanted to know what it was like working with Michael Keaton?
Winkler: Okay, well first of all, Ron [Howard] came to me and said, “I’m doing my first movie for a major studio. And you can play either role.” And I said, “Well, I’ve played “The Fonz” for a long time. I’m gonna play Richie. So, I’m gonna play Chuck.” So, then we went on a search of every young actor in Hollywood at the time. Kurt Russell, you name it, the people who came in. And we read with them. And Michael Keaton was like the last. And 30 seconds into his audition, Ron looked at me. I looked at him. And Michael was perfection. Then, while we’re shooting, we just were able to riff off of each other. And he was just inventively, smartly funny. And I thoroughly enjoyed being around him. And that was it. I’ve seen him like, twice at a party since 1983. I’ve never seen in a way. (WHAT IS MISSING HERE? “never seen HIM, in a way,” maybe?)

MP: Hearing that, in a way you are indirectly responsible for his involvement in Batman (laughs).
Winkler: Oh, wow. Now there, that’s an amazing thing, isn’t it? He does Batman, it’s very successful. And it’s surprisingly, just because he started as a stand-up comic, he is maybe one of the best Batmans ever. And then decides, “I’m not going to do it again. I’m going to give up all those millions of dollars, and that’s just the way it is.” I wonder what I would have done in that situation. I don’t know if I would have the wherewithal to just walk away.

MP: Right. Plus, it’s such an iconic role.
Winkler: And he was great at it!

MP: Like we said, we’re huge Michael Keaton fans. He has so many wonderful projects… and everything he’s in he’s great.
Winkler: Yeah! Yeah, he’s great!

MP: We have to ask now: Who do you think would win in a fight? Arthur Fonzarelli or the Batman?
Winkler: Fonzarelli or Batman? I have to think about that one… Off the top of my head, I’m going back and forth.

MP: Pretty close call, would you say?
Winkler: I would think so. In a race, I would think that Batman on his “Bat Bike” would probably take him hands down.

MP: We could buy that. So, going forward, what other projects are you working on currently?
Winkler: I do a show called Royal Pains. And I’m trying to develop a pilot that I could be on as a regular.

MP: Okay, so your interests over the years have developed from acting to acting, writing, and taking more creative control over content?
Winkler: That’s interesting. That’s interesting. I never thought of Hank Zipzer as writing for television, just books for children. I was a producer for a while, and that’s my least favorite job. I’m not crazy about producing. My metaphor is that producing is like holding sand in your arms. Directing is like getting all that sand into one box, so that everyone knows what they’re doing. And as an actor, I get to play in that sand. But I’ll tell you a great thing to do. It’s when you come to a city like Nashville and you come to the Comic-Con, and then you get to meet the people who have supported you all of these years. And you would never get to meet them in real life. So for three days, what I do is I always stand in front of the table; I never sit behind it when the people approach. When they want to look at the photographs, or the DVDs, or the Hank Zipzer books, or my fishing book. It’s really an extraordinary experience to meet everybody. If we are rejuvenated by somebody else’s warm feelings, then I am sent into orbit because people are so incredible to me. I never, ever take it for granted.

MP: That’s a wonderful gift to have so many people let you know that you helped them make it through difficult times. To have a fun moment with you, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
Winkler: And it’s a fun few minutes together. ‘Cause I’m having a fun few minutes myself.

MP:  Speaking of a fun few minutes,  let’s ask, have you any TV shows which you’re currently watching?
Winkler: Oh yeah! What do I love? I love The Bridge. I love, on BBC America, I love Broadchurch. The Americans is great, which is on FX. The Good Wife. I love The Good Wife. I love Episodes, which I think is on Showtime. I love Nurse Jackie.

MP: What about Breaking Bad? Were you a fan of that show?
Winkler: Oh, you know I’m still in mourning that it’s over. That was amazing.

MP: Bryan Cranston, another phenomenal actor.
Winkler: Oh, my God, and look where he started! He was the dad on… somebody in the middle.

MP: Malcolm?
Winkler: Malcolm in the Middle. And then “boom!” That’s incredible.

MP: Are there any actors who you’d like to work with that you haven’t gotten a chance to work with?
Winkler: Anthony Hopkins. I would imagine also he would make me better as an actor. Jack Nicholson.

MP: That would be a very interesting combination. You both could do a crazy part incredibly well. That’s one thing we need to see more of, Henry Winkler as the horrible monster. Can we make that happen?
Winkler: Oh, my goodness! That would be fun! I play a very angry gynecologist on Parks and Recreation now. And that is fun. I’m going back on Monday and Tuesday to shoot Parks and Recreation again.

MP: Are there any other causes or humanitarian efforts you’d like to discuss?
Winkler: Well, I realized early on that you could be pulled in so many directions in order to speak for a certain group. In my advocacy, I have narrowed it down in making sure that children have great self-image. Without self-image, you veer off into space. I just think that in the beginning, as children are finding out about themselves, that a strong self-image is vital for them to conquer.

MP: Would it be fair to say that you think that many of the problems we face as a society today could be curbed by better self-image?
Winkler: I think so. I really do. And not a distorted self-image, like so many of the other politicians which we now are… blessed with.

MP: What politicians? Everything [was] shut down!
Winkler: Yes it did. They all thought they were so smart. They were just smarty pants.

MP: (laughs) Well, the Pulse speculates that you could run up to Congress and pound it with your fist to get it working again. Do you think you could make that happen?
Winkler: If I could, I would not be on the phone with you right now. If I could, I would go there so fast and pound away.

MP: Do you feel that the political system has failed a lot of people? Not just in terms of youth and self-image?
Winkler: Here’s what I’ll say: The political system has shifted from being elected to take care of the population that lives in the borders of America to taking care of themselves and self-preservation. That’s what I’ll say. In America, we talk a lot about kids, and how important they are, and ultimately we don’t do much because they don’t vote. We give a lot of lip service to children in making sure that they are safe, that they are fed, and that they are educated. Talk is cheap.

MP: Mr Winkler, thank you so much for your time. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?

If you get it…

Winkler: No. I just can’t wait to meet everybody next weekend at Wizard World. The best to you.

To get an opportunity to meet Henry Winkler in person, as well as many other great guests, visit the Wizard World website to purchase tickets and stay current with their lineup of events. Find more about the misadventures of Hank Zipzer (in his New York Times best-selling series) online for information about the book and forthcoming television series.