Ron Howard has had a long, storied career, dating back to when he was still just a child in the 1950s. Of course, in those days, he wasn’t directing critically acclaimed films like Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, which he’d later become known for.
Howard started as an actor, landing his breakthrough role as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show in 1960, and further cementing his place in entertainment history by playing Richie Cunningham on Happy Days the following decade. But despite the success that he’d had up until that point, Howard was eager to become a filmmaker, and left Happy Days during its eighth season in pursuit of that dream.
There was just one thing standing in his way, and that was financing. While speaking with Howard Stern in 1999, the former sitcom star said that he was so desperate to fund his new career that he actually considered directing and starring in a porno flick called Opie Gets Laid, based on his character from The Andy Griffith Show. This was around the time that adult films like Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door were doing really well independently, and Howard figured he might be able to cash in on his early fame. He’d also read somewhere that Francis Ford Coppola had gotten his start in the porn world.
How Serious Was Ron Howard About the Porn Idea?
Howard downplayed how serious he was about Opie Gets Laid in a 2023 interview, telling Graham Bensinger, “Well, it’s true that it went through my mind. It endured as a serious idea for probably about two and a half to three seconds.” Howard’s brother, Clint, weighed in on the proposed film in a separate interview, saying that it probably would’ve made a million dollars if it’d come to fruition. However, Clint was glad that his brother ultimately decided against doing a porno because he doesn’t think anybody genuinely wanted to see Opie Taylor having sex.
Howard’s daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, shared her thoughts on the subject as well, expressing relief that her father has a public profile that’s not embarrassing. “And if he had done Opie Gets Laid…I wouldn’t be in this business,” she said with a laugh. The elder Howard went on to call Opie Gets Laid a “good joke” that was “great for the Letterman show.” You can listen to the Howards discuss the topic for yourself in the video below.
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