Model Diaries with Bryce Dallas Howard
Photographed by Bryce Thompson
From her breakout role in The Village to her powerful work behind the camera, Bryce Dallas Howard has carved a dynamic and multifaceted path through Hollywood as both a celebrated actress and an accomplished director. The daughter of iconic filmmaker Ron Howard, Bryce has built a career entirely her own—effortlessly moving between blockbuster franchises like Jurassic World, critically acclaimed television like Black Mirror, and innovative directing projects for Disney and beyond. Known for her warmth, wit, and fierce dedication to her craft, Bryce opens up to Modeliste about motherhood, creativity, her obsession with painting meerkats, and the sexy ghost story she’s dying to tell.
What’s one word your friends would use to describe you?
Spunky.
What’s something you always carry with you?
My travel watercolor kit.
Favorite film you’ve ever worked on?
Getting something made feels like a miracle most of the time, so there’s no favorite—just gratitude.
Most surreal moment of your career so far?
When the “Nosedive” episode of Black Mirror was released on Netflix. I had only ever been in films up until that point and had never experienced the ubiquity of TV as an actor. The reach and reactions to that episode continue to blow me away.
A movie you could watch over and over again?
Jurassic Park.
What's your go-to karaoke song?
“Sailing” by Christopher Cross.
Who's someone you've always dreamed of working with?
My dad.
Do you prefer acting or directing?
Not one over the other. I genuinely love doing both and what I get to learn—and who I get to work with—by being in front of and behind the camera. Typically, when I finish a directing gig, I crave the experience of getting to lose myself in someone else’s vision, so I look forward to acting and being on another filmmaker’s set. On the flip side, when I finish an acting gig, I crave getting to expand and deepen my involvement in the larger collaboration from start to finish, so I look forward to putting on my director’s cap.
Who’s the most inspiring person in your life right now?
My children, both of them.
What's the best advice your father ever gave you?
When it comes to the entertainment industry, the emotional experience that accompanies getting to do the work we do can sometimes feel like a punch in the face. Being a director or actor requires adopting the mentality of a boxer. You can’t be a boxer without learning how to take a hit, and you can’t be a professional creative without learning how to take emotional, spiritual, and existential hits. While we all yearn for the high-fives, there will be gut punches. Accepting this as a given is key. It’s just part of the process.
What’s something people don’t know about Ron Howard?
My dad’s favorite dessert in the world is graham crackers and vanilla icing, and my mom makes a batch for him every year on his birthday—since they were sixteen years old!
What's your favorite childhood memory on a movie set?
There are so many. As a kid, getting to be on the set of Parenthood was quite special. It felt really magical, and so much of that film was based on the personal experiences of my family. Plus, I was getting to be around young Joaquin Phoenix and Keanu Reeves every day, and trust me, I was thrilled! Years later, in my first feature film The Village, I was opposite Joaquin, playing a character who had known him since childhood—and I was like, “No problem!”
What’s your favorite line you’ve ever delivered on screen?
“Run!”
What's a beauty product you swear by?
Clean Skin Club’s Clean Towels.
What’s one item in your closet you can’t live without?
My Ororo heated vest.
Most cherished red carpet moment?
The red carpet for my first film The Village. I was 23 and wore a Zac Posen dress and my mom’s Victorian earrings. Zac later designed my wedding dress, and I adore him.
Who is your style icon?
Janicza Bravo.
What’s a fashion trend you secretly love?
I remember LOVING thigh-highs. I feel like they haven’t come back since I was in seventh grade—this was during the Clueless era—but I remember loving that at the time.
Best book you’ve read this year?
Secrets of Adulthood by Gretchen Rubin. I’ve read everything she’s written and am a massive fan. This book is incredibly enlightening!
What’s one place on your travel bucket list?
Mt. Fuji in Japan.
What's your favorite way to spend time with your kids?
Painting together. In the last few years, I’ve gotten so into painting. The moments when I’m at the table, my kids sitting next to me and painting simultaneously—and we chat and laugh and share materials—nothing is better.
What’s something they’ve taught you?
How to make up a language. Because of our kids, we basically have our own family language of phrases, expressions, and nicknames. At this point, made-up words dominate the majority of our communication with one another. We could absolutely speak in code to one another without anyone knowing what we are saying.
Most unexpected part of motherhood?
Learning about my kids and how they experience the world unlocked a lot of personal mysteries for me. Raising them has offered me a window into so many of my own behaviors and likes and dislikes. I now see my own childhood in a completely different light with the knowledge that has come with becoming a parent myself.
What role has changed you the most as a person?
Rosalind in As You Like It at the Public Theater in New York. This one role and production jumpstarted the first four films of my screen career.
What’s something fans might be surprised to learn about you?
I’m currently obsessed with painting meerkats. Like, OBSESSED! I have massive meerkats, medium meerkats, and mini meerkats. It’s… ridiculous. And very, very rewarding.
What’s your favorite thing about being on set?
It’s kind of supernatural what happens on set. At a certain point, we have to trust the plan and give over to a higher flow state to bring the imagined to life. That moment when everyone locks in is probably my favorite part—or feeling—on set.
What's one story you’re dying to tell as a director?
A sexy ghost story.
The movie that made you fall in love with cinema?
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
What advice would you give to young women in film?
If you are an actor, study improv comedy and learn how to write and produce. If you are a filmmaker, network in reverse—reach out and support peers who you admire or even folks who are younger or less experienced than you, and then find ways to collaborate (even unofficially) and create community.
What’s your favorite way to celebrate a wrap?
Gluten-free Sprinkles Cupcakes followed by a nap.
What's something you're working on right now?
Finishing my painting portfolio of at least 20 pieces so that I can graduate from Milan Art Institute this October.
What’s one thing you’ve learned from being behind the camera?
The results that come from trusting and including actors are magical.
What do you hope to see more of in Hollywood?
Big question. I would love to see more original stories and more original storytelling expand into franchises. Even though I am a lover of classic IP, I crave new stories, new characters, and new worlds that we can grow up with.
What’s something you’ve learned about yourself in the past year?
How to move through crisis.
What’s your favorite way to give back?
Teaching and being a mentor to emerging artists.
A cause you’re passionate about?
Animal rescue.
How do you define success?
Peace. Feeling at one with the force, so to speak. Being in a place where I know I’ve done all I can and I’m present, open, and grateful. To live like I’ll die tomorrow and learn like I’ll live forever, because there are many, many, many things I hope to learn—and even potentially master—in my lifetime.
What’s the best compliment you've ever received?
“You look like Jessica Chastain.”
And finally... what’s next for Bryce Dallas Howard?
I’m directing a couple episodes of TV this summer… but you’ll have to wait and see what it is!
