Nice Boy of the Week: Henry Winkler

This week’s Nice Boy has been a household name for years. Henry Winkler, better known as ‘The Fonz’ from “Happy Days”, was first noticed in the movie The Lords of Flatbush, in which he played a character very much like Fonzie. After “Happy Days” ended, Winkler changed course and started producing and directing. Two favorites of mine that he produced and directed were “MacGyver” and “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”.Winkler’s film credits include Scream (1996/I) and The Waterboy (1998).

Winkler’s talent doesn’t stop with the silver screen. In 2003 he tried his hand at writing children’s books – and succeeded. The book series is called “Hank Zipzer, the World’s Greatest Underachiever,” and they are based on his early struggles with dyslexia. They sold more than 2-million books in that time.

Henry Winkler spoke about those books in a recent media conference call that I was thrilled to be a part of. “I got involved, somebody said to me, there was a lull in my acting career; who knew there would be a lull in your acting career.  And he said to me, “Why don’t you write books for kids about your learning challenges?”  And I didn’t immediately picked up on it because I literally thought I have nothing to say, I can’t write a book; I’m stupid. I was told I was stupid; I was lazy.  Two years later he said the same thing and this time I said, “Okay,” and I met Lynne.  He introduced me to Lynne Oliver and since 2003 we’ve been writing together.  And how we write is I go to her office every day; it usually takes about two-and-a-half months to write a novel.  They’re 133 pages long.  And I walk around her office and she sits at the computer and we literally argue over every word.  We literally write it together and what I would say to young people is this.  There is more than one way to get to where you want to go; there’s always somebody who can help you do what you don’t know how to do.  And just sit in front of your computer if you can use one and write five minutes a day; just write whatever comes to your mind.  And pretty soon, you’d be shocked at what you have.” Winkler also said that he just finished the first novel for a new series of books for Scholastic, due to premiere in 2012. “We’re writing a whole new series of for kids, very funny and the underpinning of it will be about bullying.”

Royal Pains returns June 29 on USA and Winkler will be there as Eddie Lawson once again. Winkler doesn’t see Eddie as a bad character. “He is misunderstood. His heart is in the right place; his mind and his heart are just not connected. What I like about him is his zest for life.  And he truly now has come to the point, I believe, unless I’m proven wrong, and I will find out in subsequent scripts, but he’s come to the point where he really appreciates his sons.”

Winkler admits to some difficulties in playing Eddie as well. “It is so difficult to look my son in the eye, to look Mark (Feuerstein) in the eye when he says, “You left when mom was sick and we were nine and eleven.”  And I take no responsibility for that.  That is the most difficult – those are the most difficult moments to play because it is, first of all, so against my grain and second of all, I particularly don’t like the character at the moment. I’ll tell you something else I’m not particularly fond of Eddie about.  That he dismisses Evan in order to get to Hank. That’s very hurtful when I do that, when I look in Paolo Costanzo’s eyes because Paolo is right there with you, at the moment.  He’s right in the moment with you when you are, and he takes it so personally.”

Talking with Henry Winkler is like talking with an old friend that you’ve known all your life. I could have spent the entire afternoon listening to his stories and views on life and career. I hope that I will have another opportunity to speak with him as June rolls nearer and Royal Pains returns.