Today, he’s won two Academy Awards and is one of the most well-liked and respected men in Hollywood. But a few decades back, Ron Howard found himself scared to death at the first Happy Days live taping. Though he’d done plenty of work before that day, he’d never filmed in front of a live studio audience. Anson Wiliam, who played Potsie Weber on the beloved sitcom, shared the story at Fanboy Expo in Knoxville, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Videos by InspireMore
“Donnie, Henry, and I, we had done theater, and we were excited about this, because every Friday was like opening night, you know, a little nervous, live audience,” Anson shared at the Fanboy Expo. “Ron Howard, on the other hand, had never done a stage show.”
“Happy Days” Was a Bit Scary for Ron Howard
Anson Williams explained that Ron Howard was in his Happy Days dressing room, positively trembling with fear. His castmates found him hiding in a closet before taping.
“There’s a wardrobe room, and there’s Ron in the corner, shaking, back turned to me,” Anson said. “And I go, ‘Ron!’ And he just walks out. And kills that night! He found out he’s really good at the theater.”
Anson added that the Happy Days cast was so close that everyone helped to ease Ron Howard’s stage fright in no time.
“The other thing that made it great, we rehearsed and could improve the show,” he said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Here’s the page, just shoot the scene.’ We can improve it. And I think that’s another reason we stayed on a long time, because we were all able to collaborate.”
They all worked well together and knew just what to do to make the show a success and a true piece of American television history.
This story’s featured image is by Rachel Luna/Getty Images
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.
