Although Bryce Dallas Howard comes from a legendary Hollywood family (her father is Happy Days star turned director Ron Howard), she still had to pay her dues and work her way to the top. It was a winding road, but some lucky breaks along the way (that had nothing to do with her famous father) helped make Bryce into the superstar she is today.
How Bryce Dallas Howard Got Her Big Break
Bryce Dallas Howard has the sort of gorgeous face and coloring that make people go silent when she walks into a room. There’s no denying the talented actress and mom-of-two has the kind of “it factor” that other aspiring actors only dream of, and it has no connection to her famous relatives. Though you can’t quite say Bryce comes from humble beginnings, she proved that she wasn’t going to rest on her family’s name to get to where she wanted to be.
Long before she starred opposite Chris Pratt in Jurassic World, Howard began her acting career on the stage. Her parents Ron and Cheryl were reluctant to let the glint and glitz of Hollywood affect their kids as they grew up, so Howard and her three other siblings weren’t allowed access to TV. Instead, they were encouraged to develop other hobbies and spend time outdoors.
Despite their parental push in other directions, Howard had an affinity for acting from an early age and her father could clearly see it. Perhaps that’s why he allowed her, at 7 years old, to be an extra in his films. After graduating from high school, Howard developed her acting skills at NYU and honed her talents at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s school in Chicago.
Instead of hopping into movies or television shows right away, Howard concentrated on the stage and was cast in several New York City theater productions. It was at one of these productions, the William Shakespeare comedy As You Like It in which she played Rosalind, that Howard caught the attention of director M. Night Shyamalan.
Howard As A Breakout Star
The acclaimed director chose to cast her in his then-upcoming movie, The Village. In it, Howard played the blind daughter of the chief and fellow lead actor Joaquin Phoenix’s love interest. Though the film was panned by reviewers, Howard’s performance in it garnered praise and led to more box office winners for the redheaded stunner. Shyamalan enjoyed working with her so much on The Village that he also cast Howard as the lead in another movie, Lady In The Water, where she starred opposite Paul Giamatti.
Bryce Dallas Howard Before Her Big Break
The rest, as they say, is history. Howard continues to impress both critics and audiences with her performances and has now taken a note from her father’s book and begun dabbling in directorial work. There truly are no limits to where Howard can go from here. It’s amazing that she was once this fresh-faced girl making a name for herself on the stage. Is there any medium of entertainment she can’t conquer?