Inside Henry Winkler and Bob Odenkirk’s Beautiful Friendship
With the theatrical release of Henry Winkler’s new film Normal approaching, there’s growing curiosity about what audiences can expect. What is the film about, who joins Winkler on screen and what was the experience like behind the scenes? Here’s a closer look at the story, the cast and what those involved have said about working with the Happy Days icon.
What to know about the ‘Normal’ movie
Normal is a new neo-Western thriller that follows a small town sheriff named Ulysses Richardson (Bob Odenkirk) after he decides to investigate a local bank robbery. Along the way, though, he discovers that some of the town’s residents—including its mayor Kibner (Winkler)—might be the most suspicious of all.
The film, written by Odenkirk and Derek Kolstad (writer/creator of John Wick) and directed by Ben Wheatley, was originally released in 2025, but after finding success online, producers decided it deserved a theatrical run as well.
“There are funny characters in there, squabbling and being stupid. Then it turns into this action film and then it has horror elements in it in the later part of the film,” Odenkirk told Moviefone earlier this month. “Unlike a lot of action stories, it had texture and it had character and some depth to the characters. That’s just different. I mean, that’s not actually something you see in a lot of action films, outlines or scripts.”
Get to know the ‘Normal’ cast
Along with Odenkirk and Winkler, Normal stars Game of Thrones star Lena Headey, who plays Moria, a resident that Sheriff Ulysses befriends.
“I love Moira. She’s kind of a little weird. She’s a little eaten by life and when Bob’s character rolls up, there’s a recognition between the two of them and suspicion,” Headey told Moviefone. “Yet, a kind of emotional deficit where they don’t discuss anything they truly like to discuss. So, they kind of skirt around like two snakes a little bit, figuring out who the other is.”
Does the ‘Normal’ cast get along?
While their characters may be keeping secrets from one another, that wasn’t the case behind the scenes. In fact, Winkler says of Odenkirk, “Bob is a friend.”
“We have had pasta together. He called me up, he said, ‘Henry, I’m doing a movie. Would you be part of it?’ I didn’t have to read the script. I just said yes,” the Happy Days actor continued. “I went up to Winnipeg, where I played the wonderful mayor of the town. He is the interim sheriff. Little does he know there is chaos below the surface. He said, ‘We’re going to have a confrontation. I’m going to put you in the most comfortable position to have that confrontation. I’m going to put you in a blizzard.’ That’s how it goes.”
And Winkler and Odenkirk aren’t the only ones that get along. Odenkirk says that Headey is a “master class in acting.”
“She always brings it, you can be sure of that and nobody else could have played this character, Moira, like Lena did,” Odenkirk continued. “I mean, the depth and the texture and the smile in her performance, and the smile for the audience. They know the purpose of her character right away, which is to cut open the story and lay it bare for you.”
When does the ‘Normal’ movie come out?
The Normal movie releases in theaters nationwide on Friday, April 17 and according to Odenkirk, no matter how much you think you know about the film, you don’t know it all.
“This movie is analog. Even some scenes that you think aren’t are. There are scenes that you would watch and think, ‘Oh, that’s CGI.’ But they’re not CGI. And you wouldn’t think it because it looks like CGI,” Odenkirk told New Film City earlier this month. “You’d think it because you go, ‘Well, you can’t do that’ But he knows how to do it. Being out on Ben Wheatley’s set is a place of invention and humor. He’s always joking, throwing in lines, throwing in funny moments.”
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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 10:30 AM.