If you have seen a movie or a TV show in the last half-century, there’s almost no doubt that you’ve enjoyed the work of Clint Howard. Along with his brother, Ron, Howard has grown up in the entertainment industry, racking up well over 200 acting credits.
Clint Howard will be a guest this weekend at Pensacon. We spoke recently and talked about his six decades in the business.
Clint Howard: Yeah, Bob. I actually started in 1961. It was December of 1961, which was my first day of employment, and it was on the "Andy Griffith Show." From there on out, I've worked consistently. Now, what is this? It'll be, in December, it'll be 63 years.
Bob Barrett: Living a life like that, starting so young, I got to ask, what was middle school like?
Howard: Well, I didn't go to middle school. They called it junior high school when I was going to Jordan Junior High School, and I had a wonderful, wonderful time. I loved junior high school. It probably was the highlight of my scholastic career. I was introduced to journalism. I love journalism. I love the idea of asking questions, getting answers, and forming up a story. I had a wonderful journalism teacher, a fellow who's no longer with us named Steve Campbell. And Mr. Campbell is a fellow that I met at Jordan Junior High School. So I had a great time.
Barrett: Did you think in your early years you'd say, you know, the heck with this acting stuff, I'm going to be a journalist?
Howard: No, I never put it that way, but I did investigate other careers. You know, I had a dream of being an athlete, a professional athlete. Right away I realized I wasn't going to be tall enough to be a basketball player. So I gave up that dream of being an NBA player, although I fantasized a lot about it, but I really did have a dream of being a professional ball player, a major league baseball player. I was a pitcher, and I managed to take it all the way to high school. I was a two-year varsity letterman for the Burroughs Indians. Back when they were called the Indians in Burbank. I was a pitcher. And, then at that point, I realized that my fastball was a foot and a half short and my curve was good for high school but was going to be very hittable in college. So at that point, I retired and stuck to acting.
Barrett: Did you play any athletes in any of your roles?
Howard: You know, I did a movie one time where I played a catcher in a movie called “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” with Kathleen Quinlan. And the note of that movie is that may have been the first professional job of Dennis Quaid. It was a long time ago. It probably was 1978 when we shot that movie. So I played an athlete there. I played a ball player and a very athletic guy in a movie called "Gung Ho." I've always kind of used my sports and my enjoyment of sports. I love sports. My wife Kat and I are still big sports guys. And I know this might irritate people, but we had KC and we celebrated all the way to the end of the Super Bowl. It was a great game, and the Chiefs, our team, did it. So Kat and I are very proud of the Chiefs, and we've got big smiles on our faces as we go about our days.
Barrett: You're just telling us deep down you're a Swiftie at heart, right?
Howard: Well, yes, you can call me a Swiftie. First of all, I really don't care who (Travis) Kelce is dating. The fact is, she seems to be very loyal to her boyfriend. Travis is a great football player, and she fully supports the Chiefs. The fact that she makes records during the day, to me, is a big difference. When she puts on that Chiefs jersey and she goes and cheers on her boyfriend, I think that's wonderful. And I think a lot of people make a lot more out of it than it is. But, hey, you know what? Sports is just like what I do for a living. It's entertainment.
Barrett: Absolutely. Well, if not a Swiftie, it looks like, looking at your career, you're a bit of a Trekkie because you started in "Star Trek" in 1966, and you were still playing roles in that series last year.
Howard: Yes, I am. I am a granddaddy Trekkie! Although it took me a while to fully support the whole idea of the Trek universe. When I was young, I really didn't believe that "Star Trek" had a lot of value. It took me a while to understand my place in the Trek universe. But, since then, listen, I enjoy it. I go to Star Trek conventions. I get fans all the time coming up to me and saying, would you like some Tranya? And I also, just as a working character actor, I really appreciate the people that have been making the latest versions of the "Star Trek" universe, like "Discovery" and "Strange New Worlds," that they include me. There is one gentleman in particular, Akiva Goldsman. And Akiva is an old friend of mine, and every "Star Trek" version that he's involved with, he contacts me, and he says, listen, we're looking for a spot for you. And sure enough, I get the call. I got the call on "Discovery," and I got the call on "Strange New Worlds." And I know the fans like it. And like I said, as a professional actor, I like it because I'm working.
Barrett: Well, there are a few of your roles that really stand out. I mean, you had a great role in "Apollo 13." That was super. But I was jealous because you got to interview The Wonders during "That Thing You Do." I'm obsessed with that movie.
Howard: I'll tell you what. What I really appreciated about that movie is Tom's direction. Tom Hanks had such a wonderful, sure-handed approach to directing. He made my work on "That Thing You Do" so wonderful. And I thought Tom did a wonderful job on that movie. That movie is a great picture, probably, in my mind, one of the great music movies, at least, that I've seen of my generation. Of course, the Freddie Mercury movie a few years ago, the movie about Queen, was awesome. But, yeah, let us not forget about that work that Tom Hanks did. And The Oneders, they were The Oneders!
Barrett: Absolutely. And there is a longer 45-minute-longer cut of that movie where you play a much bigger role in the ending.
Howard: Oh, yeah. Well, listen, that's the way it is most of the time in movie-making. At least on the big production level. Tom Hanks probably could have cut together a four-hour version of that movie. I'll let you in on a little secret. You know, my brother made (the movie) "Backdraft," and there's, like, a four-hour version of Backdraft that I think is absolutely just beautiful. Just the trouble is, the studios can't release a four-hour version of that movie. It wouldn't fly. So, anyway, that was my experience with The Oneders. I love those actors. Steve Zahn is a great dude. I ran into him a few years ago. Actually. I got on an airplane, and I was sitting in the next seat from him. He was flying back to his home. He lives in Arkansas. And, we had a great time. So, like you said, it's a good movie, and, I appreciate the opportunity to work on it. Again, Bob, I'm a character actor. I'm a working character actor, and when I hear that there are opportunities for me to work, I take them. That's probably a little bit of a chip off the old block that I had with my dad. My dad was a working character actor. And I take after him in a lot of ways.
Barrett: Certainly is a showbiz family and even the next generation. You've got your niece (Bryce Dallas Howard) doing directing now.
Howard: I mean, listen, they still call her to act, and she loves to act because that's what she does. But, yeah, she certainly has her eye on directing. She directed a wonderful extended Coca-Cola commercial. It wasn't really a commercial. It was more like a ten-minute short film with Colm Meaney, I believe. People can find it on YouTube. She's a wonderful director.
Barrett: Did you actually voice the character Roo in "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day"?
Howard: Yes, I did. I worked for Mr. Disney a couple of times back in the day. One was "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day," and the other was I played the baby elephant, Junior Hathi in "The Jungle Book."
Barrett: Outstanding. When you go to conventions, what do the fans like to talk to you about? What do they want from you when they come to meet you?
Howard: Oh, a story. Or they will come to me telling me a story. And usually it's sort of pre-rehearsed, which is, I find that heartwarming to think that somebody has taken the time to come up with, what are they going to say to me when they get a chance to meet me? But it's a memory of theirs. You got to understand, Bob. I mean people grew up watching me. There are people now 50, 60 years old that they saw me when I was little, and now they're seeing me when I'm older. And they love to talk about, like, "Ice Cream Man," which is this horror movie that I worked on in the 90s. They will tell me stories about going down and sneaking into the Blockbuster store, renting the movie, and going home late at night, and their parents wouldn't let them watch it. They watched it anyway, that sort of thing. But in general, my Seinfeld people just get a kick out of me saying, “Ann Lander Sucks!” or my scenes in "The Waterboy" with Adam Sandler, where I do “I am not what you would call a handsome man. The good Lord chose not to bless me with charm, athletic ability, or a fully functional brain." People get a kick out of it, and we get a kick out of going to them. Pensacon is going to be a blast for us. My wife Kat and I really enjoy going and meeting the people. 999 out of 1,000 are just wonderful. Every once in a while you run into a seed. But generally speaking, the fans are great, and I'm really looking forward to coming and mixing with the fans.
Clint Howard will be a celebrity guest this weekend at Pensacon.
