In light of the new Jurassic World movie’s release and the official end of an era, many fans have found themselves diving deeper into some of the cast members’ careers. Bryce Dallas Howard, who is known for playing Claire Dearing in the popular franchise, is popular not only as famous director Ron Howard’s daughter but for her versatile projects.
From producing and directing a few of her movies to building her dramatic acting portfolio, it’s clear that Howard has established a name for herself within the past decade. Though she is most well known for her involvement in The Help and the Jurassic World franchise, there are quite a few films that fans of hers should check out.
Hereafter (2010) – 6.5
Directed by Clint Eastwood, this film tells the story of a psychic, and how even he struggles with the idea and impact of death. The movie highlights that people have different ways to cope and process serious emotions, and how those very same people interact with each other tells a story in itself.
Bryce plays Melanie, a culinary arts student who becomes romantically involved with Matt Damon’s character, George. Though the film received pretty average IMDb ratings, it’s a good film to catch for the sole purpose of tackling the complicated relationship humans have with death.
Terminator Salvation (2009) – 6.5
Though the Terminator movie pales in comparison to the more popular films in the franchise, Bale fans and Howard fans alike can band together and enjoy this action-packed movie nonetheless. In the futuristic world of 2018, a new hybrid forms as half man and half machine, with John Conner coming to the rescue.
Bryce plays Kate Conner, a medic that remains by John’s side in assisting in saving the world. It’s clear from movies like this and Jurassic World that Bryce thrives in action drama films.
The Village (2004) – 6.6
This M. Night Shyamalan film shines a light on several eerie incidents that occur in a small countryside village where things aren’t always what they seem and where they avoid the forest and its creatures. In true Shyamalan fashion, the movie is thrilling and at times scary, so this kind of film was a change of pace for Bryce, even so early on in her career.
Howard plays Ivy Walker, a blind girl that lives in the village and wishes to find medicine in the forest. She stars alongside pros like Joaquin Phoenix and the film remains underrated as far as M. Night Shyamalan films go.
Pete’s Dragon (2016) – 6.7
The 2010 fantasy movie takes viewers on an adventure with an orphan boy named Pete and his best dragon friend, Elliot. The lighthearted film offers a good mix of CGI and real-world scenarios, making for quite the entertaining viewing experience.
Quite similar to her role in Jurassic World, Bryce plays the crucial role of Grace, a forest ranger who has a heart for rescuing. This children’s film seems right up Howard’s alley, as it’s apparent she has a knack for wholesome, yet adventurous roles such as this.
Gold (2016) – 6.7
The crime and drama story follows Kenny Wells, played by Matthew McConaughey, who is desperate to strike gold in Indonesia. Kenny’s life starts slowly slipping away after realizing he has put money and riches overall, causing a downfall not even he expected.
Bryce plays Kenny’s love interest, Kay, who is at first enthralled with Kenny’s work ethic and dream, until it all eventually crumbles down. Both Matthew and Bryce play captivating roles in this film, and their chemistry was unexpected, yet a fitting match for one another.
Jurassic World (2015) – 6.9
One of the best dinosaur movies of all time, according to Ranker, this film started it all. The new saga following Jurassic Park extended the fan base to a new younger generation and breathed a whole new life into the franchise.
Bryce plays Claire Dearing, a higher-up of the Dinosaur Protection Group and the Jurassic World theme park as a whole, and her never-ending adventures with Owen speak on behalf of her character. She’s not one to give up without a fight, as she has a true passion for the lives of the dinosaurs, as does Owen, played by Chris Pratt.
Manderlay (2005) – 7.2
The Lars von Trier film takes place in the 1930s during the peak years of slavery in the town. Though slavery was abolished 70 years prior, the place of Manderlay was far behind the times, and Bryce’s character was one of the few citizens fighting to put a stop to it.
Bryce plays Grace Margaret Mulligan, a fighter for what’s right, as she navigates standing up for the oppressed. The film is quite heavy at times and showcases a true depiction of what hard times were in the past and even some obstacles that are still present today in terms of racism.
Rocketman (2019) – 7.3
Aside from the Rocketman film’s stunning wardrobe, it’s clear that Bryce had a lot of fun and creative freedom with this character. However, the person she played wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows like her outfits may depict.
Bryce plays Sheila, Elton John’s tough love mother who wasn’t necessarily the warmest and most supportive individual. Howard has played cold and difficult characters in the past, with this role being on a much broader scale and challenging her even further to become someone she doesn’t resonate with at all.
50/50 (2011) – 7.6
The movie title derives from the chance the main character Adam has to live upon receiving his cancer diagnosis. In this dramedy, his friends attempt to embrace him and give him constant encouragement, with Adam trying to navigate his feeling on this bleak life update.
Bryce Dallas Howard plays Rachael in this film, who the audience discovers is romantically involved with Adam until she screws it all up. Despite his cancer diagnosis, she’s caught cheating on Adam and remains playing the victim by pretending to be oblivious to what she did wrong, but it was clear to the audience that she was quite the villain.
The Help (2011) – 8.1
The Academy Award-winning film stars Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, and Viola Davis as it tackles the importance of equal rights in the 1960s. The Help shines a light on important racial issues, however, Bryce’s character was no help in the matter as she was one of the more racist and blatantly disrespectful characters in the film.
The actress plays Hilly Holbrook, possibly one of her most evil characters yet. Considering Bryce mostly takes on roles where she is the protagonist saving the world from a dire threat, this role was a change of pace for her and possibly quite challenging, as well.
