The Hollywood legend who refused to take Ron Howard seriously: “She wasn’t crazy about me”
Trying to break into directing is a tough gig, but even though he was already an established actor long before he stepped behind the camera, Ron Howard still had to win over the veterans he encountered during his rise up the ladder.
For many aspiring directors, technical ability is only part of the challenge. The greater hurdle often lies in convincing established actors to place their trust in someone with limited experience, particularly when those performers have spent decades working with some of the industry’s most accomplished filmmakers.
Admittedly, not all of them, with John Wayne taking the youngster under his wing on the set of his final film, The Shootist, and passing on sage words of wisdom he’d carry with him throughout his career. Henry Fonda was another icon who gave Howard advice that would inform his trajectory in the years to come.
That’s without forgetting it was Roger Corman who handed Howard the reins on his first-ever feature, but it wasn’t simply a case of the filmmaker being springboarded to instant success as a result. He had to pay his dues, and part of that process was earning the respect of the distinguished legends of the silver screen he encountered along the way.
Howard’s transition from actor to director came during a period when Hollywood remained sceptical of television stars crossing into other creative disciplines. While his success in front of the camera gave him visibility, it did not automatically guarantee credibility behind it.
It may have never played in cinemas, but Howard nonetheless views the 1980s made-for-television flick Skyward as a pivotal moment that convinced those within the industry that he had the chops to helm features on a regular basis. However, one of the greatest stars of their generation took a little more convincing.
She was the first person in Academy Awards history to earn ten acting nominations, a two-time winner of the ‘Best Actress’ award and a long-tenured A-lister. Howard admitted to Harvard Business Review that his relative inexperience was initially working against him when Skyward started rolling.
“Even early on, in one of my TV movies, I directed Bette Davis. She was in her 70s, but still a multiple Oscar-winning diva, and she wasn’t crazy about me – this young guy from a sitcom – directing,” he explained. “It was a struggle to earn her respect, but I ultimately did by leaning in, not avoiding her, but also not trying to dominate.”
The situation could easily have become confrontational, particularly given Davis’ reputation for being outspoken and demanding when she felt a production was falling short of its potential. Instead, Howard chose collaboration over authority, an approach that would become a hallmark of his directing style.
Davis starred as a veteran stunt pilot who teams up with an airport watchman to develop specialised equipment that lets a paraplegic girl learn how to fly. To solve any potential issues arising with his leading lady, Howard went back to basics and ultimately won them over.
“I used the logic of creative problem-solving that I’d witnessed as a kid: rolling up your sleeves and saying, ‘Oh, this isn’t quite working. How might it work? What should we do? What do you think?'” he continued. “By the end, she was very complimentary of me, which gave me a lot of confidence.”
Davis even suggested Howard had the potential to emulate the career of William Wyler. While that might be a stretch, the fact he’s an Oscar-winning director with an extensive filmography that’s earned billions at the box office underlines that her instincts were hardly wide of the mark.
