Your leather jacket from Happy Days is at the Smithsonian. What's that like? Do you ever go visit it? —Jay Ashworth
I do go visit it. As I do go visit my statue in Milwaukee, and I take a picture with it and it's one of the great achievements of my life because I was told I would never achieve, because I am in the bottom three percent academically in America.
Of course, you did tremendous things with Happy Days, but you've also done tremendous things since Happy Days. Four decades later, what percentage of fan reactions today come from Happy Days and what percentage come from all the other work you've done, like Childrens Hospital. —Jay Ashworth
Thank you. It all depends on the edge they're on; the age they are. There's a whole group that knows me from Happy Days and The Waterboy and Scream, Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation. The children know me as an author, and we could not sell the books as a TV show here in America but it's a major hit, it was just nominated for an international Emmy from the BBC. So just being tenacious, not stopping until you get what you set out to achieve.
There's a major show this summer, called Better Late Than Never and I am stopped everywhere and by every age and people talk to me about that travel show. It's a travel show, a food show and a comedy rolled into one. The reaction to that show has been a phenomenon.
You realized you have dyslexia while filming a documentary on that subject. One reader says he's curious about your experiences with that strange and confusing disorder and how you cope.— Bob Bates
I realized it when we had my oldest son, my stepson, when I had him tested, because he was very verbal, very smart and could not get his thoughts onto paper, and everything the doctor of the therapist said about my son was true about me and at 31 I realized I was not stupid but I had something with a name.
Here's the thing: There's more than one way to solve a problem, and … my dyslexia made me very inventive, and the character that we write, the children's books, about Hank Zipzer, he is very resourceful. Here's the other thing that every child should know: as long as you try as hard as you can, nothing else matters, because the fact of the matter is that inside your head are brilliant thoughts, and because you can't read, or it's hard to spell, or you can't do geometry, that has nothing to do with how brilliant you are.
Sounds like that's something you could have used hearing when you were a child.
I wish. I only wish. So I say it ad nauseum to any and every child I meet in the world.
What was it like being killed in Scream? — Daun Fletcher
The director said to me, "Don't you think it could be a little more excruciating; could you scream a little louder?" and I said, "Oh, yeah, I can do that." They put tubes up my pants and down my shirt, so every time they stabbed me blood would come spurting out of my body.
One reader says her high school drama teacher told her you made up a Shakespeare monologue to get into Yale school of drama, and she wants to know if that's true. — Teryn Zech
That is true. I was doing Launce and the dog and I totally went blank; Shakespeare is not my forte, but ad libbing is, so I just made it up.
Did they know?
Believe me, they knew, the Yale drama school knew this but I went on and got a master's degree. They saw something, thank God.
In Arrested Development you played Barry Zukerkorn and, in one episode, you jumped over a dead shark on a pier.
That was intentional, that was an homage to the "jumping the shark."
So, clearly you have a sense of humor about that whole "jumping the shark" thing, but really, how does it feel to be associated with a phrase that means the show has taken a right turn into a wall? — Will Caseber
Well, remember this, Happy Days was number one for the next five years after jumping the shark, so it didn't much matter to me. Jumping the shark was I think the fourth year.
And, along those lines, who actually jumped the shark — you or a stunt double? —Jacqui May
Oh, no, they would never let the star do their own stunts like that, because if I got hurt then they would have to shut down filming but I did all the waterskiing, I landed on the beach… except for the jump. I was a water ski instructor at summer camp.
You're Jewish and your parents left Germany on the eve of World War II. One reader's asking if you'll comment on their decision to leave and any relevance you may say in today's world. — Bob Bates
Yes, that's true. If my parents did not leave, I would not be born. My entire family except for my parents were taken to concentration camps.
Did any of them make it out?
My parents.
But no other member of your family survived the concentration camp?
They did not.
Did you want to comment on any relevance you see in today's world?
No. I think that is shocking to me that in 2016 we still persecute each other whether it be verbal or power plays … it's amazing to me that we share this fantastic planet and we still get so angry because somebody shares another point of view.
Of all the things you've produced, of which are you the most proud? —Creative Loafing
Well, I love MacGyver. Now MacGyver lives again. I'm part of it. It is a hit on Friday night on CBS all these years later. It just got picked up for a full season.
Do you have any regrets? —Creative Loafing
I think that my regret is that it took a long time for me to let my anxiety go and just realize that you don't have to have so much drama in your life in order to live.
Anything we didn't ask you that you want people to know?
I am completely looking forward to coming there, to meeting everybody. One of the great things about a comicon is that you create entertainment of some sort, people enjoy it, and then you never get to meet them and here I get to meet people who have supported me for so long. I never sit behind the table, I always stand on the other side of the table so I can look the fans face to face, eye to eye.
You know that I shot a movie starring Burt Reynolds and a seven year old kid in Tampa. I had a great time in Tampa.
Meet Henry Winkler at MegaCon. Here's here all weekend. Sunday is his birthday, so if you see him, wish him happy birthday. Tell him the giggly woman from Creative Loafing sent you.
This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 3, 2016.