Ron Howard reportedly gave Tom Hanks blunt but constructive direction while filming the 1983 romantic comedy *Splash*, telling the inexperienced film lead that he was approaching a scene incorrectly. The intervention mattered because it helped Hanks adapt from television-style comic performance to a more natural, character-led approach, during a film that became a major early success in his career.

Hanks had spent two years on the sitcom *Bosom Buddies* and said he was used to trying to make every few lines “pay off” with a joke. Howard instead told him to concentrate on loving the character played by Daryl Hannah, rather than pursuing laughs, which Hanks later credited as an important lesson in screen acting. *Splash* was directed by Howard and helped establish Hanks as a leading film actor.