Irish TV viewers watching news coverage on Wednesday night of a hotel fire were surprised to find themselves tuning in to an interview with a Hollywood legend.
RTÉ News dispatched a camera crew to the Shelbourne hotel in Dublin city centre, only to discover that one of the guests who had been evacuated was the Happy Days star Henry Winkler.
“When I heard the fire alarm, I thought it was the clock radio – I thought somebody had set the alarm before we got there, like another guest,” he told reporters, before putting on a comedy voice to explain how a member of staff cleared up the misunderstanding. “The woman said in a very calm voice: ‘Yes, we’re all evacuating, you must evacuate right now!’”
Six fire engines attended the scene after a witness saw smoke coming from one of the upper bedroom windows. The actor, known for high-profile roles in comedy series such as Arrested Development, Parks & Recreation and Barry, was captured thanking the fire brigade effusively.
“You know what? How wonderful! Firemen are some of my favourite human beings – firemen and firewomen. They run in when other people are running out. I think they deserve to be shook [by the hand].”
Winkler later posted a selfie with firefighters on X (formerly Twitter), with other users replying to thank him for lifting their spirits during the evacuation.
“It was an amazing adventure right here in Dublin. I cannot wait to see the rest of Dublin,” said Winkler, who was in the city to promote his autobiography, Being Henry.
It isn’t the first time Winkler has stumbled into a TV news interview. In 2013, he was stopped on a street in south-west London by BBC News and asked for his thoughts on the construction of a third runway at Heathrow.
“Hello! I was going to ask you a question … are you a voter?” asked the interviewer, before realising that he was talking to the Fonz himself. “Do you have a view on … the plan to potentially expand Heathrow?”
“Richmond is a lovely place. I watch the planes go every day, I hear nothing,” offered Winkler, who was appearing as Captain Hook in a local pantomime.
“Im not a resident. I’m [living here temporarily]. It’s hard to commute when you’re doing two shows a day.”
