Henry Winkler Teaches Acting Class at Televerse Festival: The Fonz Offers Insights on Getting Out of Your Own Way

At the inaugural Televerse Festival last weekend, a unique teaching moment unfolded: Henry Winkler, an Emmy-winning actor best known for his role as “The Fonz” in “Happy Days,” led an acting class. With notable credits spanning from the “Scream” franchise to “Parks & Recreation” and “Arrested Development,” Winkler provided candid feedback to a group of actor pairs performing scenes in Downtown Los Angeles, offering advice that ranged from “stop overacting” to “don’t retreat into yourself.”

The real-life workshop bore resemblance to Gene Cousineau, Winkler’s character on the Emmy Award-winning series “Barry,” which premiered in 2018 and concluded after four seasons. The HBO Max show (like CNN, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery) explored an impressionable hitman navigating the LA acting scene.

Before the class began, Winkler stated his objective: “My aim is for you to discover something fresh in your rehearsal that brings the scene alive.” Teaching acting is one of his favorite activities, he added, due to his five decades of experience in Hollywood.

Throughout the workshop, Winkler emphasized the importance of getting out of one’s own way, a principle that he returned to consistently both during the class and in an interview following it. “It took me a long time to finally get out of my own way,” Winkler shared. “When you do, it’s like finding nirvana. You know it deep within your being, and it’s transformative.”

In terms of acting technique, Winkler reminisced about early career experiences where he would feel starstruck while working with famous celebrities. “I thought to myself, ‘I’m working with a star!’ instead of staying focused on the scene,” he joked. However, the mantra of getting out of one’s own way extends beyond acting and could be applied to life in general for the celebrated actor, now nearly 80.

“When I did ‘Barry,’ I was 72. When I played The Fonz, I was 27. It took me until I was 72 to fully understand what I wanted,” Winkler reflected. “Breaking oneself down and getting out of one’s own way is a continuous process.”

To achieve that, Winkler advised being present, actively listening, and fostering strong chemistry with scene partners. This connection proved fruitful for him during his early days on “Happy Days,” where he worked alongside Ron Howard, who went on to become an Oscar-winning director and producer.

“Sometimes when you’re working with someone exceptional, there is no need for verbal communication (to connect on a performance level). Ron Howard and I, during the early years of my career here in Hollywood, shared an unspoken bond,” Winkler recalled. “We would memorize, rehearse, improvise, and shoot a three-page scene within 20 minutes.”

In recent years, Winkler was thrilled to see Howard return to acting for a guest role in the first season of Apple TV’s “The Studio,” and he was especially pleased when his friend received his first Emmy acting nomination for the part. “I called him when he got nominated; he was so excited,” Winkler shared, describing Howard as “an animated, wisdom-filled individual.”

Just one day after leading the acting class, Winkler joined Viola Davis, Ryan Murphy, and Conan O’Brien as an inductee into the Television Hall of Fame at Televerse. Speculation about a possible revival or continuation of “Happy Days” arose, considering the current trend of sequels for shows like “Tron” and “Clueless.” To this, Winkler responded, “I would portray The Fonz as a retiree, absolutely,” adding in his famous Fonz voice, “grandchildren… they bring a lot of fun, but they can be very challenging!”