Ron Howard Endured Playful Razzing On The American Graffiti Set From His Older Co-Stars

When Ron Howard arrived on set for director George Lucas' 1962-set coming-of-age comedy-drama "American Graffiti," in the summer of 1972, he had only recently turned 18. Mind you, Howard was no stranger to working in Hollywood. The future Oscar winner got his start as a child actor in the 1950s, and by '72, Ron Howard was best known for his role on "The Andy Griffith Show," in the '60s. "Where were you in '62?" the poster for "American Graffiti" asked. "Playing Opie Taylor," the actor probably answered. But despite a wealth of experience, alongside being a newly-minted adult, Howard still felt a bit out of his depth compared to his co-stars — most of whom had already been card-carrying grown-ups for quite some time by then. From the sounds of things, the rest of the "American Graffiti" cast had a bit of fun with him over that fact. 

Howard recalled the experience in an October 2021 op-ed for The Sydney Morning Herald. "With the exception of Charlie Martin Smith, who was my age, the rest of the movie's principals were significantly older than me and much more worldly-wise," the "Splash" director noted. "Rick Dreyfuss, Paul Le Mat, Candy Clark, Harrison Ford, Bo Hopkins: these folks were anywhere from six to 12 years my senior. I initially took Cindy Williams to be my age because she looked so young, but I soon found out she was a seasoned, womanly 24." Williams actually treated him very well, and eased the younger man through the intimate scenes they shared in the film. Le Mat and Ford, on the other hand? They apparently laughed and chucked beer bottles at Howard's feet while Le Mat yelled, "Dance, Opie, dance!" during some downtime one day.

Fortunately, Ron Howard clarified in his op-ed for The Sydney Morning Herald that the beer-bottle incident was the only time anyone really made fun of him, on the "American Graffiti" set, for his "Andy Griffith Show" past. That said, he also caught some flak whenever he was asked to sign autographs by Opie Taylor fans, with Richard Dreyfuss, in particular, taking to calling him "Ope." Despite all the "razzing," though, 1973's "American Graffiti" proved to be a pivotal moment in Howard's career. Not only was it his first acting job as an adult, but it marked the beginning of what would become a long, and very fruitful, collaborative friendship with filmmaker George Lucas — which proved invaluable when Howard decided to pivot away from acting in favor of becoming a director himself.

The "Happy Days" star made his directorial debut with "Grand Theft Auto" in 1977, the very same year Lucas followed up "American Graffiti" with a little movie you may have heard of called "Star Wars." Their paths crossed again when Howard returned for 1979's "More American Graffiti." Lucas didn't direct the sequel, though he did serve as its executive producer. Then, in the late '80s, Lucas hand-picked Howard to direct the fantasy film "Willow," which Lucas himself both executive-produced and wrote the story treatment for.

Things came full circle when the former child star helmed 2018's "Star Wars" spinoff "Solo," starring Alden Ehrenreich as a young version of Harrison Ford's Han Solo. In other words, it's safe to say that Howard has come a long way from Ford smashing beer bottles near his feet. Meanwhile, "Star Wars" has also become a family affair for him, with Ron Howard's daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, directing several of the franchise's television offerings.