In her latest role, Bryce Dallas Howard is showing off her comedy chops as an improv teacher turned undercover agent in the new Prime Video movie “Deep Cover.”
“The genre was such a joy and was so fun,” Howard tells TODAY.com during a sit-down interview. “It was a really fun vibe on set and just completely enjoyable.”
The British action comedy, which also stars Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed, tracks a trio of unlikely sleuths who must draw on their improv skills in order to infiltrate a criminal gang in London.
It’s not a complete departure for the actor whose movie credits include films in the “Jurassic Park” franchise as well as the 2024 spy comedy “Argylle.”
“In everything I do, I like there to be an element of levity to it because I feel like you can sense that on set. It changes the vibe on set, and laughter is probably the greatest form of self-care,” explains Howard.
In addition to her starring roles, Howard has been spending more time behind the camera, directing several episodes of “The Mandalorian,” an episode of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” the documentary “Pets” and many others.
Even so, sheโs not ready to quit her day job just yet.
โI do want to continue to do both. It would be sad to leave acting in any kind of formal way, official way, but I love directing and I would like to direct more and more,โ Howard explains.
โItโs been great getting to do episodes of โThe Mandalorian.โ Iโve directed a couple of documentary features and a lot of short films, but Iโd like to do a narrative feature. Thatโs kind of my next dream,โ she continues.
Why She’s ‘Emotionally Attached’ to ‘Star Wars’
It’s no coincidence that Howard’s got a special place in her heart for anything related to the “Star Wars” franchise.
“I’m a huge fan of ‘Star Wars,’ and part of it is that I’ve had the incredible fortune of growing up in a family who, themselves, grew up in the entertainment industry,” she says. “And (‘Star Wars’ creator) George Lucas has been a mentor of my dad since he was 17 years old.”
Howard’s father is acclaimed director Ron Howard, whoโs known for the Oscar-winning film โA Beautiful Mindโ and countless other classics, including โApollo 13,โ โParenthood,โ โThe Da Vinci Code,โ and โCocoon.โ
After getting his start as a child actor on the ’60s television series “The Andy Griffith Show,” Ron Howard was cast alongside Richard Dreyfuss and the then-unknown Harrison Ford in the 1973 film “American Graffiti,” written and directed by George Lucas. He was not only inspired by the director, but the two forged a lasting friendship, according to a 2016 Entertainment Weekly interview.
“So, I really grew up with him and his family. Iโm a fan of the material, but I think, above all, Iโm very emotionally attached to the themes within ‘Star Wars’ and what it represents for George specifically,” Bryce Dallas Howard says.
The Good Advice She’s Gotten From Ron Howard
As part of an entertainment family, Bryce Dallas Howard has gotten her fair share of advice through the years, and surprisingly, the most memorable words she’s gotten have nothing to do with the industry.
Instead, she says that the words that stick with her have been passed on from her grandfather to her dad and are a reminder that at its core, life comes with its share of ups and downs.
“One thing that I find gets repeated again and again (is) something from my grandfather that my dad always says, which is that you can’t separate the pain from the pleasure,” she explains.
“So, it’s all part of it. It’s all one thing. Like a bad thing will lead to a good thing. A good thing will lead to a bad thing. And so we always kind of remind each other that you can’t separate the pain the from pleasure.”
