Ron Howard Didn’t Let Daughter Act as a Child: ‘Unfairly Compared’
By Movieguide® Contributor
HAPPY DAYS star Ron Howard and daughter Bryce Dallas Howard opened up about why she wasn’t allowed to act as a child.
“My parents were very firm on that boundary, that they were not going to support anyone who wanted to be a child actor,” Bryce explained.
Her father had experience as a child actor, starring in THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW when he was just 6 years old.
“Howard’s younger brother Clint Howard, 64, began acting when he was 2 years old. While speaking with People, Howard recalled that his parents, Rance and Jean, who were both actors, were aware that they would have to dedicate a lot of time to supervising their young sons on set,” Fox News Digital reported.
“It’s possible for child performers to really find a lot that is positive within it, but it’s fraught with landmines,” Ron explained.
“On top of everything else, because the characters that I played as a child were so well-known as to almost be iconic…I also thought, ‘Hey, if one of our kids tries to act as a child, boy or girl, they’re going to be unfairly compared,'” he added.
Now, as an adult and a successful actress, Bryce is grateful that her parents set a firm boundary.
“I’m really glad that they did that because when I did start acting, it took a while to make a living. To be able to be like, ‘Oh, okay. I can actually support myself with this,’ ” she said.
As a child, Bryce’s parents supported her with other endeavors.
“I started working as a waitress on the weekends at a deli, and it was fantastic,” Bryce told Fox News Digital. “Because I was 14, I needed to get a waiver from my parents to be on a payroll, and honestly, I was like, ‘This is great.'”
“I just wanted to be working in the world, and then I worked in an allergy control product center on an assembly line at a factory, and then as a babysitter, a nanny, a dog walker and all of that,” she added.
She and her father are still close and “love to talk about the movies.”
“But it’s usually admiring people’s work and kind of gushing about things, or sharing crazy stories that turned around, or just fun things,” Bryce described.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Bryce Dallas Howard recently revealed that her father, HAPPY DAYS star and acclaimed director Ron Howard, forbade her from acting as a child…
While Bryce was initially not a fan of her parents’ mandate, she is now “really glad that they did that because when I did start acting, it took a while to make a living. To be able to be like, ‘Oh, OK. I can actually support myself with this.’”
Now, she is one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actresses.
“It’s so wonderful to get to be in an industry with family members, for me at least, because I’m not alone in it,” Bryce shared.
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