HEMISPHERES:
You’ve made movies now about both the
sea and outer space. Which fascinates youmore?
RONHOWARD:Thewhaling industrywas largelyresponsible
for exploration and discovery. Theywere the astronauts
of their time! But the ocean is, tome, more visceral, and
in somewaysmore threatening. For that reason, it’s very
dramatic, andhasalwaysbeenanenvironment that I really
wanted touse inamovie. Iwas interested in thisdangerous
tensionbetweennatureandman,and theshock [thesailors]
feltwhennature turnedon them.
HEMISPHERES:
Did youhave Jaws inmindwhileworking
on this?
HOWARD: I felt it wasmore like King Kong, because this
is a story about nature being pushed to its limits and
retaliating. That’swhat thecrewof theEssexwrote in their
journals. Theywondered how this could have happened
to them. Was this thewhale turning on them?Was it God
using thewhaleasa tool?Was it thedevil?To them, itwas
unnatural, because it broke the laws ofman’s dominance.
HEMISPHERES:
Jaws, alongwithStarWars, iscreditedwith
ushering in the era of the blockbuster following the auteur-
driven early ’70s, which you participated in as the star of
AmericanGraffiti.Whatwas your reaction to that shift?
HOWARD: I was excited about it, because it drovemore
people to themovies at a timewhen the industrywas a
bit under siege. Therewerea lot of studioson thebrinkof
closing. JawsandStarWarskindofproved that therewas
anewkindof big-screenexperience tobehad thatwasn’t
CleopatraorTheSoundofMusic. It’s like the fantasticboom
in television right now—the discovery that these shows
become likenovels.
HEMISPHERES:
Does this era of prestige television tempt
you to return to the small screen?
HOWARD: Idon’twanttoget involvedwithsomethingthat’s
going to take fiveor sixyears to tell.Moviessuitmysense
of adventure. Because Iwas an actor on television formy
childhoodandearlyadulthood, theexperienceofworking
on amoviewas like going on a voyage. For me to settle
inwith a set of characters and really commit to running a
televisionseries, I’dhave to love thosecharacters todeath
andbe inapositionwhere Ididn’tmindstaying inoneplace
creativelyandphysically.
HEMISPHERES:
In that case, are you at all troubled by
TV’s ascendance?
HOWARD: It’schallenging.People’sappetites justkeepshift-
ing.But I’msensingacomeback.Thereareplacesformovies
like The Imitation Game or Black Swanor AmericanHustle;
thesearesophisticatedstories.And technology ismaking it
possible tomakeamovie likeTheMartianor In theHeartof
theSea. I’vebeenwanting tomakeamovieset in theocean
THEHEMI Q&A
RONHOWARD
96
RONGALELLA/WIREIMAGE (OSCARS); EVERETTCOLLECTION (AMERICANGRAFFITI);
CHUCKHODES/©UNIVERSALPICTURES/COURTESYEVERETTCOLLECTION (THEDILEMMA)
HAPPYDAYS
Clockwise from left:HowardandBrianGrazeracceptinganOscar forABeautifulMind;Howard inAmericanGraffiti; on thesetofTheDilemma
