Ron Howard had doubts about casting his mother in Apollo 13 until he saw her without false teeth

Ron told Vulture his father, Rance Howard, told him to cast Jean as Jim's mother in the docudrama about the near-fatal 1970 lunar mission.

At the time, Jean had just returned to acting after a hiatus and Ron was initially hesitant, citing her age and the significance of the role.

But Rance insisted, with Ron saying he told him: "Your mother would knock that new Jim Lovell's mother part out of the park."

Ron eventually agreed to audition her at their home.

After a reading, he expressed concerns about her age, to which he said Jean responded: "I could dye my hair, and they can increase my wrinkles."

When Ron remained doubtful, Jean humorously removed her false teeth and asked: "Would this help?!" Ron relented, saying: "Okay, okay, okay! You got the part!"

Jean Speegle Howard was born Jean Frances Speegle on January 31, 1927, in Duncan, Oklahoma.

She began her acting career at 17 at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

After a brief hiatus due to an accident, she returned to acting and appeared in over 30 television shows, including Married... with Children, Roseanne, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

She also had roles in films such as Cocoon and The Paper.

Jean passed away on September 2, 2000, at the age of 73.

In the same interview, Ron discussed his father's influence on his career, particularly during his time on The Andy Griffith Show.

He revealed his dad had given advice to Andy that changed the dynamic between Andy's character, Andy Taylor, and Ron's character, Opie.

Ron said: "Dad never said anything about that to me," adding he only learned about it years later during a cast reunion.

He added: "Andy told me that my dad had come to him very early on in the show and said, 'You're writing Opie the way most sitcom kids are written. They're wisea**** and smarter than the dad'."

Ron's filmmaking career includes acclaimed films such as A Beautiful Mind, Parenthood, and Cocoon.

He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Grammy Award.