Henry Winkler is finally telling his side of a Hollywood story that’s been quiet for over 35 years. On In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Winkler opened up about being fired as director of the 1989 comedy Turner&Hooch after only 13 days of filming, with Tom Hanks starring. He described tension building during production, a summons to then-Disney chair Jeffrey Katzenberg’s office, and then the drive home that ended it all.“I’m still working on my perspective,”he admitted.
What makes the story linger is that Winkler still doesn’t fully understand what caused the friction. He even floated a theory that a fan in Carmel recognizing him as The Fonz may have bothered Hanks on set. Hanks has never publicly commented on any of it. Winkler made sure to note he was devastated by the firing, which makes his next answer even more surprising.
Asked whether the relationship could ever be repaired, Winkler answered with one word:“Sure.”No grudge, no scorekeeping, just an open door after decades of silence. Two of Hollywood’s most beloved figures, one very short movie shoot, and a peace offer that’s apparently still on the table.
Do you think Winkler and Hanks will ever actually reconcile?
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Local Lawton
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