Henry Winkler is doing fantastic—not because he gets to play the hilarious and heartfelt acting teacher Gene Cousineau on HBO’s Barry, or because Arrested Development is back for a fifth season later this month, or because his show MacGyver was picked up for a third season, or because he’s writing a new children’s book series. It’s because he has a new dog.

“Her name is Sadie, she’s a labradoodle. She’s chocolate brown,” he coos over the phone. “It’s like having another child. When you go out, you’re having a good time, and suddenly you think ‘I need to be home. I need to hug that dog.’”

Maybe now you're thinking about how you know Winkler, what the one project of his is that stands out in your mind. Because you surely know Winkler from something. For a long time it was likely from Happy Days, where he charmed the world as the avatar of cool, the Fonz. Increasingly, lately, it’s probably from shows like Arrested Development, Parks & Recreation, Royal Pains, and now Barry. But Winkler has achieved the improbable task of not letting himself be defined by his biggest and most iconic role. There’s an entire generation who probably doesn’t know that “jumping the shark” was a thing that actually happened.

It would be easy for Winkler to want to distance himself from a character like the Fonz. Men his age have a tendency to seek out the serious, to want people to see them as a capital-a Actor. But there’s a lightness in Winkler’s voice, like he’s in awe that he’s even talking to you, like after 72 years he wakes up every morning shocked to find his dreams have come true. He says it’s because of three things: preparation, tenacity, and gratitude. Or maybe being Hollywood’s leading mensch just comes naturally to him. Either way, he says in a recent interview, he can’t wait to keep going.

GQ: Bill Hader mentioned he talks to you after every episode, and there's some stuff you're always surprised with. What did you think of Sunday’s episode?

Henry Winkler: The way it ended? Oh my god. And I hadn’t seen 6, 7 or 8, so last night we had a panel at the TV Academy, and I saw 8. And I just kept going “Oh no! Oh! Oh my god, he’s not gonna—he did!” I don’t know what they wove, but I’m telling you, they wrote a cashmere sweater. And, I won’t tell you what is coming this week, but it turns last week on its head.

In Episode 7, I love that MacBeth is what was happening in the background, because that’s every theme in Barry. At first you think he’s forced to kill, but there are these deeper motivations.

Everything that these guys write down is thought out. If they don’t know, they say "Okay, what would really happen when Sally goes for an audition? Would she become defiant?" And everyone in the room said, "No, she would apologize, make him feel better, and leave the room, and then just be destroyed by the man saying he’s not really representing her." Oh my god. But every detail they think out. It is so thoughtful. The people they picked, the ensemble, everyone is a home run hitter.

Is that what drew you when you first read the script?

The first thing that drew me? They said Bill Hader. My wife and I have watched Bill Hader now for years. “Bill Hader?” “You’re on a short list.” “Short list? Is Dustin Hoffman on that short list? Because if Dustin Hoffman is on that short list I’m not going in.” And they said, "Why?" And I said, "Because he’s a movie star and he’s going to get it." They said "No, he’s not on the list" so I said "Okay! Send me the script!" My son happened to be here, Max. He’s a director, he just had a movie out called Flower with Zoe Deutch and Katherine Hahn. And he directed me in my audition. And he was very stern! I went, and then I got it. I didn’t know that other people thought the same way I did, that this was one of the best things they read in a long, long time.