Make no mistake about it: Bryce Dallas Howard was meant to have a career in Hollywood.
While it might not have been written in the stars, it was most certainly solidified via the unofficial rule book her parents drafted for their first born: “As a kid, the ultimate punishment for me was to be told I wasn’t allowed to go on set,” the 42-year-old actress-director laughs when asked that almost-required question—if her career path was destined to be—that surely the daughter of Ron Howard has been asked many times before.
“Let’s just say, it led to a lot of good behavior!” the mom-of-two admits. “I never wanted to get in trouble, because I always wanted to be on set—as often as possible, as long as possible. Hanging that over my head was a very easy way for my parents to make sure I behaved.”
Howard’s “good behavior” parlayed into appearances on the New York theater circuit as a teen and her first commercial success, playing the female lead of Ivy in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village. An impressive body of work both in front of and behind the camera followed, including a lead alongside Chris Pratt in Universal’s Jurassic World franchise, Paramount’s Rocketman and her “Nosedive” episode of Netflix’s series Black Mirror, for which she was nominated for a SAG Award.
As a kid, the ultimate punishment for me was to be told I wasn’t allowed to go on set.
And then there is her not-so-small side gig of filmmaker: Howard directed episodes for all seasons of the live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian and recently wrapped production on her next feature-length documentary Pets for Disney+. (She also managed to go back to college in her late-30s to finish her degree at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, the same place where she met her now-husband, fellow actor Seth Gabel.)
After her kids’ sense of humor, Howard says “Black Mirror is the job I am proudest of,” but only lists it when pressed, as if it’s difficult for her to give herself credit for a recognizably successful and long-lasting career in a time where “nepo baby” is a buzzword. (It’s also obvious after spending a day on set with her that she does genuinely want the day to last. Well-liked and about as easy-going and down-to-earth of a coworker as they come, she is also down to eat a to-go sandwich side-by-side with the rest of the crew.)
“Black Mirror is the project that was different for me, and it seemed as though people really liked it. I can also give you all the beauty details if you’re interested and if you have the time; I can remember pretty much every beauty detail for any character I’ve ever played—it’s part of the process for me. It’s sort of how I get into character. I remember we used a lot of Dior lip gloss for that one!”
This winter, Howard stars in Argylle, a spy action–comedy film directed by Matthew Vaughn that releases in theaters February 2, followed by a streaming release on Apple TV+. The story follows Elly Conway (Bryce), the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels centered on secret agent Argylle. In a nutshell: When the plots of the quiet author’s fictional books begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, her at-home evenings turn into a globe-trot, accompanied by a spy named Aiden (Sam Rockwell), to stay one step ahead of the killers.
In addition to Rockwell, the impressive ensemble cast includes Henry Cavill, Catherine O’Hara, Samuel L. Jackson, John Cena, Ariana DeBose, Dua Lipa, and—wait for it—Claudia Schiffer’s cat.
I can remember pretty much every beauty detail for any character I’ve ever played—it’s part of the process for me.
“Can you believe I got to work with Claudia Schiffer [Schiffer is married to Vaughn] on this one!” Howard excitedly shares. “I was texting the Claudia Schiffer—the supermodel—to go over some of the creative; I still can’t believe it. Claudia Schiffer! She oversaw the overall creative direction and the styling. Like I said, I’m really into all the beauty-style details that get you into character, so it was fun to collaborate together. We went back and forth on a bunch of things. I was constantly sending her messages like, ‘Would Elly wear this? What do you think about this?’ We really got into it.”
Aside from a love of all-things beauty and style when it comes to stepping into a role, Howard admits the actual acting part of the equation always came kind of naturally. “It’s all the ‘other stuff’ that is more difficult for me,” she says.
When asked about what that entails, Howard doesn’t mention social media or the oft-discussed topic of aging in Hollywood—she says it’s the press and promotion that comes along with her blockbuster projects that can prove to be a bit unnerving.
“I’m not a natural when it comes to press…it’s hard for me to get dressed up for the red carpet and do the whole circuit. I’ll never forget the time I was with Tom Cruise in Japan for a movie, and he literally got sucked up by the crowd while he was doing press—they literally just surrounded him, and he disappeared. It was scary.
So, most of the time, all that makes me feel uncomfortable. Like, I’m just standing there, and people are looking at me. I feel most beautiful when I get to be a palette for incredible, brilliant makeup and hair artists…but there have been instances where I’ve literally been in the clearance section of a department store grabbing something to wear at the last minute.
I do best when I give in and let my glam team do their thing—when I let them do the exact opposite of a look I think I want or that I normally do. I love that Jurassic World Los Angeles premiere look they did—slicked back hair, superdark lip. I would never normally think of that, and I just sat back, they did their thing and it turned out beautifully. It’s great to work with such talented people in this industry.”
