Today, we know Ron Howard as an actor and producer with more than 60 years of experience. Back in 1976, however, Ron Howard was a young actor of 22, just breaking out of his reputation as the child star who played Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days.

After landing a lead role in the coming-of-age film American Graffiti, Ron Howard moved on to The Shootist, the story of a gunfighter’s battle with cancer. Being cast in this film came with an exciting opportunity: to star alongside legendary western star John Wayne. Though thrilled by the chance to work with the icon, Ron Howard recalls feeling terrified ahead of meeting his co-star John Wayne.

In an interview with The Oklahoman, Ron Howard recounted the nerve-wracking experience. “That was kind of strange,” Howard says. “I went into The Shootist expecting not to have a great time. Wayne was notorious for not getting along with young actors.”

“I went to meet him with (director) Don Siegal,” Howard continued. “Somebody had given Wayne that week’s copy of TV Guide. My picture was on the cover. He looked at it, looked at me, and said, ‘Ah, here’s the big shot.’ I thought, ‘Uh-oh, I’m in trouble.’ But he couldn’t have been nicer. He talked a lot about television, about how it’s such a good training ground sort of like the one- and two-reelers Wayne made when he was young.”

“I’ll never forget the fact that he never, ever made me feel like a kid. He treated me like a pro…one pro working with another.”

Meeting John Wayne Taught Ron Howard the Value of Hard Work

An actor from the age of 5, Ron Howard is no stranger to hard work. That said, meeting and working with a nearly 70-year-old John Wayne was still an inspirational experience for Ron Howard. In an interview with Men’s Journal, Howard described what he learned about work and manhood.

“John Wayne used a phrase, which he later attributed to John Ford, for scenes that were going to be difficult,” Howard said. “‘This is a job of work,’ [John Wayne would] say. If there was a common thread with these folks – Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Glenn Ford – it was the work ethic. It was still driving them. To cheat the project was an insult. To cheat the audience was damnable.”

Ron Howard also credits Clint Eastwood with certain viewpoints he holds today. Specifically, having the confidence to avoid comparing himself to other people. “We’re all constantly keeping score. You can’t help it,” Howard said. “But trying to pit ourselves against other people in some measurable way is largely a waste of time.”

“Look at Clint Eastwood and Ridley Scott, two guys who, at least creatively, inhabit their space in a way that I admire. I don’t know them well, but I don’t think they are looking over their shoulders and wondering what people will think of them.”

John Wayne’s co-star, Chris Mitchum, worked closely beside the Duke (a nickname Wayne went by) before his passing. In a 2019 interview, Mitchum shared all sorts of anecdotes from his time working with the legend. He even says he has John Wayne to thank for getting him a role in “Rio Lobo.”

The film ended up being Wayne’s last. However partly in thanks to his kindness, Mitchum was able to continue to get roles. While the two were working on the film “Chisum”, Wayne opened the door to an unforgettable opportunity for Mitchum. Mitchum describes how exactly it went down. “He [John Wayne] said, ‘Howard Hawks is coming down to talk to me about my next film, I’d like to introduce you to him.’ That’s how I got the part in ‘Rio Lobo.’ I went up and met with Hawks, it was about an hour meeting. He read me, then we talked awhile. Then he totally did a 180 on the character to see if I could take direction.” 

Mitchum Has John Wayne to Thank For His Role in “Rio Lobo”

Mitchum adds, “I see why he did that, ‘cause he totally changes things when you’re shooting. I did the reading again, he said ‘Can you come in in 2 days on Thursday and screen test?’ I said ‘sure.’ I actually went in for the part that Jorge Rivero ended up playing, and they switched the roles. [Hawks] was there, he’s a very hands-on guy.”

However, casting for actors now is worlds different than what Mitchum experienced in his youth. The actor shared that years later, he went in for an interview for a role. He learned quickly that the casting director didn’t really know who John Wayne was. “When you grow up with that kind of experience, where you’re interviewed by the director, and then years later you go in and [it’s different],” Mitchum explains.

Casting Looks Different These Days

 “The last interview I had…there was a chair on one side and a camera and a chair on the other side with two kids that looked younger than my children. They said ‘sit in the chair, here’s your lines.’ I said ‘okay.’ He said, ‘I’m gonna read here off camera’, and I said ‘okay.’ He says ‘Slate yourself.’ I said, ‘Slate myself?’ [He said] ‘Yeah, say ‘I’m Chris Mitchum for the part of..’ So we did that, I go through the line. He’s looking at my resume, He said, ‘Oh, you were in a couple of films with a guy named John Wayne, was he any relationship to THE John Wayne?’,” the actor shares.

“I realized, Duke [John Wayne] had died before these kids were born! I thought, ‘What am I doing here?’,” the actor laughs. He adds, “I basically just dropped out, I couldn’t deal with that kind of thing. Now, you don’t even meet the would-be second or third casting director, you send it in on the internet.”

Mitchum’s last project was his role of Harald Rosenberg in the 2018 movie “Goy.” However, his newest project has been announced. Although there is no release date set quite yet, the film is titled “Mainland to Oahu”. We can’t wait to see it!

Citing another legendary filmmaker, Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan is relying on “Old Hollywood” filmmaking for his newest epic, 1883.

“I don’t build a world with visual effects,” Sheridan begins for Entertainment Weekly. The trade just hit Yellowstone fans with an exclusive first-look at the show’s sprawling sequel, 1883, and the buzz is palpable.

Right off the bat, the Yellowstone creator doubles down on his penchant for practical effects, too. It’s something fans have come to expect through the first three seasons of his flagship show. And we can expect much of the same for its first spinoff, period-correct Western 1883.

“I go shoot these corners of the world that people haven’t seen,” Sheridan continues for EW. “The audience today is so experienced. They’ve seen so much, so to move the audience becomes more and more difficult. It’s incredibly expensive and very difficult.”

Yet it doesn’t have to be. As Sheridan cites: “We can do it as John Ford did it. When you need 50 wagons, you’re going to see 50 [real] wagons.”

As Outsiders know, the Yellowstone mastermind is citing legendary director John Ford. “Legendary” is an understatement, too. In a career spanning 1913 to 1971, Ford would direct over 140 films. But it’s his work with John Wayne that would create the Hollywood Blockbuster and change the industry forever.

‘1883’ Creator Taylor Sheridan Cites John Ford as a Driving InfluenceAs Taylor Sheridan notes, Ford was a master of utilizing practical effects. He had no choice, as special effects as we know them weren’t a thing yet. There was no relying on CGI or heavy-retouching in post. Effects could be hand-drawn and painted over film (and were to great use), sure, but if you needed 50 moving wagons in a Western, as Sheridan says, then you moved those 50 wagons across the actual West.

Much of Ford and Wayne’s influence can be felt in Yellowstone proper, too. The widely-influential Modern Western feels as close to that bygone era of filmmaking as anything we’ve seen in decades. It’s certainly the only Western, modern or not, to approach the impact of these late legends’ work. And this is exactly why Sheridan brought back Yellowstone‘s brilliant production design “trio” of production designer Cary White, set decorator Carly Curry and art director Yvonne Boudreau for 1883.

The group is responsible for Yellowstone‘s recent – and only – Emmy nominations. And each has proven themselves as much a stickler for perfection as Sheridan.

“Taylor is shooting this with 30 wagon trains, going across America,” 1883‘s Executive Producer David Glasser detailed this summer, echoing Sheridan’s distaste for relying on special effects. “The Duttons travel with other families and pick up other groups along the way. It’s like a moving city. Taylor didn’t want to do it CGI, where you could have built 10 wagon trains and with the world we’re living in today, you could have added 20… We’re taking 30 wagon trains across America, and he’s re-creating everything.”

1883’s team is building everything “top to bottom.” The way it should be, Glasser concludes.

1883 unfolds come December 19 on Paramount Network.