Ron Howard Shares Hilarious Story of Tom Hanks Going Pantless Near the Mona Lisa on ‘The Da Vinci Code’ Set

Although ‘The Da Vinci Code’ was a compelling mystery on screen, there were some amusing moments during the 2006 production.

Filmmaker Ron Howard told a behind-the-scenes tale about how Tom Hanks ended up with no pants in front of the Mona Lisa during a ‘Happy Days’ reunion event at MegaCon in Orlando.

All of the camera and grip gear was kept in the Mona Lisa chamber in the Louvre in Paris, where the movie was shot on location. Hanks didn’t have time to go back to his dressing room and change for the next scene because the team was running late. The actor had to change his pants in front of the iconic painting while Howard was giving him notes.

Howard was struck by the situation and thought of the strange circumstances Hanks had encountered during their filming. He recounted various bizarre situations Hanks went to including Hanks standing in front of the Mona Lisa without pants, underwater scenes for ‘Splash’ and gone weightless for ‘Apollo 13’.

Howard also discussed his path from child actor to filmmaker at the same event. Even though he loved performing, he soon discovered that working behind the camera was his actual passion. He stated that he was always drawn to directing but never had the desire to play.

Image Courtesy: IMDb

‘Splash’, ‘Apollo 13’, and the three films in the ‘Da Vinci Code’ series— ‘The Da Vinci Code’, ‘Angels & Demons’, and ‘Inferno’—are among the five films that Howard and Hanks have collaborated on.

Howard stated in a 2024 interview that he rarely watches his own movies again. When asked about ‘Splash’, he said that even though it was one of his favourite films, he hadn’t seen it in a while.

–Farheen Ali