Updated

Updated · E! NEWS · Sep 10

Henry Winkler Revisits 13-Day Turner & Hooch Firing, Says Tom Hanks Rift Could Heal

Updated

Updated · E! NEWS · Sep 10

Henry Winkler Revisits 13-Day Turner & Hooch Firing, Says Tom Hanks Rift Could Heal

Q: Will Tom Hanks ever break his decades-long silence about the devastating set drama that got Henry Winkler fired?

There is no public sign that Tom Hanks is about to break his silence, and the available evidence suggests he may continue not to comment. Hanks has never publicly addressed the long-rumored fallout from *Turner & Hooch*, despite years of speculation and fresh comments from Henry Winkler. In his new interview, Winkler said he believes the tension began when he was fired as director after 13 days of filming in 1989. He described himself as insecure at the time, said he “talked too much” and over-directed, and called the dismissal “devastating.” What gives the story weight is that others have broadly confirmed there was real friction. Ron Howard, who is close to both men, said in 2020 that their working styles “did not fit” and that the experience was painful for both. But even then, Howard suggested time had softened any animosity. There is also no clear pressure point forcing Hanks to respond. Winkler has stopped short of calling it a feud, denied one publicly in 2020, and now says he is open to repairing the relationship. He even recalled positive details, such as Hanks building him a signed model plane during their meetings. So the most evidence-based answer is that Hanks might comment someday, especially if asked directly during promotion or in a memoir, but there is no indication he plans to. For now, the story remains largely Winkler’s version, with outside confirmation only that the collaboration went badly.

Q: Who actually blocked the release of Tom Hanks' early television footage, and was it a deliberate act of revenge?

There is no evidence that Tom Hanks personally blocked the *Happy Days* footage, and there is no proof it was an act of revenge. What Winkler has actually said is narrower: when producers of a *Happy Days* retrospective sought about 60 seconds from Hanks’ old guest appearance, “we did not get permission for that.” He did not identify who denied the request. In practice, that kind of clearance is usually handled by rights holders, studios, networks, or representatives, not necessarily by the actor himself. The available reporting does not show that Hanks ordered the footage withheld. Hanks has not publicly commented, and no documentation has surfaced tying the refusal directly to him. Winkler himself stopped short of making that accusation, saying he was “still working on” his perspective. The broader context does suggest lingering tension from *Turner & Hooch*, where Winkler says he was fired after 13 days as director and Ron Howard later said the two men’s working styles “did not fit.” But that is not the same as proof that the footage denial was retaliatory. So the most accurate answer is that the request was denied by whoever controlled the permission process, but the public record does not establish that Hanks personally blocked it or that it was deliberate payback.

Q: How did a severe case of imposter syndrome secretly destroy the Hollywood friendship between two beloved actors?

The friendship appears to have been damaged less by an open feud than by Henry Winkler’s own insecurity on *Turner & Hooch*, which he says led him to overcompensate as director and alienate people on set, including Tom Hanks. Winkler, who was hired to direct the 1989 film but lasted only 13 days, said he had doubts from the start about whether he was suited for the job. Once filming began, he said that insecurity made him “talk too much,” give excessive direction, and repeatedly want scenes redone. He has described that as doing what he thought a director was supposed to do, but in practice it appears to have frustrated the cast and crew. Ron Howard later backed that broader account, saying Winkler and Hanks simply had working styles that did not fit and that the experience was painful for both men. The fallout seems to have hardened after Winkler was fired. He has said he was devastated by being removed from the film by studio executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, and he now sees the episode as a lesson in ignoring his instincts. While Hanks has never publicly commented, Winkler has pointed to later signs of distance, including the refusal to clear brief *Happy Days* footage of Hanks for a retrospective. Even so, Winkler has stopped short of calling it a feud. He has repeatedly said public lore and reality are not always the same, and when asked whether the relationship could be repaired, his answer was simple: “Sure.”

3 articles · Updated · E! NEWS · Sep 10

Henry Winkler said he is "still working on my perspective" on Tom Hanks but answered "Sure" when asked if their relationship could be repaired.
The 80-year-old tied the tension to his 13-day stint directing 1989's Turner & Hooch, saying insecurity led him to "talk too much" and give direction that apparently upset others on set.
Winkler said the firing devastated him, and he pointed to a later slight—Happy Days producers could not get 60 seconds of Hanks footage for a retrospective—as a sign of lingering strain.
Tom Hanks has not publicly addressed the rift, but Ron Howard said in 2020 that both men told him their working styles did not fit and that the split was painful for each.