A fire broke out at the Shelbourne, one of Dublin's most beloved hotels. The hotel was evacuated, of course. One of the evacuees? The Fonz himself, Henry Winkler! The poor lady interviewing him to discuss the fire had no idea she was talking to greatness personified. Predictably, Winkler turns the camp factor up to 11.
Any other actor probably would've been offended. But Winkler has always been a class act, and the older he gets, the better he gets! Like a true thespian, he launches right into the theatrics.
"When I heard the fire alarm, I thought it was the clock radio. ... I called downstairs, and the woman said in a very calm voice: 'Yes! We're all evacuating! You must evacuate right now!'"
Then, after the reporter asks a straight-laced question, Winkler's back at it. "Firemen are some of my favorite human beings — firemen and firewomen. They run in when other people are running out. I think they deserve to [have their hands] shook."
Oh, right, the burning building. There were no injuries and the fire was dealt with in less than an hour. The damages to the hotel itself were minor.
Reporter Hilariously Fails To Recognize Henry Winkler
Thank you Dublin ‘s fire department … our hotel was evacuated on our first morning !!! pic.twitter.com/kyByb5VSoM
— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) June 12, 2024
Look at him, being wonderful! You know, Winkler deserves better than to be acknowledged as "Ayy, the Fonz!" The first role that comes to mind personally when I see Henry Winkler? Gene Cousineau, everyone's favorite acting teacher from HBO's Barry!
Fun fact about that: to this day, despite loving the show, I haven't finished Barry. I got rambunctious one day and accidentally spoiled the ending for myself. Since then, I couldn't bring myself to conclude my journey. I won't spoil why in case I somehow inspire you to give the show a try.
But go watch Barry and tell me Winkler isn't putting on the performance of a lifetime. Cousineau is a funny, interesting dynamo of a character who plays off of every other character perfectly. If you love the arts, you'll drink Barry in like a fine wine.
In fact, I'll end this on a legendary Gene Cousineau quote with zero context.
"If that chicken à la king is not the best piece of poultry you've ever had in your mouth, you can kick me right in the genitals."
