|
Background:
“I will never reach the success that my dad has felt. He’s 50 years old and he’s
been working in the business for 48 years. I’d have to be 180 to get to where he
is!” Bryce Dallas Howard
Daughter of Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (2001’s Beautiful Mind and 1995’s
Apollo 13), Hollywood royalty actress Bryce Dallas Howard broke into the
mainstream with her star-making role of the mesmerizing blind young woman in M.
Night Shyamalan’s hit The Village (2004). The role brought Bryce a number of
recognition, including a 2005 Palm Springs International Film Festival Award.
The alumna of Tisch School of the Arts received acclaimed for her roles in the
theatrical production of “As You Like It” (2003) and the movie Manderlay (2005).
“I want to make sure I get roles because of me, not because of my dad.” Bryce
Dallas Howard
The redhead actress will star with Paul Giamatti in her newest film, the
newly-released Lady in the Water (2006), for director M. Night Shyamalan. She is
also scheduled to star as Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker’s first love, in the upcoming
Spider-Man series, Spider-Man 3 (2007).
As for her personal life, 5’ 8” Bryce married her long-term boyfriend, actor
Seth Gabel, on June 17, 2006. She loves to play basketball and is a vegan.
Bryce, whose favorite film is Breakfast at Tiffany’s, is close friends with Jake
Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman. Bryce and Natalie attended the famous Stagedoor
Manor camp together.
Redhead Bry
Childhood and Family:
“My parents are both redheads, so they knew I was going to be a redhead. They
just thought Bryce Canyon was very strong and it was red. And they thought it
was beautiful. So they named me Bryce. And Dallas is where I was conceived. My
parents are hippies.” Bryce Dallas Howard
In Dallas, Texas, Bryce Dallas Howard was born on March 2, 1981, to
director-actor Ron Howard and actress Cheryl Alley. She was named after Bryce
Canon and the place of her conception, Dallas, Texas. Along with her twin
sisters, Jocelyn Carlyle and Paige Carlyle (born in 1985) and her brother Reed
(born 1987), she was raised in beautiful, but starchy Connecticut. The niece of
actor Clint Howard and granddaughter of actors Jean Speegle Howard and Rance
Howard attended the prestigious School at Steppenwolf training program and
Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts camp. At age 17, she was accepted into drama
program at New York University’s well-regarded Tisch School of the Arts and
graduated with a BFA degree in 2003. She also honed her craft at the Stella
Adler Conservatory.
Bryce, known by family and close friends as Bry, was married to actor-boyfriend
Seth Gabel (born on October 3, 1981) on June 17, 2006, after a five year
relationship.
Lady in the Water
Career:
Born into a showbiz family, Bryce Dallas Howard got her first tasted in front of
the film camera as a child when she made an uncredited cameo as redhead girl in
audience in her father’s film Parenthood (1989), a comedy starring Steve Martin.
Her next big screen outing arrived six years later with another small uncredited
part in the acclaimed film Apollo 13 (1995), also directed by her father. As the
progeny of a successful filmmaker, it would have been not so difficult for Bryce
to be a triumphant actress, but she opted not to use her father’s power and
tried to break into stardom with her own term. So, a teenaged Bryce perfected
her skill at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.
While pursuing a drama degree, she once again took on a minor role in his
father’s family film How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), starring Jim Carrey,
and in 2002, she had her first stage exposure with director Alan Ayckbourn’s
production of “House Garden” at Manhattan Theater Club. Although the play
received negative respond, the young actress was lauded for her glowing
presentation.
More theater assignments followed, including performances in Thornton Wilder’s
“Our Town” and “Tartuffe”, French playwright Molière’s magnum opus. Following
several off-Broadway roles, Bryce eventually landed her first major part in the
Alan Brown-helmed independent film Book of Love (2003). The drama, however, was
never released theatrically. Instead, it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
as part of the drama competition in 2004. In the meantime, Bryce was discovered
on stage, portraying Rosalind in the critically acclaimed Shakespearian comedy
“As You Like It” (2003). Her undeniably bright acting in the play caught the eye
of one of Hollywood’s most important directors, M. Night Shyamalan, who helped
set Bryce’s career on the rise.
In 2004, the director cast the unknown Bryce in the starring role of Ivy Walker
in the highly successful supernatural drama “The Village,” a part left by
actress Kirsten Dunst. Costarring with Hollywood heavyweights like Joaquin
Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Sigourney Weaver and William Hurt, the talented actress
stood out as a gripping young blind woman with a bizarre astuteness beyond her
years. Bryce’s performance was critically applauded, and she was handed
countless nods such as two Empire for Best Actress and Best Newcomer, a MTV
Movie for Breakthrough Female, an Online Film Critics Society for Best
Breakthrough Performance as well as a Teen Choice. She won a 2005 Palm Springs
International Film Festival for Rising Star.
Following the noted performance, Bryce undertook the lead of Grace Margaret
Mulligan (replaced Nicole Kidman) in Manderlay (2005), director Lars Von Trier’s
second of U.S.A trilogy. Her fine performance in the drama, which also starred
Isaach De Bankolé, Danny Glover and Willem Dafoe, again brought Bryce attention,
and she was nominated for a Best Actress award at the Robert Festival.
Recently, the rising star rejoined with “The Village” director M. Night
Shyamalan for the dark fairy tale Lady in the Water (2006). The newly-released
film cast Bryce in the title role opposite Paul Giamatti. Being asked about her
costarred that is completely underrated as an actor, she said, “I agree with
you. I was upstairs watching Cinderella Man. I turned to my best friend and
said, “I swear to you, when he’s 88 years old, people are going to say that is
the greatest actor that ever lived”. He is the most unbelievably talented man.
There’s no neurosis that comes with his talent. He’s just available. He’s not
the kind of actor that has to disappear and be all methody. And this humility
thing, he’s always self deprecating and humble and willing to change his
performance 180 degrees because of a suggestion. He’s someone I really admire
and one of the most well read men, woman, whatever, that I’ve ever met.”
Bryce is set to reprise her stage role of Rosalind in Kenneth Branagh’s wide
screen version of As You Like It (2006), along side Kevin Kline, Adrian Lester,
Jonathan Broadbent and Sacha Bennett . Additionally, she will play Gwen Stacy in
the third installment of the Spider-Man franchise, Spider-Man 3 (2007). The Gwen
Stacy character is a fan favorite from the “Spider-Man” comic. She is Peter
Parker’s first girlfriend and one the central presences for the early days of
the series.
“Not a pressure, but a responsibility and a joyful responsibility. It was so
great for me to go through all of the comic books and read everything and
brainstorm with everyone like, ‘OK. How can we bring this woman to life in a way
that will both be surprising and appropriate and will fulfill people’s
expectations.’” Bryce Dallas Howard on her role in Spider-Man 3
Awards:
- Palm Springs International Film Festival: Rising Star Award, 2005
|
