Still working to live up to my dreams: Ron Howard

Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, who has been associated with showbiz from his childhood and has earned applause for his acting as well as directing skills, is coming out with documentary-drama "Mars". He says he still has miles to go and benchmarks to cross.

The Oscar-winning director says he doesn't think he has lived up to all the ambitions that he had "as a young filmmaker". And he hopes to churn out some great work in the time to come.

When asked about how he views his career, Howard, who is busy with "Mars" -- which will premiere in India on National Geographic Channel in November -- said: "It's a really interesting question because I had very high ambitions at a very early stage."

"On the one hand, I think that I'm still working to live up to those dreams. I'm very pleased that creatively as technology affords us more and more ways to distribute our filmed stories, that I think it gives me more opportunities to continue to grow," added Howard during a conference call with select media, including IANS, from London.

Howard was noticed as a child artiste in "The Andy Griffith Show", and then went on to do "Happy Days", "The Music Man", "The Courtship of Eddie's Father", "The Shootist" and "Grand Theft Auto".

He also carved a niche for himself in Hollywood as a director with films like "Cocoon", "Apollo 13", "A Beautiful Mind", "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels & Demons".

The 62-year-old lauds technology for giving wings to his vision.

"I think that this expansion has come along at an important time in my life, and I feel it's fuelling my creative ambitions all the more at a time when I could possibly be beginning to settle back and turn my attention to other areas," said Howard, who has directed Indian actor Irrfan Khan in his next film "Inferno".

Howard went on to add that he doesn't "think I've lived up to all the ambitions that I dreamed of as a young filmmaker yet, but I've still got some time and lots of great collaborators to get to work with".

"Mars" has been directed by Howard and Brian Grazer. The global mini-series showcases how humans will be set to leave earth to find a home on the red planet.

--IANS

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