Ron Howard starred in what may have been the highlight of all Obama-endorsements this campaign season, a video for Funny or Die (scroll down to watch), but it almost didn't happen.
The video took Howard back to his days on The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days to speak out on behalf of the now-President-Elect, dressed as Opie and Richie Cunningham, alongside his old costars Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler.
At a press event for "Frost/Nixon" the upcoming film he directed (more on it in coming weeks - it's great) Howard told Huffington Post he "didn't really want to do it" and was "cursing" himself for having had the great idea, but added he knew "the best way to be noticed is to humiliate yourself a little bit."
His producing partner Brian Grazer told Huffington Post he was against Howard making the video at first. "I didn't want him to it for a long time," Grazer said, but in the end he loved it. "With all the vicious things that are happening, his was effective in a very cool, effective way."
Here is what they each said about the video in full:
RON HOWARD:
I had the idea and I immediately was like, cursing myself for having gotten the idea, because I didn't really want to do it. I've never publicly endorsed a candidate before, I've supported, I'm political, I care, I've just never done that.
I started asking friends, what do you think of this kooky idea? They all thought, well, that would really cut through the clutter. If you want to do something that would actually get your opinion across, people will watch that. Then I checked with Henry, and maybe even more importantly Andy, and found that they really wanted to try to find a way to do something for Obama.
I felt at that point the best way to be noticed is to humiliate yourself a little bit and create this kind of fantasy endorsement. And I thought it was important that the three of us were on the same page. The Funny or Die people, they said 'we'll support you, we have a little infrastructure to do that, we'll produce it for you.' Adam McKay sort of wrote it up, I pitched it him.
Everybody had an opinion, Henry improvised a couple good lines and Andy and I did ours greenscreened, so we weren't actually together, but it was a good experience.
I think the important thing to do, nose hairs, shirtless, baldhead and all that - was to go at it with zero vanity and be as honest about it as I could be which was, I wouldn't normally do this, but I care a lot.
BRIAN GRAZER:
I thought it was hilarious! I loved it. I didn't want him to it for a long time. I wanted him to support Obama, which he was doing, I just had anxiety about how it would look. Just the execution. Then it turned out the execution was great. It had humility and impact... with all the vicious things that are happening, his was effective in a very cool, effective way.