Could it be that the daughter of one of Hollywood’s nicest guys—Oscar-winning director and actor Ron Howard—is just as wholesome and kind as he is? Seems like it. To put it precisely: Bryce Dallas Howard’s favorite drink is hot chocolate. (Not a martini or a Chocotini. Hot chocolate.)
But don’t let that sweetness fool you—Howard has range, with roles in The Help, Jurassic World, and Twilight: Breaking Dawn, along with Black Mirror. She’s also stepped behind the camera, directing Pets, a documentary about adoption, love, and loss from the perspective of devoted pet parents.
Now, in the action-comedy movie Deep Cover, she’s back on screen with Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed, playing improv actors who go undercover to fight crime. Howard, 44, reveals how she embraces imperfection and navigates the Hollywood circus, without falling into the sample-size, self-loathing trap.
MORNING ROUTINE: I wake up around 6:30 AM and take my dog for a walk. When I come back, it’s two Orgain shakes. They are so good! Then I have some gluten-free bread.
MAKE MINE DECAF: My rock bottom moment was when I was at a meeting at Sony Pictures, had just drunk a big cup of coffee, and threw up near their entrance. That was the last time I had coffee.
HOT SAUCE: I’m a big hot chocolate fan. When people see that I’m losing steam, the diagnosis is more hot chocolate.
VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS: I have them and should take them, but I’m inconsistent.
SNACK: I love gluten-free bread with olive oil and honey. I love chocolate-covered almonds and sometimes a Snickers bar because it has nuts so it’s practically a health food!
COCKTAIL: I’ve never had a sip of alcohol in my life. Early on I realized, That looks like trouble.
WORKOUT: I walk my dog at least four times a day. I also do a really great exercise called Functional Patterns and I love it!
HOW DO YOU PREP FOR A PHYSICAL ROLE LIKE JURASSIC PARK? Training for the part is serious and occurs long in advance of production. It involves a lot of running and Pilates.
WORKOUT RECOVERY: When I’m training, I love to use the infrared sauna. No, thank you on the cold plunge! I’ve started taking little naps in the afternoon. I also really believe in hands-on physical therapy like working with a chiropractor, osteopath, or sports massage therapist.
STAYING SANE ON THE ROAD: I bring my art supplies with me everywhere. I have a kit from Case for Making that holds my watercolors and brushes. I left college early to act, but accrued credits and finally graduated in 2020. Studying and learning something new gives me structure, and without a learning project, I would lose my sense of purpose. My parents are insatiably curious, so they modeled that for me.
MOOD LIFTER: Watching bloopers—especially with pets—makes me happy. It’s one of the reasons I made my documentary because I amassed so much content and it needed to go somewhere.
WORST VICE/GUILTY PLEASURE: My guilty pleasure is my desire to hide and disappear. I went to public high school in New York City and never once went into the lunchroom. I would find an alcove, bathroom, or teacher’s office and eat there. As I grew up and had kids, it felt more and more like a guilty pleasure to steal away and be alone. It moves into the guilty zone when I tune out the world and forget where I left off with emails and connections to other people.
SMALL HABIT THAT HAS MADE A BIG CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE: Using the Subtl Stak makeup kit. It consolidates all of my makeup in one stack. It’s made a huge difference for me in getting out the door quickly and not lugging around all my earthly belongings.
SKIN CARE MVPS: I’m extremely low maintenance with my skincare, but I love Sonia Roselli products, Weleda Skin Food, and I’m never without EltaMD sunblock.
FIRST BEAUTY PRODUCT: Oil of Olay in fifth grade. I went to summer camp and my mom gave it to me.
MAKEUP HEROES: Hourglass mascara, RMS Beauty products, and Subtl Stak.
HAIRCARE ESSENTIALS: I rotate between Vegamour, Virtue, and Davines.
HIGHS AND LOWS OF BEING A REDHEAD: I’m 44 and I don’t color my hair! I love being a redhead. But my parents are both redheads and I’m fair, so I’ve been buzzing pre-cancerous cells off my skin since I was 11. A dermatologist sees me and starts to drool.
SCENT: I love Serge Lutens Fleurs d’Oranger and Un Bois Vanille. I like fragrances that make me want to eat.
DOPPELGANGER: Once in a blue moon, when I’m looking rested, my hair is brushed, and I’m feeling my best, I’ll get mistaken for Jessica Chastain—and that is a very good day.
BEING HER OWN STYLIST: I am not sample size. I was doing a lot of press and needed clothes that fit and were comfortable, so I started dressing myself. I have such respect for stylists and designers, but I knew it wasn’t a passion for me, so I took it off the table.
BEAUTY TREATMENT YOU SWEAR BY: Lasers! I did Fraxel in 2017 and I’m still impressed with the results.
BEAUTY TREATMENT YOU’LL NEVER DO AGAIN: It was fun while it lasted, but I wouldn’t do a Brazilian blow-out again because of the chemicals.
IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR APPEARANCE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I wouldn’t change anything. It’s character-building to not have everything be exactly the way you want it to be. You get what you get, and you don’t get upset.
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL: I’ve never had a self-esteem issue. I never grew up looking in the mirror loathing myself. Part of the reason is because my mom removed the mirrors in the house when I was growing up. She noticed I was always looking at myself and said, “I am going to stop that habit, right here, right now.”
PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’D GIVE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF: Never diet, ever. Don’t try to change the shape of your body based on a number on a scale.
WHEN DO YOU FEEL THE MOST BEAUTIFUL? I will never forget my first photo shoot for Vogue when I was 21 years old. I got my hair and makeup professionally done and I looked in the mirror and was like, “Oh my god, what?!” You are the foundation for someone else’s excellence and talent, but it’s not sustainable.
BEST THING ABOUT GROWING OLDER: Experiencing the rewards that were earned. Like staying out of the sun really does make your skin look better. I grew up under hats, shielding my skin, and that discipline paid off.
LIFE MOTTO: I love the quote “Live every day like it’s your last and learn like you’re going to live forever.” I find myself feeling so grateful that I am at the age where I have the time and space to learn new things.
WHEN ARE YOU HAPPIEST? At home, painting or cooking with my kids and husband, with my dog at my feet.
Holly Parmelee, formerly an associate publisher at Little, Brown and Company, is an editor and writer at Serendipity magazine
