Bryce Dallas Howardgrew up in a Hollywood family, and while that may have helped pave the way for the beginning part of her career, her standout movie and TV roles have proven that she is a capable actor in her own right, Howard surname aside. The eldest of prolificmovie and TV director Ron Howard’sfour children, Bryce Dallas Howard has been acting since she was 8, first appearing in her father’s 1989 comedyFatherhoodfor a brief cameo. She later had non-speaking roles in her dad’s other movies,Apollo 13andHow the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Her time on her father’s sets must have inspired a love for acting because, around 2004,Howard began appearing in more than just her dad’s productions, making a name for herself in small roles that became increasingly more significant over the years. In the 2020s,Howard has also shown a knack for directing, but she still allows for herself plenty of opportunities to continue acting. Howard has entrenched herself in franchise movies and television, with her productions often earning big box offices, but she has a few smaller, but no less fascinating, parts as well.
Spider-Man 3
Cast
Spider-Man 3 is the third entry in Sam Raimi’s trilogy, where Tobey Maguire reprises his role as Peter Parker. Released in 2007, the film sees Spider-Man confronting new adversaries, including Sandman and Venom, while grappling with personal challenges involving an alien symbiote and complex relationships.
Bryce Dallas Howard’s first entry into IP,Spider-Man 3, is the final film ofthe Sam RaimiSpider-Mantrilogy, which began with high hopes, rose even higher with the sequel, and then sputtered with the third film. Still, there is plenty to love about Tobey Maguire’s final (at the time) ride as Peter Parker. Howard plays Gwen Stacy, an important character in the comics who is introduced somewhat suddenly in the third film, as a foil to Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst).
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She’s a bit of an underwritten character and her fate is much different than in thelegendarySpider-Mancomic storyline. Howard does a fantastic job with what she’s given, however. Despite being the “other” woman, Howard manages to make it clear that Gwen is smitten but is in no way interested in breaking up Mary Jane and Spider-Man. She’s sweet and kind but also mortified when she figures out Peter Parker is using her.
Lady In The Water
Lady In The Water is a 2006 fantasy thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The story follows Cleveland Heep, played by Paul Giamatti, who discovers a mysterious young woman named Story, portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard, living in the pool of his apartment complex. As he uncovers her fantastical origins, Heep and his neighbors must protect her from malevolent forces and help her return to her world.
Lady in the Wateris where someM. Night Shyamalan fans would say the director’s track recordbegan to get a little too spotty to blindly trust, but it’s still filled with the creative ideas and unnerving scares that he infuses in even the most poorly executed of his movies. InLady in the Water, a superintendent at an apartment complex in Philadelphia (Paul Giamatti) finds a water nymph living in his pool, who he names Story (Bryce Dallas Howard).
The superintendent and the other residents band together to protect Story from the frightening mythical beast set on taking her back to their world. Howard’s portrayal of Story is one of the best parts ofLady in the Water.Her ability to be ethereal and child-like, but not be off-putting and unknowable is criticalto making the character work. It’s a fantastical film that crosses genres, and Howard can act in all of them.
Jurassic World
Jurassic World is a 2015 science fiction adventure film directed by Colin Trevorrow. Set 22 years after Jurassic Park, it introduces audiences to a fully operational dinosaur theme park on Isla Nublar. The narrative explores the consequences of genetic engineering as a hybrid dinosaur creation turns dangerous.
WithJurassic World, Bryce Dallas Howard fully embraced the world of franchise movie-making and showed that she could headline a billion-dollar action movie that was also a return to a series dormant for over a decade.Jurassic Worldtakes place years afterJurassic Park IIIand the park has been rebuilt and is functional for the first time ever. The head of operations at the new facility is Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), an overworked executive with little time for children, romance, or friends.
The escape of the park’s latest attraction, the Indominus Rex, spells doom for the park and anyone unlucky enough to get in its way.
Of course, like in any goodJurassic ParkorWorldmovie, the dinosaurs don’t stay cooped up for long. The escape of the park’s latest attraction, the Indominus Rex, spells doom for the park and anyone unlucky enough to get in its way. Howard has the biggest arc of any character in the film, going from a capable, but icy, boardroom employee to a resourceful, caring, and bold action heroine, making the change feel natural.
Rocketman
A biopic about legendary British rockstar Elton John, Rocketman is a somewhat romanticized chronicle of John’s life, from his childhood and turbulent homelife to his first foray into music and how stardom effected him. The film is centered around John’s journey to sobriety, with the narrative framed by John telling his life story in an AA meeting during his time in rehab. Taron Egerton stars as John, with a cast that includes Richard Madden, Jamie Bell, and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Bryce Dallas Howard plays Sheila Dwight in the Elton John biopic,Rocketman. Sheila is Reginald “Elton John” Dwight’s (Taron Egerton) mother in 1950s Britain, and an unaffectionate mother at that, very much in contrast to Reginald’s grandmother, Ivy (Gemma Jones). Sheila cares little for what’s going on with her family and her extramarital affairs eventually drive Reginald’s father, Stanley (Steven Mackintosh), to abandon the family.
Sheila feels the closest to the real person in the movie, andHoward plays her with a raw intimacy, warts and all, while also making sure the human sides of the character come out as well. It’s a brave performance that requires Howard to be unlikeable, physically transform, and also speak with a British accent. She manages all the spinning plates of the role to create something truly memorable that feels like one of her most honest performances.
50/50
50/50 is a comedy-drama directed by Jonathan Levine, featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Adam, a young man diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The film explores Adam’s journey through treatment and his relationships with his best friend Kyle, played by Seth Rogen, and his therapist Katherine, played by Anna Kendrick.
50/50comes from the talented producing duo of Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen and features a helping of their expected comedy, but buries it in one of their more moving and heart-wrenching stories. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Adam Lerner, a 27-year-old who learns he has a tumor in his spine and is given a 50/50 chance of survival. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Rachael, an artist and Adam’s girlfriend who initially promises to help him through his cancer treatment.
As Adam’s needs grow, Rachael begins to lose interest and is eventually caught cheating on her boyfriend.
As Adam’s needs grow, Rachael begins to lose interest and is eventually caught cheating on her boyfriend. It’s not the most deeply written part, but Howard does not play Rachael as a fair-weather girlfriend. She’s someone who is thrust into a situation she never signed up for and while she does not handle its end well, the slow-developing anxiety and frustration feels human and believable.
Pete’s Dragon
Pete’s Dragon is an action-adventure fantasy movie that takes the classic Disney film and reimagines it for a new era. The story follows young orphan Pete and his best friend Elliot, a massive green dragon who lives in a forest in the Pacific Northwest. When a forest ranger’s daughter happens upon the young Pete, she discovers the stories surrounding the dragon line up with recent incidents, leading her to search for the truth while trying to find Pete’s origins.
Pete’s Dragonis arguably one of thebest Disney live-action adaptationsthey’ve made and it co-stars Bryce Dallas Howard as Grace Meacham, a forest ranger who marries Jack Magary (Wes Bentley), a windowed lumberjack. Based on the 1977 musical film of the same name,Pete’s Dragonfollows Pete Healy (Oakes Fegley), a young orphan who stumbles upon a dragon in the Pacific Northwest, much to the confusion and worry of the nearby town.
Howard’s Grace is a loving, fun, and charming figure in the film, fitting in perfectly with the fantastical, friendly, but occasionally dark tone of the series.It’s the type of film that Howard is able to work very well in, almost feeling like a version of a Ron Howard movie. She moves from worried to intrepid to caring easily, and it always feels like she’s taking the subject matter seriously.
The Village
Directed by M. Knight Shyamalan, The Village is set in a small Pennsylvania village in the 1800s. Residents of the village live in fear of sinister creatures living in the woods around them, leading them to be very isolationist, not allowing people to leave. The film follows a young couple who attempt to leave the village in order to procure medical supplies from the surrounding towns. Bryce Dallas Howard and Joaquin Phoenix star as the couple, Ivy and Lucius, with a further cast that includes Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, and Brendan Gleeson.
The first M. Night Shyamalan movie Bryce Dallas Howard starred in and a breakout role for the actor,The Villageis Shyamalan’s sixth feature film. At this point,Shyamalan’s movie is overshadowed by its twist, but everything that comes before is as haunting and unique as almost anything he’s put on screen.The Villageis set in a remote village in 19th-century Pennsylvania. There, the inhabitants live in holy fear of monstrous creatures that live in woods beyond their borders.
Howard plays Ivy Elizabeth Walker, the visually impaired daughter of a village elder. Ivy is bold, despite her impairment, and hates that she has to live in fear of the creatures she cannot see. It’s a difficult performance from Howard, who is not vision impaired, andshe does an excellent job of portraying Ivy’s terror while still making it seem like her character has never had the use of her eyes.
As You Like It
As You Like It (2006): Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy is set in 19th-century Japan and follows Rosalind and Orlando’s romantic journey amidst political rivalry and exile in the Forest of Arden.
Based on the Shakespeare play of the same name,As You Like Itis a TV movie directed by Kenneth Branagh, and the setting is moved to a late 19th-century European colony in Japan after the Meiji Restoration. Bryce Dallas Howard co-stars as Rosalind, a young woman who flees from her uncle’s court and finds safety in a forest where she meets a revolving door of characters who come to offer insights and advice.
William Shakespeare’sAs You Like Itis set in an unnamed duchy in France.
Howard earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Rosalind in the Best Actress in a Made-for-TV Film or Miniseries category. There are many meta-qualities to Branagh’s film, including an ending that sees Howard play herself as she gets ready for the role.It would take someone like Howard, used to the trappings of a film set, to understand the directorial vision of a movie likeAs You Like It, making her just the right fit for the role.
Black Mirror
Black Mirror is a dystopian anthology series that explores the unsettling and profound impact of modern technology on society. Premiering in 2011, it examines various scenarios where technological advancements intersect with human nature, creating thought-provoking narratives about contemporary and future issues.
Bryce Dallas Howard stars inBlack Mirrorseason 3, episode 1, “Nosedive”, and she was one of the first major American stars to appear in the show, which has since been filled with them. “Nosedive” is set in a society where people use eye implants and mobile devices to rank each other’s social scores, which can easily affect their socioeconomic status. It’s one of the more frighteningly realisticBlack Mirrorepisodes, but also one of the happier ones.
Howard plays Lacie Pound, a sweet young woman who needs to increase her ranking to move into a better apartment. A chance invite to a wedding by her successful and popular friend leads Lacie on a journey that helps her realize she doesn’t care what other people think about her. It’s an affecting performance from Howard, who is pathetic and inspiring as a woman desperate for attention and love, but learns that purchased adulation is meaningless. Howard is at her best playing sad, wounded characters, which is probably why she earned a SAG nomination for her performance.
The Help
Based on Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel, The Help chronicles the lives of two black maids in 1963 Mississippi through the lens of an aspiring white journalist attempting to write a book about them. Emma Stone stars as Eugenia Phelan, with Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer as Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson. The further ensemble cast includes Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, and Sissy Spacek.
The Help, based on the 2009 novel of the same name, recounts the relationship between the young, white, aspiring journalist Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (Emma Stone) and her relationship with two black maids, Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer), during the Civil Rights Movement in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Hillary “Hilly” Walters Holbrook, a spiteful, racist socialite.
Her role balances the more treacly parts ofThe Help, and she’s ferocious in her hate and anger.
It’s a fantastic performance from Howard, who is one of the more despicable characters in the movie. Her role balances the more treacly parts ofThe Help, and she’s ferocious in her hate and anger. It’s a rare performance for a movie star to give, but Howard gives herself over to the role.The Helpwould be far less effective withoutBryce Dallas Howardand it’s a dramatic tone she should consider doing more often.
