Bryce Dallas Howard is an established actress in Hollywood, but she made her debut when she was well into her 20s. It was quite late by industry standards, especially since she was the daughter of the renowned director, Ron Howard. The Jurassic World actress had a chance to step into the world of acting when she was only a child but did not.
As it turns out, her two-time Academy Award-winning father simply prevented her and her siblings from venturing into the world at such a young age. Her father has always been watching out for her, even if his decision raised more than a few eyebrows at the time.
Why did Ron Howard prevent Bryce Dallas Howard from acting at a young age?
Ron Howard is a venerable actor who successfully transitioned into filmmaking later in his life. He started out young and made his name in Hollywood as a child star on The Andy Griffith Show.
At the time, he was only six years old, but he quickly rose to prominence due to his role in the television show that aired between 1960 and 1968. His younger brother, Clint Howard, made his Hollywood debut when he was just two years old.
In a recent interview for People Magazine, the director of Apollo 13 revealed that it was his decision to prevent his children from working in the industry as child actors. He had been in that position once, and he understood the pitfalls that a child might face at such a young age. Moreover, he did not want his children to be compared to him.
“It’s possible for child performers to really find a lot that is positive within it, but it’s fraught with landmines. On top of everything else, because the characters that I played as a child were so well-known as to almost be iconic… I also thought, ‘Hey, if one of our kids tries to act as a child, boy or girl, they’re going to be unfairly compared,'” he said.
How did Bryce Dallas Howard react to her father’s decision?
From a young age, Bryce Dallas Howard was certain she would chase her acting aspirations. The actress studied the craft at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She made her debut on Broadway much earlier than she did in Hollywood, starring in M. Night Shyamalan’s film The Village in 2004.
The road to fame was not easy for the Argylle actress. She wished she could have started her career at an even younger age. However, there are no hard feelings, and she is glad her parents encouraged her to explore other avenues first.
“I’m really glad that they did that because when I did start acting, it took a while to make a living. To be able to be like, ‘Oh, okay. I can actually support myself with this,'” she said (via People).
Bryce Dallas Howard has become the face of the Jurassic World franchise, even if shooting some scenes terrified her. She has also successfully made her way into direction, helming key episodes in the Star Wars television series by Disney. While she may have had a late start, she is forging her own path, separate from that of her father’s.
