Ron Howard reveals he once considered directing PORN movies to fund his filmmaking debut

After Ron Howard left Happy Days after an incredibly successful career as a child star and young actor, he had considered a rather extreme solution to going into directing: go into porn movies.

The 69-year-old filmmaker, who made headlines for paying tribute to Cindy Williams in late January, opened up in a wide-ranging interview with graham bensingerwhen asked about rumors that he was considering making a porn film to earn the money he needed to finance his directorial debut.

The actor-turned-filmmaker admitted that he entertained the idea of ​​moving into adult movies…although the idea was pretty fleeting.

Asked how much truth there was to the long-standing rumor, Howard said, “Well, it’s true that it did cross my mind.”

“It stayed as a serious idea for probably two and a half or three seconds,” Howard admitted, while his brother Clint Howard also spoke about the idea.

Interview: The 69-year-old filmmaker – who made headlines for paying tribute to Cindy Williams in late January – opened up in a lengthy interview with Graham Bensinger, when asked about rumors that he was considering making a porn film to earn the money he needed to finance his directorial debut

True: When asked how much truth there was to the long-standing rumor, Howard said, “Well, it’s true that it did cross my mind.”

“Yeah, Opie Gets Laid would have probably made Ron a million bucks and he could have gone and made a movie, but I’m glad he moved away from that because I don’t think anyone really wanted to see Opie get laid.” . Clint admitted.

The filmmaker’s daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, added: “Many times in life, I will think about the fact that my father has a public profile that is not shameful.” It’s huge. And if I had done Opie Gets Laid, I just… I wouldn’t be in this business.

Howard had left Happy Days, one of television’s biggest shows, after season eight to pursue his directing career, admitting that he left because he wanted Paramount to help facilitate the making of his first film while continuing Happy. Days.

“The whole time I was under contract and making Happy Days, my dream was to be a filmmaker, and I felt like the clock was running down a bit,” Howard admitted.

“I was 26, 27 years old and had been directing for a few years, and I had lost patience with not being able to put all my energy into making that transition and giving him that opportunity,” Howard admitted.

“A lot of it stemmed from the fact that I really wanted some guarantees from Paramount Pictures and ABC that they would let me direct. No Happy Days, we had a great director, Jerry Paris,” Howard added.

“I wanted to direct a feature film and I wanted them to facilitate that and they just wouldn’t give any kind of guarantee,” Howard said.

He added that if Paramount had “made those commitments, I would have done the show and the movies.”

Clint: ‘Yeah, Opie Gets Laid would have probably made Ron a million bucks and he could have gone and made a movie, but I’m glad he moved away from that because I don’t think anyone really wanted to see Opie get laid. . position,’ admitted Clint

Daughter: The filmmaker’s daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, added: “A lot of times in life, I’ll think about the fact that my dad has a public profile that’s not embarrassing.” he’s huge. And if he’d done Opie Gets Laid, I just…wouldn’t be in this business.’

“I may not have kept up with Brian (Glazer), and I think that partnership has been a huge defining factor in my directing career,” Howard added.

The filmmaker made his film debut in 1977 with Grand Theft Auto, which was followed by Night Shift and his smash hit Splash.

Howard also discussed his possible foray into adult entertainment in a 1999 interview with Howard Stern.

“It was right around the time that Behind the Green Door and Deep Throat were making millions of dollars and it was the first wave of the independent film movement,” Howard explained.

He added that he read somewhere that legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola had been a sound guy on pornographic movies or something before making The Godfather.

‘No one took me seriously as a director, I could only see it. And I actually thought that one day, maybe I can take advantage of this. One time, one shot, Opie Gets Laid. Do it, she belongs to you. How much does it cost? $1,500? I wanted the money to be an independent filmmaker,” Howard said.

He added that he also thought about “going door to door for a year, getting a dollar from everyone.” I’ve entertained you over the years, give me a dollar. I found out later that’s illegal.

The filmmaker added that his first film, 1977’s Grand Theft Auto, cost $600,000 and made $6 million.

Maybe not: “I may not have kept up with Brian (Glazer), and I think that partnership has been a huge defining factor in my directing career,” Howard added.

Breakout: The filmmaker made his film debut in 1977 with Grand Theft Auto, which was followed by Night Shift and his smash hit Splash.

Hit Movie: The filmmaker added that his first film, 1977’s Grand Theft Auto, cost $600,000 and made $6 million.