Happy Days star Henry Winkler rejected Grease role for fear of being typecast

Henry Winkler said his fear of being typecast after years playing “The Fonz” led to him rejecting the lead role in 1978 hit film Grease.

The US actor rose to stardom playing Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli in sitcom Happy Days which ran for a decade, during which time he turned down the role of Danny Zuko, he writes in his new memoir titled Being Henry: The Fonz…And Beyond – set for release on October 31.

The character later went to John Travolta who starred opposite the late Olivia Newton-John as Sandy Olsson – both were nominated for a Golden Globe award for their performance.

“I was dumb,” Winkler told People magazine.

“I spent so much energy, so much time – I spent so many sleepless nights thinking, how do I not get typecast?”

The 77-year-old said he would tell actors these days to “go with the flow”.

“What you do is you prepare to reinvent yourself. You do something completely different and then come back to centre,” Winkler said.

The US actor has since had hundreds of TV and film credits including Arrested Development, Parks And Recreation and an Emmy-winning role on the HBO series Barry.

He said: “I spent most of my adult life being frightened, on the outside looking like I had it together and mostly being anxious.

“The biggest lesson, I really now believe today in 2023 looking back, is not only must you be tenacious, not only must you be grateful, but you also have to be flexible.

“You have to take a leap of faith.”

Winkler has also written dozens of children’s books alongside author Lin Oliver.