Acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker Ron Howard has shared a hilarious behind-the-scenes story from The Da Vinci Code, revealing how Tom Hanks unexpectedly ended up without trousers in front of the famous painting of Mona Lisa at the Louvre museum in Paris, France.
Speaking at a Happy Days reunion event at MegaCon in Orlando recently, the 70-year-old director recalled a frantic moment on set. “All of our grip equipment and camera equipment was in the Mona Lisa room. And at one point, we were really hurrying, we were behind schedule,” Ron explained, as reported by People magazine.
“And Tom Hanks didn’t have time to go back to his dressing room to change for the next scene. And so I was giving him some notes about what the next scene was going to be and he was changing his pants in front of the Mona Lisa. I said, ‘Wait a minute. This is a moment we have to remember,’” Howard recalled, pointing out that his films with Hanks had taken the actor to some rather unexpected situations. “We've been under the water with the mermaid, we've been weightless with Apollo 13, and now you're pants-less with the Mona Lisa.”
{{/usCountry}}“And Tom Hanks didn’t have time to go back to his dressing room to change for the next scene. And so I was giving him some notes about what the next scene was going to be and he was changing his pants in front of the Mona Lisa. I said, ‘Wait a minute. This is a moment we have to remember,’” Howard recalled, pointing out that his films with Hanks had taken the actor to some rather unexpected situations. “We've been under the water with the mermaid, we've been weightless with Apollo 13, and now you're pants-less with the Mona Lisa.”
{{/usCountry}}Howard has collaborated with Hanks on five films, including three from The Da Vinci Code series: Splash, The Da Vinci Code, Apollo 13, Angels & Demons, and Inferno.
Elsewhere during the panel, where he was joined by his Happy Days co-stars Anson Williams and Don Most, Howard reflected on how he started in Hollywood as a child actor but soon realised his true passion was directing. “I always liked acting. I always liked being around it. But very, very early on, I was attracted to the role of the director. And years later, I recognised that I don’t have the performer’s personality. I wasn’t hungry to perform ... I was just dying to be behind the camera,” he said.