Henry Winkler, 80, has detailed a decades-long tension with Tom Hanks, 70, which he attributes to his firing as the director of the 1989 film "Turner & Hooch." Winkler appeared on "In Depth With Graham Bensinger" and reflected on being personally hired for the project by a Paramount executive, despite a gut feeling that he was not suited for the role.
"I went completely against my tummy, and it hit me in the face with a 2x4," Winkler said, recounting his belief that his interactions with Hanks on set led to his dismissal. He explained that after auditioning actresses with Hanks and settling on Mare Winningham, he felt compelled to direct the scene. "I guess, at that time being insecure, I talked too much and I gave them direction, what I thought was my job, and I wanted to do [the scene] over again and apparently that pissed them off," Winkler stated.
![Henry Winkler, 80, opened up about the decades-long tension between him and Tom Hanks, 70, during an appearance on In Depth With Graham Bensinger on Wednesday]( "Henry Winkler
)He was fired 13 days into filming. "I’m called into [studio executive] Jeff Katzenberg’s office and he said, 'It’s not in the dailies.' I then go to the set. I get my things. I drive home. I’m fired as a director," Winkler recalled. Roger Spottiswoode ultimately replaced him.
Winkler, who played Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on "Happy Days" from 1974 to 1984, noted that Hanks got his big break as a guest star on the show in 1982. During a retrospective of "Happy Days," Winkler mentioned that they were unable to secure 60 seconds of Hanks's footage for the project.
When asked about his current perspective on his relationship with Hanks, Winkler coyly responded, "I am still working on my perspective." However, he expressed optimism about a future reconciliation, stating, "Sure," when pressed about whether the relationship could repair itself. He also confirmed that he still possesses a model plane that Hanks built for him during their "Turner & Hooch" meetings prior to his dismissal.
Rumors of on-set conflict between Winkler and Hanks during "Turner & Hooch" have persisted, though they were never confirmed. Winkler previously made a veiled reference to his relationship with Hanks in 1993, telling People, "I got along better with Hooch than I did with Turner," referring to Hanks's character. In 2020, he denied having a feud with Hanks to TMZ, stating, "I don’t have a feud with Tom Hanks. What everybody says and what is true are two different things."