How The Beatles influenced Ron Howard
Among the few child actors who went on to become a significant influence in Hollywood’s highly competitive production landscape, Ron Howard started his career in front of the camera, but he eventually transitioned into directing. Throughout his artistic journey, Howard has had a number of influences, but The Beatles remain one of the chief sources of artistic inspiration that provided momentum to his creative imagination like nobody else.
Having been involved with the film industry since birth, Howard received training in the performing arts from an early age, but it was his time as a child actor that made him believe he could become a director in the future. In addition to making it as a filmmaker, he also became the co-chairman of his own production company called Imagine Entertainment, permanently immortalised by its depiction in the brilliant comedy series Arrested Development.
During a conversation with Parade, Howard was asked about his favourite Beatle, but he maintained that he loved the seminal group as a whole. The American director explained how the Fab Four had completely transformed his approach to the arts at a time when societal frameworks were undergoing severe transformations. Inspired by The Beatles’ vividly original vision of the world, Howard funnelled that into his own work.
“I loved them, I loved their music,” the filmmaker said. “Because I was already a kid actor and around the creative process, I actually picked up on their evolution. In making the movie, I think the thing that I probably respect the most is that in the midst of the gauntlet of what was Beatlemania and all the social upheaval of that time, their artistic growth never stopped, it just accelerated.
“I think that’s really why the music stays with us, because it’s just incredibly good. It was good and just kept getting better and better. I was aware of that. That was the first time I was aware of artists right before your eyes, changing and trying new things and experimenting. They were really inspiring to me”
Howard added: “They came to our attention at a really pivotal time, and they embraced all of that change, all the cultural upheaval. They found a way to reflect it in a way that was accessible but acknowledged it, and they grew through that period. Then it stopped. But when it stopped, there was this incredible range of music. If you think about it, for almost any moment, any mood that you might be in, there’s probably a Beatles song that will address that mood, that feeling, that set of emotions. I don’t know that that can be said about very many groups, if any.”
Although Howard’s creative sensibilities may differ from the Fab Four’s innovative artistic statements, their music gave him a major push when it came to chasing his own dreams. Currently, The Da Vinci Code director is set to take a new step in his career since he is working on The Shrinking of Treehorn, his first animated film, which has been acquired by Netflix.
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