This Is What I Was Born to Do

Bryce Dallas Howard spent a decade running from carnivorous dinosaurs in the Jurassic World franchise, but lately the streets of L.A have felt as high-octane.

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“My son is in the process of getting his license right now, and he basically can be a race car driver at this point, because I’m like, ‘You’re not allowed to get your license until you know how to do every defensive driving move imaginable,’” she says.

Howard, who has a 17-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter with her husband, actor Seth Gabel, admits to being very “risk averse” except when it comes to work. Raised on a farm in Greenwich, Conn., by her father, acclaimed director Ron Howard, and mom, Cheryl, a writer, alongside her two younger sisters and brother, Howard always knew what she wanted to do. "I was born to act and perform and be a storyteller," she says. Her big break came at age 23 when she was cast in M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. Then roles in Spider-Man 3, the Twilight franchise and The Help led her to steady success.

She now stars in the action thriller Argylle, playing an introverted spy novelist who is suddenly thrust into an underground crime syndicate. "[My character's] journey is so much about her connecting to feeling courageous and overcoming her anxiety and getting out there," says Howard, 42. "For me, doing this movie felt very empowering." She reflected on her own journey in Hollywood and the joys and struggles she's experienced.

Her parents forbade her from being a child actor.