Bryce Dallas Howard’s played the evil Hilly Holbrook in The Help, a vampire in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and faced down dinosaurs in Jurassic World. Now the 35-year-old actress (married to Seth Gabel—an actor on TV’s Salem and American Horror Story—and mom to Theodore, 9, and Beatrice, 4) is starring as a park ranger alongside a giant flying dragon in Walt Disney’s live-action remake of a beloved 1970s classic, Pete’s Dragon, in theaters August 12.
What is the difference between the two versions of Pete’s Dragon?
As someone who wore out a VHS copy in my childhood, I’m glad it’s a remake. I think there’s a lot of wisdom in holding on to the central idea of an orphaned child whose family is a dragon, so that idea is intact, but everything around it is different.
What were your favorite movies as a kid?
There were so many wonderful films around when I was just starting to watch movies—E.T., The NeverEnding Story—where the kids are ahead of the adults. Therefore, I would always relate to the protagonist, who was often a kid. So it was really interesting to play the adult who is going to learn something from a child. I think, being a parent, that’s a beautiful reminder of my own childhood and something that I try to keep alive for my own children.
Was having Ron Howard as a dad a help or hindrance to your career?
Probably a little bit of both. In the beginning when I was doing theater, they didn’t know who my dad was.
What do you do in your down time?
It’s kids, kids, kids, kids, kids. When I daydream, I no longer daydream about work. I daydream about: Should we reinstate the pajama walk at night? Are the kids doing enough age-appropriate chores? That’s where my brain is constantly going.
How would you feel if your two kids want to become actors?
My parents were very clear that it wasn’t something that I was allowed to explore before I was an adult, and they were very clear that I was going to be supporting myself like most people on planet Earth. I was financially independent from my parents by the time I was an adult and left school. But I felt their emotional support and they had really sound advice. I would probably do the same thing.
Do you have any obsessions, outside of acting?
My hobby is organization. I love it. I’m not OCD. I don’t live in fear of anything. But I just am really passionate about efficiency and creating a foundation for living based on certain routines.
In Pete’s Dragon, Grace is a very practical woman. Is that because her father (Robert Redford) spins so many fantastical tales?
I feel it’s her. It’s not as big as she’s someone who doesn’t believe in fantasy. It’s more straightforward in that she’s a park ranger and has spent her entire career in the forest and has never seen this dragon that her imaginative father describes. She’s like, “My dad is prone to exaggeration and he’s a great storyteller.” I think any adult would need convincing of a fantastical creature existing.
Photos: Sneak Peek at the 2016 Updated Pete’s Dragon
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