Ron Howard’s Biggest Regret: The Film He Wishes He’d Skipped

Few in the entertainment world can claim a career as enduring and largely unblemished as Ron Howard’s. From his early days as a child actor to his later success behind the camera, Howard has managed to maintain a reputation for decency and professionalism that’s rare in Hollywood. While many of his peers have accumulated a laundry list of regrets, Howard’s own list is surprisingly short.

That’s not to say he’s immune to second thoughts. He’s been candid about his dissatisfaction with certain projects, such as The Dilemma, which he later described as “tone-deaf” in its execution. He also admitted that stepping away from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower was a relief, even though he still produced the film, which ultimately flopped at the box office. There are a handful of unmade projects that linger in his memory, and he’s spoken of his disappointment at never working with Jack Nicholson. Yet, these are minor blips in an otherwise impressive career.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Misstep in Hindsight

However, one title stands out as a genuine sore spot: Hillbilly Elegy. The film, released on Netflix in late 2020, has come to be seen as the low point of Howard’s directorial output. It’s a work he’s now forced to discuss regularly, largely due to its subject, JD Vance, who has since become a prominent and polarising figure in American politics. The biopic, which featured Gabriel Basso and a rather over-the-top performance from Glenn Close, received both Oscar and Razzie nominations, a rare and telling combination.

Not long after the film’s release, Vance announced his candidacy for the US Senate—a move that caught Howard off guard. In an interview with The Financial Times, Howard reflected,

“The journalists saw something coming I didn’t; JD running for Senate. If I’d realised that too, I wouldn’t have pursued the project. Because it was unavoidably going to be politicised. I did ask JD about running for office, and he didn’t seem interested.”

It appears Vance may not have been entirely forthcoming, as he had publicly considered a political run as early as 2018, well before Howard’s production company acquired the rights to his memoir.

Unintended Consequences and Lasting Impact

Even setting aside the political controversy, many viewers felt the film simply didn’t work. Its reception was lukewarm at best, with critics and audiences alike questioning its purpose and execution. For Howard, the experience has become a cautionary tale about the unpredictable ways in which a project can become entangled in broader cultural debates.

He’s made it clear that, had he known what was to come, he would have thought twice about taking on the adaptation. Yet, as he’s quick to point out, hindsight is a luxury not afforded to filmmakers at the outset of a project. Now, unless he manages to produce something even less well-received, Hillbilly Elegy is likely to remain the blemish on an otherwise distinguished record.