Henry Winkler Talks ROYAL PAINS

As ROYAL PAINS closes out its second season, some of the bigger questions involve Hank and Evan’s father Eddie. How sincere is he about wanting to forge a real relationship with his sons? Is it too late for that? Will he have to go to prison? One thing we do know is that the show did an excellent job in casting Henry Winkler as Eddie. He gives the wayward father just the right touch of charm and humor while keeping his true motives close to the vest.

Daemon’s TV was there when Henry talked about playing Eddie and his love for all things Royal Pains, his latest writing projects, and receiving the Order of the British Empire award.

On getting the role of Eddie

According to Henry, his dentist’s wife helped him join Royal Pains. “The producer Andrew was sitting at dinner next to my dentist and his wife. They overheard him saying they were looking for the father on Royal Pains. My dentist’s wife is a fan and she said, ‘Oh, you know who it should be? Henry Winkler.’ A little while later, I had dinner with Michael [Rauch] and Andrew [Lenchewski], who run the show, and they asked me if I would join the cast.” This was especially good news for Henry, who said, “My wife and I were appointment television viewers of the show before I ever got the call to see if I was interested.”

On working with the rest of the cast

Henry said that the onscreen connection between Eddie, Hank, and Evan mirrors real life. “Honestly, what you see is what you get. The camera does not lie and we’ve had–so far–the most wonderful time together. You shoot something two or three times and out of that comes these unbelievably wonderful scenes.”

Henry gushed about working with the Royal Pains cast. “The challenge is to make sure I am toe to toe with Mark [Feuerstein, Hank] and Paulo [Costanzo, Evan] and Jill [Flint, Jill] and Reshma [Shetty, Divya] because they are really good. They are the real deal and I want to carry my weight.”

Henry has done more than carry his weight, and even he seems to realize that. “I honestly believe that some of the best work I’ve done on television are the scenes I’ve done with Mark. They’re so emotional and so layered, which is also great writing.”

Henry’s favorite scenes so far have been the more emotional ones. He said, “I love the scene in the hospital cafeteria that we just did. I love the scene at the table where I yell at Hank in the outdoor restaurant. I love the scene in my house when he came and he wouldn’t have dinner. I gave him a kiss on the forehead which Mark was not ready for because I never rehearsed it and you see his reaction and it is to die for.”

On Eddie’s strengths and weaknesses

Eddie is a supremely flawed person, but Henry said, “He’s not bad. He is misunderstood. His heart is in the right place. His mind and his heart are just not connected.” Henry summed up Eddie’s relationship with his sons by saying, “Eddie wants Hank’s approval. Eddie has Evan’s approval and doesn’t yet completely appreciate it.”

Just as viewers don’t always like Eddie, neither does Henry. “It is so difficult to look my son in the eye–to look Mark in the eye–when he says ‘You left when Mom was sick and we were nine and eleven.’ And I take no responsibility for that. Those are the most difficult moments to play. I don’t particularly like the character at that moment.”

Henry is also bothered by Eddie’s cavalier attitude toward Evan. “I’m not particularly fond of how Eddie dismisses Evan in order to get to Hank. It’s very hurtful when I do that; when I look in Paulo’s eyes because he is right there with me in the moment and he takes it so personally and it strikes right into my heart when I look into his eyes.”

There is hope for Eddie’s redemption, though, and Henry thinks he has at least one good quality buried in there. “I like his zest for life and he truly now has come to the point, I believe–and I will find out if I’m wrong in subsequent scripts–where he really appreciates his sons.”

The finale finds Eddie between a rock and a hard place in terms of whether or not he’s going to go to prison, and Henry said it’s another of Eddie’s strengths that keeps him sane. “Eddie is pretty much in a hard place. His sense of humor keeps him buoyant and I think if he did not put on that face to the world, he would explode and just splatter.” He also joked that “I think a good Reuben gets him out of bed–a really great sandwich.”

On season three

Henry obviously loves his time on the Royal Pains. When asked what he would most like to change about Eddie, he joked, “I would like to be in more episodes. I would like to be in all episodes. I’m starting a write-in campaign and I’m going to start a Twitter campaign.”

One big question the season finale answers is whether Eddie goes to jail, and when asked if Henry would be back as Eddie in season three, he said, “That’s my write-in campaign. That’s what I’m lobbying for.” When asked later about his future plans, though, he said, “I’m going to go back to Royal Pains, which I’m so excited about,” so maybe there’s no need for a write-in campaign after all.

On Royal Pains’ popularity

Henry thinks there are a few reasons why so many people enjoy Royal Pains. “I imagine that in the middle of the winter that there’s this beautiful blue sky show that just takes you away to where you want to be. I think it is well written. After everything is said and done, no matter how good the actors are-there’s a famous expression-’if it’s not on the page, it’s not on the stage’…Whenever people talk to me about Royal Pains, they always talk about how much they enjoy everyone talking to each other. It makes me happy.”

On the Arrested Development Movie

According to Henry, “All of the actors have said yes. We are completely dependent on Mitch Hurwitz. Maybe [since Running Wilde has been cancelled] he will now turn his attention to the movie.”

When asked if he would reprise his role of Barry Zuckerkorn, Henry replied, “I still have my chiffon underwear in my drawer waiting.” He also joked that when it comes to understanding Barry, “I don’t know who the hell he is. All I do is say the words.”

On Henry’s writing

Henry has become quite a prolific writer, something he never expected, given his dyslexia. When asked how it all started, he explained, “There was a lull in my acting career and someone said to me, ‘Why don’t you write books for kids about your learning challenges.’ I didn’t immediately pick up on it because I literally thought, ‘I have nothing to say. I can’t write a book. I’m stupid.’”

Fortunately, the same person mentioned the idea again two years later and introduced Henry to Lin Oliver, and they have now been writing together since 2003. They recently finished their Hank Zipzer series of children’s novels and when asked what was next, Henry said, “Yesterday at 2:48 in the afternoon, Lin Oliver and I finished the first novel in our new series for Scholastic which will be out in 2012. We’re writing a whole new series for kids; it’s very funny and this one, the underpinning is about bullying.”

Henry also has another book, ‘I’ve Never Met an Idiot on the River,’ coming out on May 1. He said, “It’s about what I’ve learned on the river that I’ve applied to my life.” Henry is thrilled that some photos he took while trout fishing are included in the book. “That was especially inspiring to me that that would happen.”

On the Order of the British Empire award

Henry recently received an Order of the British Empire award from Queen Elizabeth for his work with British children with learning challenges, something he called “amazing.” “I got a letter that said ‘you must keep this a secret. If the Queen decides to give you an award, would you accept it?’ I said, ‘Yes, I would. Six weeks later I got a letter saying, ‘The Queen of England has graciously agreed to confer on Henry Winkler the Order of the British Empire’ for the work that I do in England with children who learn differently. My book series with ‘Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever’ that I write with Lin Oliver is also popular in the UK and I’ve spoken to a hundred thousand students over there.”

The second season finale of Royal Pains airs on USA Thursday, February 24 at 9pm eastern/8pm central.

You can read all our Royal Pains coverage here.

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