Jason Bateman’s Michael Bluth may be the main point-of-view character amid the chaos of “Arrested Development,” but there is only one character viewers can truly trust: the narrator voiced by Ron Howard. He is rarely seen, but his voice carries through every episode, offering insight into the characters’ journeys and delivering a steady stream of jokes at the Bluth family’s expense. During an appearance on the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” Howard explained that landing the role was a last-minute decision.
When Howard and “Arrested Development” creator Mitch Hurwitz were developing the show, it was originally meant to lean more heavily into a faux-documentary style, Howard explained. “I was pitching the idea of a narrator, and Mitch said, ‘I don’t think we’re going to need that.’ He shot it, and it was funny. But he said, ‘We should try it as an experiment. I kind of think you’re on to something.’ I was directing a movie in Santa Fe, and he said, ‘Would you just temp in the voice?’ So I did it, literally in the sound truck. We were on location in Santa Fe. I did it one lunch break for the pilot. Sent it off and didn’t think much about it.”
This one-off experimental version of the pilot then went out to the network for focus group testing, and Hurwitz called Howard to give him an update. The narrator tested as the audience’s favorite element, effectively locking Howard into the role.
Arrested Development let Ron Howard play his favorite part: himself
As a youngster playing Opie on “The Andy Griffith Show,” Ron Howard built a reputation for portraying earnest, wholesome characters. This image carried through to roles like Richie Cunningham in “Happy Days” and Steve Bolander in George Lucas’ “American Graffiti.” But Howard had other long-term career plans.
“I … knew that I would never survive as an actor,” Howard told Express in 2015. “There was also a lot of stuff going on that I did not understand or could not come to terms with. I was not assertive. I was not a leader. You have to be like some of the big stars such as Dustin Hoffman to make it. He could take control while remaining an actor. I was relaxed but never terribly satisfied with my work.”
After going out on a limb to direct the 1977 comedy “Grand Theft Auto,” Howard stepped away from full-time acting in 1980. Before “Arrested Development,” he only played a handful of roles, usually small voice parts or one-off guest stars on sitcoms where he usually played himself.
While he hasn’t played a part quite as substantial as the narrator since “Arrested Development,” Howard has settled into his sweet spot as an actor: playing Ron Howard. He most notably revisited that persona in his Emmy-nominated guest role on “The Studio.”