Henry Winkler is a national treasure. He has a reputation for being one of the nicest guys in Hollywood and has been charming television audiences since the '70s via Happy Days. He's now getting critical acclaim for his much more dramatic role in HBO’s Barry. Though everybody loves Winkler, some may love him more than others, as evidenced by his apparent DILF status. And Mario Lopez explained that concept to the actor on the Emmys red carpet.
This year, Henry Winkler was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his stellar work on Barry. Amid the ceremony, the beloved actor stopped to chat with Access Hollywood about the highly praised show and working with his fellow Emmy nominees, Bill Hader and Anthony Carrigan. The pundits for the news outlet shared a hilarious tweet with the Fonz icon, in which a fan called him an “underrated DILF.” The compliment was met with confusion from Winker, who said:
Wait a minute, is that like an elf?
It was clear that the 76-year-old star had not heard the euphemism before, which is when Mario Lopez adorably stepped in and explained to the actor what a DILF was. Lopez told him that DILF stands for “Dad I’d Like to-” and let the veteran star figure out the rest for himself. He was shocked but very flattered and took the copy of the tweet from Lopez, putting it in his pocket before saying:
NO! I’m going to keep this one! I’m not going to show that to anyone!
This is such a hilarious exchange. It was so great to watch the Arrested Development alum play along and be tickled by such a compliment. He always seems to have such a blast at Hollywood events and his more candid moments rarely ever disappoint. The seasoned performer is also having a lot of fun working on Barry, which he always sings the praises of. While his turn as fractured acting coach Gene Cousineau is certainly a darker role for the comedic actor, he's played it to perfection. He definitely doesn’t want it to end anytime soon and has expressed fear in regard to the possibility of Gene getting killed because he doesn’t want his stint on the hit HBO show to end.
Critics certainly agree with the strength of his work on the dramedy, as Henry Winkler received his first ever Primetime Emmy in 2018, much to the delight of fans and the actor himself. With Barry (one of Bill Hader’s best projects to date), Winkler has delivered what is easily some of his best work, and that's saying a lot.
Like the veteran actor, I hope the show doesn't end anytime soon. Not only do I love seeing what dark turns the HBO show takes every season, but I love seeing Henry Winkler doing what he does best. While he may not have scored any 2022 Emmy wins, he can still revel in the fact that he now officially holds DILF status.
Barry is currently in production on its fourth season, but you can watch the first three, which are streaming now for HBO Max subscribers. You can also check out the 2022 TV schedule to see what shows are premiering in the near future.
