Henry Winkler still does not seem entirely sure what went wrong between him and Tom Hanks nearly four decades ago. The Happy Days legend recently revisited the tension surrounding 1989’s Turner & Hooch, a movie he originally signed on to direct before leaving the production only 13 days into filming.
According to Fox News, the reported Tom Hanks and Henry Winkler feud has followed both actors for years, even though Winkler has repeatedly denied that he considers it an actual feud. Now, at 80, he admits he is still working out his perspective on their relationship and remains open to repairing whatever went wrong.
Henry Winkler Says His ‘Turner & Hooch’ Firing Devastated Him
Winkler told In Depth With Graham Bensinger that Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg personally selected him to direct Turner & Hooch. Winkler now believes he ignored his instincts by accepting the job and admits directing the movie did not suit him. He recalled giving Hanks and the canine performers plenty of direction because he thought that was simply his responsibility, but his approach apparently created friction on the production.
Just 13 days into filming, Katzenberg called Winkler into his office and told him the problem showed up in the footage. Winkler collected his belongings, drove home, and struggled emotionally with losing the job. Roger Spottiswoode ultimately took over as director. Years later, Winkler also learned that Hanks would not give permission to use a short clip from his 1982 Happy Days guest appearance in a retrospective about the classic sitcom.
Was There Really a Tom Hanks-Henry Winkler Feud?
Despite those experiences, Winkler has resisted describing their history as an outright feud. In 2020, he told TMZ that what people say and what actually happened can be two very different things. He also recalled seeing Hanks at that year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards and described the encounter positively. Asked recently whether the relationship could eventually repair itself, Winkler simply answered that it could.
Still, Winkler has occasionally added fuel to the long-running Hollywood mystery with his humor. During a 2019 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, he discussed his short-lived directing stint before joking that he got along wonderfully with Hanks’ canine costar. When Andy Cohen asked whether he ever watched the finished film, Winkler quipped that he could not even remember its title. Decades after Turner & Hooch, the Tom Hanks/Henry Winkler feud remains less a confirmed battle than an unresolved relationship between two beloved stars. Winkler may still be searching for an explanation, but he has made one thing clear: he has not ruled out a happier ending.