Bryce Dallas Howard had a chance to ‘act younger’ but ‘wasn’t allowed’ as her parents had set ‘boundary’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Bryce Dallas Howard reveals how her parents, actor-director Ron Howard and Cheryl Howard, prevented her from becoming a child actor, unlike her father, who starred in 'The Andy Griffith Show.'

How did Bryce Dallas Howard’s parents shape her career path?

'The Argylle' actress, 42, said she wanted to act from a young age, but her parents were “very firm” on not supporting that ambition, People reports. 

“I think if I had the chance to act younger, I would’ve taken it. But I wasn’t allowed to,” Bryce said.

“My parents were very firm on that boundary, that they were not going to support anyone who wanted to be a child actor," she added.

Instead, her parents encouraged her to work in different fields and gain life experience. “I started working as a waitress on the weekends at a deli, and it was fantastic,” she said.

"Because I was 14, I needed to get a waiver from my parents to be on a payroll, and honestly, I was like, ‘This is great,’" she added.

Bryce Dallas Howard worked as a babysitter and nanny before making it to Hollywood

Bryce also worked in an allergy control product center as a babysitter, a nanny, a dog walker and more. She says she is grateful for her parents’ guidance, as it helped her become independent and resilient.

"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 explained.

Bryce, who has two younger twin sisters, Jocelyn and Paige, and a younger brother named Reed, followed her passion for acting and enrolled in the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.

She made her debut in various theatrical productions, before landing her breakthrough role in M. Night Shyamalan’s 'The Village' in 2004.

Since then, she has starred in several films and TV shows, such as 'Spider-Man 3', 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse', 'The Help', 'Black Mirror', and the 'Jurassic World' franchise.

How did Bryce Dallas Howard and Ron Howard bond over movies?

Bryce said that she and her father Ron, 69, who rose to fame as a child star playing Opie Taylor on the sitcom 'The Andy Griffith Show' from 1960 through 1968, have a great relationship and share a love for movies.

“But it’s usually admiring people’s work and kind of gushing about things, or sharing crazy stories that turned around, or just fun things,” she added.

She said that being in the same industry with her family members is “wonderful” and makes her feel less lonely.

She even got to shadow her dad as he directed the 2018 'Star Wars' film Solo - though she had to convince him to let her.

“He was not really into the idea,” Bryce said, noting it was largely the same crew she had just worked with for 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.' And my pitch was like, ‘Really? I know everyone. Please. I know everyone. I just finished working with everyone for the last six months. Please. I promise I’ll be invisible,’" she said.