Ron Howard Interview (page: 3 / 4) Oscar for Best Director	Print Interview

Even when you have such a strong vision and belief, you're in a field that is so collaborative that you don't always really have control.

Ron Howard: There are a lot of factors and elements that come into play when you're putting a movie together. But you always have the power of saying, "I choose not to participate in this project if it really has to go in this direction." Generally, it doesn't come to that. What I find really exciting about working on a creative project is being at the center of this really intense collaboration. It's always fascinating.

Whenever you face a problem, it's kind of upsetting. It's kind of daunting. Everybody's got a suggestion, a point of view. There's a little arguing that goes on, a little friction. All of a sudden somebody -- myself or someone -- will present a solution that makes sense. Generally, there's almost an instant consensus. But even if there isn't, if it really rings a bell for me as the director, I get to say, "That's it! That's what we'll do!" It's exciting. It's thrilling. I get this emotional rush. "Ha! We did it! We came up with a solution!" I find that really interesting. One of the little theories that I always have is that...

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Creative undertakings: putting on shows, working in groups on projects, school projects, research projects, making films or videotapes. I always think that they're, in a way, a kind of better model for how to get things done in life than, for example, playing sports. I used to play and coach kids, and I love sports. I love athletic endeavors. But the fact is, that that always boils down to split-second reaction time and dedication. Preparation and then execution -- split second execution. And most human endeavors don't depend on that. They depend on a more methodical, careful consideration of all the possibilities. And then the dedication, and the execution. I always think that creative projects are actually a better training ground for getting things done in the real world, in real life.

[ Key to Success ] Preparation

You're very loyal to the group of people you collaborate with. Can you talk about trust in the relationships around you?

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Ron Howard: When you're doing something as emotionally risky as working on a TV show or a movie, part of it is that you're facing the real possibility of complete public humiliation. I mean, it's not all that unusual for people to say, "Aw, that was terrible! Did you see that guy? Aw, he was awful! He stinks!" And so, everybody knows that that's out there, because they've participated in that same kind of ragging on shows and movies. They know. They know that you're putting yourself up for that sort of judgment. You're opening yourself. So as a result, you know, there does need to be a kind of trust. But I've found, in the creative community, there's often a sort of an instant trust. And in just one or two conversations, you can actually determine whether that trusts exists in a relationship or not.

[ Key to Success ] Courage

People are always looking around for allies in this business. There are a few lone wolves out there, but I certainly am not one of them.

You've been working with the same writers and the same partner for a long time.

Ron Howard: My partner Brian Grazer and I have been working together since 1981, off and on, but absolutely partners since '85. He's a producer, and I do some producing but mostly directing. We really rely upon each other because it often feels emotionally dangerous in the business. You are always setting yourself up to fail. Most shows and movies don't quite live up to expectations. There's a degree of disappointment that goes along with almost every project that you get involved with. It's important to be working with people you really trust.

I often work with the same writers. Not always -- because I also feel that it's important not to fall into really strict patterns. I don't think you want to make this film exactly the way you made the last one, or this TV series exactly the way you made the last one. One way for me to mix that up and not fall into that trap of repetition is to take on new collaborators. Sometimes it's a little emotionally risky, but it's usually a risk worth taking.

You began your directing career in comedy -- a style that was already associated with you. Nothing at all like Backdraft, Apollo 13, or the films that came later..

Ron Howard: Yes. When I began directing I was very young. If there was an area where I had some expertise, it was in light comedy. This is something that I'd been acting in -- a tone I'd been involved with -- for 20 years already. It was easier for me to convince people that I could actually take the responsibility and do the job of directing a film working in that tone.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. My first movie was a car chase comedy -- young people on the run -- called Grand Theft Auto . And made for $602,000, but the film made a terrific profit and it got me started. I wrote it with my father, and I had to star in it in order to get to direct it. But that's the last time that I acted in anything that I directed. Well, I actually had to do a scene in the next film that I directed, but I didn't like it and I cut the scene out. And the executives in charge of the project, fortunately, liked the movie well enough that they accepted the fact that I cut myself out of the movie. That was the last time that I acted in anything that I've directed.

[ Key to Success ] Perseverance

Since then, I've graduated to more and more ambitious projects, gained the industry's trust, gained the trust of creative collaborators: great actors, writers, other producers. Slowly but surely, I've tried to broaden the range and scope of what I could do as a director.

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