Bryce Dallas Howard, redheaded Hollywood royalty and survivor of more cinematic chaos than most (we’re looking at you, Jurassic World Dominion), recently got refreshingly candid about something most actors avoid like the plague: movie flops.
In a recent interview, Howard dropped the humility bomb, admitting, “You can always see it coming.” And honestly? That line deserves a standing ovation, because let’s be real, sometimes even we, the public, who don’t have a lick of credentials movie critics have, know a film is headed straight to streaming soon.
Bryce Dallas Howard on Movie Flops: “You Can Always See It Coming”
Speaking with The Independent, the actress and director admitted she’s “never been shocked” when a movie of hers didn’t perform well at the box office. “But I’m just an actor— you’re there to serve a director’s vision,” she added. “If a movie doesn’t turn out the way that you envisioned, you can barely feel disappointed because it’s not yours. You’re not the person who’s building the thing.”
Clint Eastwood’s Advice
Howard shared that her father, filmmaker Ron Howard, doesn’t share the same outlook as her towards box office failures. When his movie Far and Away starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman flopped, he went to Clint Eastwood for advice, which she took to heart.
The Lady in the Water actress shares, “He said, ‘Ronnie, a career is like a season of television. You’ve got 24 episodes, some of the episodes are going to be bad, some are going to be serviceable, maybe a little forgettable, and maybe five of those episodes are going to be really strong and last.’”
Since she’s also directed episodes of the TV series The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and the documentary Dads, what Eastwood said all those years ago resonated with her till now. Since she’s yet to direct a movie, she shared there are a few things she has in mind to ensure the movie’s success, including hiring an experienced director of photography because, “I don’t want to be the most experienced person on a set. I really shouldn’t be.”
Catch Howard in Deep Cover as Kat, an improv actor recruited to go undercover in London’s criminal underworld, which is now streaming on Prime Video.
