Even in his late 70s, Henry Winkler was still experiencing new things.
During a recent appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The 80-year-old actor spoke about filming the first nude scene of his career at the age of 79.
“Maya Rudolph is one of my favorites. She’s an amazing person. She’s (a) smart person and a nice person. So when she asked me to be in the first episode of Season 3 of ‘Spoils of War,’ I didn’t even ask her to read the script,” he explained.
When she went to get her outfit fitted for the first time, she pointed to her upper thighs and said, “I was shocked to find the silk robe she was wearing there.”
“There was nothing else.”
The actor said his first reaction was “No, no, no,” but they tried to calm his nerves by saying, “No, there’s jewelry.”
“And we did it on the beach in January, and I want to say the wind was blowing from all directions,” he said.
“Every part of my body was big and small. … It was so cold. I was in shock. But I was with Maya and her amazing cast.”
Winkler stars as Gerald Canning in the hit comedy’s Season 3 premiere, portraying him as an eccentric nudist billionaire who owns a clothing-optional island.
Maya Rudolph, the show’s star and executive producer, discussed her nude scenes with Jimmy Kimmel during an appearance on Winkler’s talk show in October, saying that everyone who appeared nude on the show was wearing “nude-colored sports shorts.”
“People felt a little cold. They were all over 70, so I felt very guilty,” she said.
“But there were a few people who were having a little too much fun and volunteered to not wear the clothes at all. And we were telling them, okay.”
Winkler first rose to fame when he landed the role of Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on Happy Days, playing the role for 255 episodes over 10 years.
He introduced himself to a younger generation when he played acting coach Jean Cousineau opposite Bill Hader on HBO Max’s hit show “Barry.”
Winkler won her first Emmy Award in 2018 for this role. Winkler was previously nominated for his work on “Happy Days” and for guest roles in “Battery Park” and “The Practice.”
“Be yourself, be true to your abilities, and be prepared to not draw attention,” he said backstage after the win, according to Variety.
“When I started working here in Hollywood…I thought of myself as a tree or a sapling. I planted it. I wanted it to grow and get stronger until I couldn’t do it anymore. And what a great tree it is.”
