Actors across movies and TV remembered the late director Garry Marshall on The Happy Days of Garry Marshall, a special that aired May 12 on ABC. Anne Hathaway credited her career beginnings with Marshall, who cast her in The Princess Diaries at 18. “I had no idea what I was doing. I was just doing my best,” Hathaway said. “And Garry really crafted that performance to be the best it possibly could be. And that’s how I was introduced to the world. The Princess Diaries changed my life.” Later tearing up, she added, “He went out of his way to make sure that I knew why it was important to be a good person in this business. I realize that in situations when you go onto sets and things are stressful and people are freaked out and people are fighting, you can still bring the joy, ‘cause Garry taught me how to bring the joy.” Hathaway’s Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement co-star Chris Pine also said he was grateful to Marshall for giving him his start in movies. “He gave me my shot and he will always be the one that did that,” Pine said, “and I’m thankful for that.”
Other actors contributed memories of the director, including Happy Days’ Ron Howard and Henry Winkler, along with Pretty Woman star Julia Roberts. “He was really inspiring because I would always think, I just want to make Garry laugh,” she remembered. Roberts also emotionally discussed the gift she received from Marshall when they finished the movie. “After Pretty Woman, Garry gave me a necklace and he gave me a great card that he wrote for me,” Roberts said. “The necklace had a diamond heart on it, and it’s so that I would always remember that wherever I was, there was someone that loved me and is on my side.”
