The curious feud between Tom Hanks and Henry Winkler
Few people would question that the Hollywood star Tom Hanks is one of the most beloved actors in the movie business, lending his talents to some of cinema’s most cherished characters, including the titular eccentric in Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump and Woody the cowboy in Pixar’s Toy Story. Yet, despite his ‘nice guy’ persona, the actor has a curious feud with another industry darling, the former Happy Days star Henry Winkler.
First meeting back in 1982 on an episode of the TV sitcom, where Hanks played the bit-part of Dr. Dwayne Twitchell, the feud between Hanks and Winkler wouldn’t properly spark until seven years later when they collaborated once more for the comedy flick Turner & Hooch. Hanks played the protagonist, Detective Scott Turner, a stern character who inherits a fun-loving dog, and Winkler was supposed to direct the film before he was fired by the studio mere weeks into filming.
Though never officially confirmed, it was highly rumoured that it was Hanks who got Winkler booted from the director’s chair. As the Happy Days star recalls in an interview with People, “I was directing that movie for 13 days and then I was called into Jeffrey Katzenberg’s office? ‘Do you have everything with you? Go home’”.
Though he remained cryptic regarding the real reason he was fired, he did add, “Let’s just say I got along better with Hooch than I did with Turner,” hinting at his sour relationship with Hanks.
Yet, director Ron Howard, who has worked with the pair on separate occasions, was open with addressing the feud in an interview with The Guardian, telling the publication that their relationship “was disappointing”.
Elaborating, he added: “I’m friends with them both and both men felt compelled to come to talk to me about it. It was just one of those unfortunate things where they really had a working style that did not fit. I know it was painful for both of them and I was able to lend an ear, if not offer any solutions”.
Continuing, he added that the pair have reportedly resolved their differences, “Oh no, they’ve both been invited to my birthday parties. It’s been a lot of years, two men with a lot of water under the bridge”.
Winkler himself seemed to confirm this too, and during an interview with TMZ, he said: “I don’t have a feud with Tom Hanks…what everybody says and what is true are two different things”.
Despite the Happy Days star having been open to discussing their feud, alongside filmmaker Ron Howard, Hanks has never commented on the matter, making many wonder whether there remains some bad blood from his end. Quite what rubbed both actors up the wrong way, we might never know, but it’s clear that there was some intense friction between the duo, likely as a result of their larger-than-life personalities.
Take a look at Hanks in the trailer for Turner & Hooch below.
