The actor Bryce Dallas Howard may be best known to cinema audiences for walloping genetically modified dinosaurs, but she began in experimental theatre, then broke through on Broadway, playing Rosalind in a production of As You Like It. It was this which alerted M Night Shyalaman to her talent – he then cast her, without an audition, as the lead in 2004’s The Village, as a blind woman who lives as part of a curious sect in a remote community.
Ambitious choices continued, with a role in Lars von Trier’s Manderlay, playing the part originated by Nicole Kidman in Dogville, as an ally to slaves in rural Alabama. Then followed a reunion with Shyalaman for Lady in the Water, and a return to her roots, playing Rosalind in Kenneth Branagh’s 2006 Shakespeare adaptation.
The blockbuster years began in 2007, with Spider-Man 3 followed by Terminator Salvation (2009), and the third instalment of Twilight (2010). But these were always interspersed with more off-beat roles: as a racist socialite in The Help, as well as films with Clint Eastwood and Gus Van Sant.
In 2015, she led the rebooted Jurassic franchise as the ambitious new park manager who shook off her allergy to her nephews, as well as her scorn over colleague Chris Pratt – though not, to some controversy, her high heels – while attempting to contain a massive dino breakout. Bryce returned for two sequels, while in the meantime also playing Elton John’s mother in biopic Rocketman, and picking up considerable acclaim for her role in Black Mirror episode Nosedive.
Howard has also made her mark as a director: of acclaimed documentary Dads, about the evolving split in domestic childcare duties, and on two episodes of The Mandalorian. She also starred in Argylle, Matthew Vaughn’s spy thriller, released earlier this year.
So what would you ask the film-maker who’s done all that, as well as found time to raise a family and complete her college degree after a 20-year absence? A woman who despite her background – father: Ron Howard; godfather: The Fonz; babysitter: Tom Cruise – appears the antithesis of a nepo baby.
We need your questions by 6pm BST on Wednesday 17 April. Get posting!
• Argylle is on Apple TV+
