The exact moment Ron Howard knew he’d made it as a director: “It felt like an arrival”
Ron Howard is one of the most recognised modern filmmakers, known for helming projects such as Apollo 13, The Da Vinci Code, and A Beautiful Mind. A versatile force in Hollywood, he has built a reputation for crafting family classics and life-affirming tales. Before stepping behind the camera, Howard began his career as a child actor, appearing in television shows like The Twilight Zone and Happy Days. His directorial debut came in 1977 with Grand Theft Auto, marking the start of a vast and illustrious career.
The director has worked between several genres in the years since, directing for both television and the silver screen, frequently working with Tom Hanks over the years and building a strong creative rapport with the beloved actor.
However, after many years in the business that saw him on all sides of production, the director had a long journey before finally making it to the director’s chair. He described the exact moment he knew he had made it and achieved his lifelong dream.
During the early days of his acting career, Howard found himself starring in projects such as American Graffiti and Happy Days before breaking into new creative territory. His debut feature, Grand Theft Auto, was hugely important in sparking his career as a director, leading to some TV movies with NBC before his big break in 1982, Night Shift. Starring Michael Keaton and Shelley Long, the film opened up a number of opportunities for Howard and eventually led to his decades-long collaboration with Tom Hanks.
Splash was his first film with the actor, following a successful businessman who falls in love with his dream woman only to find out that she is a mermaid. The project opened up his path to commercial success, with the director earning Academy Award nominations for subsequent films like Parenthood and winning for A Beautiful Mind.
While many of his early projects were hugely popular, the director has reflected on the moments that most defined his career, saying, “Yeah, winning the Oscar was a remarkable thrill. [Another highlight is] the first time that Brian Grazer and I were driving around and saw lines around the block for Splash —that was this life-affirming moment. It felt like some kind of an arrival, or at least proof that this kind of success was possible. But oh, man, I will never forget the wrap party for Grand Theft Auto. I had to star in it to direct it, and I also co-wrote it. [The party] took place at this dive bar next to the racetrack where we had just completed the Destruction Derby sequence. We were all dancing and doing shots. I remember dancing with my wife and saying to her, ‘You know, I love this even more than I thought I would’. And as soon as I saw the movie cut, I realized I had a hell of a lot to learn!”
While it would be an undeniable thrill to see audiences responding well to your work, perhaps the biggest pinch me moment would be after the release of your first feature film. It’s a moment that many aspiring filmmakers don’t feel is possible these days, and you can imagine that you would feel on cloud nine when the opportunity finally arrived.
