Ron Howard reveals that he once considered directing PORN movies to fund his filmmaking debut

After Ron Howard left Happy Days after an incredibly successful career as a child star and young actor, he had considered a rather extreme solution to getting into directing: turning to porn.

The 69-year-old director — who made headlines for praising Cindy Williams in late January — opened up with a wide-ranging interview with Graham Bensingerwhen asked about rumors that he is considering doing a porn film to earn the money he needs to finance his directorial debut.

The actor-turned-filmmaker admitted that he enjoyed the idea of ​​turning to adult films… even though the idea was fleeting.

When asked how much truth there was in the old rumor, Howard said, “Well, it just ran through my mind.”

Howard admitted, “I bore it like a serious idea for maybe two and a half to three seconds,” while his brother Clint Howard also addressed the idea.

Interview: The 69-year-old director — who made headlines for praising Cindy Williams in late January — opened up in a wide-ranging interview with Graham Bensinger, when asked about rumors he’s considering doing a porn film to earn the money he needs to finance his directorial debut.

TRUE: When asked how much truth there is in the old rumor, Howard said, “Well, it’s true that it ran through my mind.”

“Yeah, Opie Gets Laid probably made Ron a million dollars and he could have gone and made a movie, but I’m glad he walked away from that because I don’t think anyone really wants to see Opie get laid,” Clint admitted.

The director’s daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, added, “Often times in life, I’ll think about the fact that my dad has a public profile that isn’t embarrassing. It’s huge. And if he’d done Opie Gets Laid, I just… wouldn’t be in this business.” .

Howard had left Happy Days, one of the biggest shows on television, after season eight to pursue his directing career, admitting he left because he wanted Paramount to help him make it easier to make his first movie while continuing Happy Days.

“The whole time I was under contract and doing Happy Days, it was my dream to be a director,” Howard admitted, “and it just felt like the clock was ticking on me a little bit.”

“I was 26 and 27 and had been going out for a few years, and I lost my patience because I couldn’t devote all my energies to making this transition and giving it a shot,” Howard admitted.

A lot of that came from the fact that I really wanted some guarantee from Paramount Pictures and ABC that they would let me direct. Howard added: It wasn’t a happy day, we had a great director, Jerry Paris.

“I wanted to direct a feature and I wanted them to make it easy and they wouldn’t make any kind of guarantee,” Howard said.

He added that if Paramount had, “I made those commitments, I’d be doing the show and making the movies.”

Clint: “Yeah, Opie Gets Laid probably made a million dollars and he could have gone and made a movie, but I’m glad he walked away from that because I don’t think anyone really wants to see Opie get laid,” Clint admitted.

Daughter: The director’s daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, added, “Often times in life, I’ll think about the fact that my dad has a public profile that isn’t embarrassing. It’s huge. And if he had done Opie Gets Laid, I just… wouldn’t be in it.” this work “

Howard added, “Maybe I didn’t get along with Brian (Glazer), and I think the partnership was a determining factor in my career as a director.”

The director made his feature film debut in 1977 with Grand Theft Auto, which he followed with Night Shift and the hit Splash.

Howard also opened up about his potential foray into adult entertainment in a 1999 interview with Howard Stern.

“It was right around the time that Behind the Green Door and Deep Throat were making millions of dollars and that was the first wave of the independent movie movement,” Howard explained.

He added that he’d read somewhere that legendary director Francis Ford Coppola was a straight man in porn or something before he did The Godfather.

Nobody was taking me seriously as a director, I could see it. And I actually thought one day, maybe I could make use of this thing. One time, one shot, the obi is placed. Make it, you own it. how much does it cost? $1,500? “I wanted Money to be independent as a director,” Howard said.

He added that he was also considering “going door-to-door for a year, getting a dollar out of everyone.” I’ve had fun over the years, give me a dollar. I later found out that this is illegal.

The director added that his first film – 1977’s Grand Theft Auto – cost $600,000 and grossed $6 million.

Might not: ‘Maybe I didn’t get along with Brian[Glazer]and I think the partnership was a big determining factor in my career as a director,’ Howard added.

Breakout: The movie director made his debut in 1977 with Grand Theft Auto, which he followed up with Night Shift and the hit Splash.

The movie hit: The director added that his first movie — 1977’s Grand Theft Auto — cost $600,000 and grossed $6 million.