New hit series Barry: Henry Winkler’s tough act is all in a day’s work

He created one of television’s best-loved characters on the hit series Happy Days, but Henry Winkler takes no role for granted.

Henry Winkler may play a terrible acting teacher on the hit series Barry, but in real life he can give a masterclass on his chosen profession.

Winkler, indelibly known for his 1970s breakthrough role as The Fonz in Happy Days, is more than happy to enthuse about what makes a good role, a good cast, and a great show.

The character of would-be Svengali Gene Cousineau is unscrupulous, unethical, and unpredictable. But Winkler himself is known in the industry for being an unfailingly great guy, in his spare time supporting a dozen charities for causes such as curing cancer to improving literacy.

Henry Winkler in Season 3 of Barry on Foxtel.

In fact, Winkler is so solid he even named his film company Fair Dinkum Productions, borrowing the Aussie expression for honesty.

And as a testament to what a good actor he is (he has a Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama) Winkler is Gene Cousineau.

“Not to be technical, but I was trained to do this job from the very, very beginning when I was in school and graduated in 1970,” Winkler says, referring to his Ivy League diploma, which puts him in the company of esteemed alumni including Paul Newman and Meryl Streep.

“I was trained to take the detail of what’s written, what people say about (Cousineau), what people say to him, and then my own imagination, and somehow weave it together and then have an outside eye. (Co-creators) Bill Hader and Alec Berg say, ‘You know what, can you do this?’ Yes, I can. ‘Can you shade in this way?’ Yes, I can.”

And Hader and Berg, who Winkler describes as “two unbelievable leaders,” really put the TV veteran through his paces with plot twists that see his former acting student Barry even kidnapping him.

Henry Winkler and Bill Hader attend the Season 3 premiere of Barry in California. Picture: Jesse Grant/Getty Images

Getting locked in the boot of a car, escaping, and being chased by dogs all over Los Angeles is no small feat for the 76-year-old, who jokes filming Season 3 of Barry was “all in a day’s work.”

“There’s a lot of running, especially for a mature person. I have to tell you, when I watched the first four episodes with my wife, she started laughing because when I come down the stairs at 11 o’clock at night to let the dogs out for their last pee, all she hears is, ‘Oh, oh, ohhh,’ because I’m negotiating with my knees on every step. And here I am, running down the street!”

In a career spanning 50 years and countless roles, don’t think Winkler hates being asked about his old alter ego, The Fonz.

Actor Henry Winkler as The Fonz from TV series Happy Days.

That loveable 1950s rebel provides a bookend with the less loveable Gene Cousineau.

“Look, I played The Fonz when I was 27 years old. I got Gene I when I was 72. Now, I have had a career of bumps and turns and wonderful shows that I was able to do, and movies. I’ve worked with wonderful people. But then all of a sudden there are things that come along that are like … a surprise. A gift. Gene Cousineau hands down, no hyperbole, is a gift in my life.”

It might come as a surprise that despite his long and established career, the Golden Globe and Emmy-winning Winkler was still asked to audition for Barry.

“There are some actors who say, ‘I don’t audition, you can see me on tape.’ Now, I’m sitting in those metal chairs around the wall waiting to go in and the young actors say, ‘You’re Henry Winkler. What are you doing here?’ And I say, ‘I’m looking for a job. You?’

“When I audition, I am short and pretty much scared all the time. [But] somehow I’m able to become Batman or something. I go in and I do what is on my mind, not what I think they want. And I tell every young actor, ‘You cannot be right. There is no right. There is no wrong. There is only your imagination that fills the room. And if you don’t do that, sell shoes.’ When I (auditioned] for The Fonz I changed my voice. That’s all I did. And all of a sudden, I’m telling you, [in a Brooklyn accent] my entire imagination was unleashed.”

Henry Winkler, Bill Hader and Sarah Goldberg attend the Season 3 premiere of Barry in California. Picture: Jesse Grant/Getty Images

That winning strategy also worked when Winkler auditioned for Barry creator and Saturday Night Live comedian Hader.

“I saw — out of the corner of my eye — I made Bill Hader laugh. I’ve watched him now for years with my wife. Every Saturday night we have died in hysterics. And I’m making this man laugh.”

Barry is on Foxtel from April 25

Originally published as New hit series Barry: Henry Winkler’s tough act is all in a day’s work