The Evolution of Andy Griffith's Acting Style

The best actors evolve in their roles. If a person is lucky enough to play the same character for years, that time can be used to develop the part into a more believable, fuller person. When an actor returns for a sequel, we expect their portrayal to be a bit deeper and a bit more rich. After all, like any profession, acting is made better with practice. 

Andy Griffith’s Early Career: The Southern “Dope” Persona

Andy Griffith began developing the Andy Taylor character long before The Andy Griffith Show premiered. Earlier in his career, Griffith employed a heavy-handed, grinning Southern dope persona that would follow him into show business. His clumsy, rural act was a crutch that Griffith relied on less and less as he became more comfortable and experienced in front of the cameras. 

Griffith’s Shift: From Comic Relief to Leading Man

Producer and director Aaron Ruben reflected on the ways Griffith grew as a performer in Richard Michael Kelly's 1981 book The Andy Griffith Show:

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"He was being that marvelously funny character from No Time for Sergeants, Will Stockdale— not quite that broad because he was still sheriff, but in that direction. One day, he said, 'My God, I just realized that I'm the straight man. I'm playing straight to all these kooks around me.' And he told me once, "You know, I find it hard to look at the first year's show on reruns.' He didn't like himself— and he was right, and in the next season he changed, becoming this Lincolnesque character."

When Griffith first graced the screen as Sheriff Andy Taylor, he had minimal television experience and relied on his instincts to guide his character work. However, as the show continued, Griffith grew with it, relaxing into the role. This change was fundamental in the show's success and popularity. In Kelly's book, Griffith explained how new characters coming into the show helped him realize what his role should be.

Enter Floyd the Barber: How Howard McNear changed Andy Griffith forever 

"Now, in the ninth show we put in a barber, and the old gentleman was just scared to death— he couldn't remember his lines and he wasn't funny— so we reshot all of his scenes later with another man named Howard McNear, who played Floyd the barber. He was the second character we added. Over the years, we added various other characters as we needed them, and our show became what it was— what it didn't start out to be, but became what it was."

The change in Griffith's work rearranged the show around him. With Andy Taylor in a more relaxed, protective mode, it gave Barney Fife the freedom to create more problems for the Sheriff to solve. Taylor didn't need to be the driving force for the comedy and instead became the focal point of the show's stories.