NEED TO KNOW
- Ron Howard revealed he didn’t make the best first impression on legendary actress Bette Davis when he directed her in Skyward
- The Oscar-winning director explained that the actress refused to call him by his first name and only by “Mr. Howard”
- Skyward, which was Howard’s third feature film, was a 1980 TV movie released on NBC
Ron Howard had to conduct some research before he got into Bette Davis’ good graces.
Howard recounted his stories with Old Hollywood legends in an Aug. 13 interview with Vulture. As he recalled his ability to watch different Hollywood eras pass by, he shared his time with the legendary actress Bette Davis on the film Skyward.
Howard directed Davis, then 72, in the 1980 NBC TV movie, which served as the third film he had ever directed. But the now 71-year-old actor reflected on that early project, and Davis’ “tough” demeanor with him at the time. “She was in her 70s. She was not real happy with this 25-year-old guy from a sitcom directing this TV movie.”
The NBC production followed Davis’ character, aerobatic pilot Billie Dupree, and Howard Hesseman’s airport watchman Koup Trenton as they taught a pre-teen girl, Julie Ward (Suzy Gilstrap), with paraplegia how to fly.
He told the outlet that although “she really wanted the part,” she was upset with Howard for casting Suzy Gilstrap as the young girl; Gilstrap was a 14-year-old girl who had never acted before and had paraplegia. “I felt like she could bring a level of authenticity to it. Bette Davis was very upset about this.” (He later mentioned in the interview that Davis was “great” with Suzy, and “not icy with her for a heartbeat.”)
Explaining, Davis suggested several candidates, but Howard didn’t think they were right. “I hadn’t met Bette Davis yet, but I called her and said, ‘I know you’re concerned about this, but I just want you to know I’ve made the decision to cast Suzy Gilstrap. I’m going to have a dialogue coach with her constantly, and I will protect you and make sure that your performance is excellent.’ ”
Davis then expressed how she “really” disagreed with his decision, but Howard replied, “ ‘I understand, but the network supports my choice, and I think it’s going to be right for the spirit of this film.’ ”
“Well, Mr. Howard, I suppose we’ll have to see,” the two-time Oscar-winning actress retorted, prompting Howard to ask her just to call him Ron. “And she said, ‘No, I will call you Mr. Howard until I decide whether I like you or not,’ and hung up.”
Howard confessed to the outlet that he was “really thrown” and “not sleeping well,” and consulted his dad about it, who then told him, “ ‘Every great actor knows they need help. And so do your job. Don’t overcompensate. You’ll be fine.’ ”
The director then researched the Hollywood icon, discovering that her favorite director was William Wyler. “He wore a suit and tie on the set every day, so even though we were shooting in Plano, Texas, in August, I showed up in a corduroy sport coat and a tie. Man, that was f—ing hot.”
But Howard wasn’t the only crew member hoping to please the actress; producer Anson Williams “fought to send a limo to pick her up at the airport.” He recalled that she appreciated it, telling him, “ ‘That’s the first time anyone’s sent a limo for me in 15 years.’ ”
As their first day continued, he was “popping Tums” and she was “very tense,” but Howard offered her technical advice and remarks about blocking. Though she didn’t agree with one of these blocking notes, Howard requested, “ ‘Well, just try it for me. Let me see,’ ” prompting her to reply, “Sure, of course I’ll try it. That’s me, I’m always the director’s kid! Hahahahaha!” and then eventually conceded and agree to shoot it.
Howard continued, “We went through the rest of the day. Now, it’s about 4:30, and I said, ‘Ms. Davis, that’s a wrap for you. Great first day. Thank you so much.’ And she said, ‘Okay, Ron, see you tomorrow,’ and slapped me on my ass. From that point, she was okay.”
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After working with Davis, Howard would go on to become a prolific director, with hits like 1984’s Splash, 1995 hit Apollo 13, 2001’s A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon in 2008 and many more.
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