Henry Winkler says ‘Scream’ kept his name off its poster over Fonzie fears
Henry Winkler says the studio feared his Fonzie fame would upset ‘Scream’s’ horror tone, then later asked him to promote it.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Henry Winkler says his name was kept off the Scream poster because the studio feared viewers would associate the 1996 slasher with Fonzie. In a newly released interview, Winkler recalled being told that revealing his part in the film could, in the studio’s view, upset the movie’s horror balance.
The actor played Woodsboro High principal Arthur Himbry in Wes Craven’s original Scream. Speaking with Graham Bensinger, Winkler said Craven had offered him what he described as a small role during one of their regular sushi lunches.
Why was Henry Winkler left off the ‘Scream’ poster?
According to Winkler’s account, studio representatives told him they could not put his name on the film or place him near the poster. When he asked why, he said they told him that he was “the Fonz” and that audiences knowing he was involved would “knock the balance of horror off.”
That was the studio’s reported reasoning, as recalled by Winkler, not an explanation independently confirmed by a studio representative or contemporaneous documents.
Winkler became widely known for playing Fonzie on Happy Days. He said the decision left him bewildered, insulted and upset, and that he went home after accepting there was little he could do about it.
What happened after the ‘Scream’ test screening?
Winkler said he later learned that test audiences applauded when Himbry appeared on screen. The character is stabbed and killed in the film.
Then came the awkward follow-up. Winkler said the same people who had said they could not put his name on the poster later asked whether he would do publicity for the release.
He agreed. Winkler said he did the press work for himself, for Craven and for the movie.
In the Bensinger interview, Winkler presented the episode as a lesson for actors: do the work, show up, and recognize that much of what follows is beyond their control. The interview clip was uploaded to Bensinger’s YouTube channel on Sept. 11.
Variety reported Winkler’s recollection on Sept. 19, noting that the actor’s account concerns his name placement and proximity to the poster, rather than making a broader claim about every part of the film’s marketing.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.