Ron: THE FIRST TIME BRYCE APPEARED ON BROADWAY,
SHE HAD THIS SCENE
WHERE SHE'S WEEPING AT HER FATHER'S FEET.
AND WE'RE SITTING CLOSE ENOUGH
THAT I CAN SEE REAL TEARS ARE COMING DOWN.
AND I LOOKED OVER AT CHERYL, MY WIFE, AND SHE'S SMILING.
SO AT INTERMISSION, I SAID,
"WELL, HOW COME YOU'RE NOT A LITTLE MORE BLOWN AWAY?
I REALLY AM."
AND SHE SAID, "SHE WAS GIVING THE SAME PERFORMANCE
SHE GAVE EVERY DAY OF HER LIFE WHEN SHE WAS 17."
[ LAUGHS ]
♪♪
Bryce: I'VE LEARNED A LOT OF THINGS FROM MY DAD
AS IT PERTAINS TO LIVING THE LIFE OF A FILMMAKER.
THIS IS A REALLY DYNAMIC INDUSTRY TO BE IN,
BUT IT'S ALSO A VERY CONFUSING INDUSTRY TO BE IN.
HE'S BEEN A WONDERFUL PERSON TO GO TO
TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF, LIKE, NAVIGATE THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
I MEAN, HE'S SOMEBODY
WHO HAS BEAT SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT ODDS.
THE FACT THAT HE WAS A CHILD ACTOR,
THE FACT THAT HE'S HAD SUCH A LONG MARRIAGE WITH MY MOM.
THEY'VE BEEN TOGETHER SINCE THEY WERE 16 YEARS OLD.
Ron: I GREW UP IN A FAMILY
THAT WAS, AT LEAST PARTIALLY, INVOLVED IN THE BUSINESS.
AND I LOVED IT. I ALWAYS -- I ALWAYS LOVED IT.
ALWAYS KNEW IT WAS FOR ME.
MY FATHER, RANCE HOWARD,
HE WOULD MANY TIMES SAY, "ARE YOU ENJOYING THIS?
IS THIS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO BE DOING WITH YOUR TIME?
BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO."
I TRIED TO PASS THAT ALONG TO MY KIDS.
BRYCE IS THE ONE WHO'S MADE IT HER LIFE'S WORK.
Bryce: MY FAVORITE FILMS THAT MY DAD HAS DONE,
IT'S "COCOON," "PARENTHOOD," AND I THINK "APOLLO 13."
THOSE WERE SUCH HUGE MOMENTS FOR ME PERSONALLY AS A CHILD,
GROWING UP, AND I REMEMBER ALL OF THOSE MOVIES REALLY WELL.
I MEAN, "PARENTHOOD," THOUGH, IN PARTICULAR, WAS SUCH A BLAST.
BECAUSE I WAS 7 YEARS OLD. I WAS ON SET EVERY SINGLE DAY.
I GOT TO BE SURROUNDED BY KIDS ALL DAY.
I MEAN, IT WAS -- IT WAS SO MUCH FUN.
Ron: SHE WANTED TO HELP OUT.
AND SHE WOUND UP REALLY KIND OF BEING A PART OF IT.
SHE HELPED OUT IN THE WARDROBE DEPARTMENT.
THAT WAS KIND OF THE BEGINNING OF BEING A P.A.
SHE ALSO DID IT AGAIN ON A COUPLE OF OTHER MOVIES,
INCLUDING "APOLLO 13,"
WHERE WE HAD THE GREATEST P.A.s OF ALL TIME,
IF YOU WERE TO PROJECT AHEAD.
IT WAS COLIN HANKS AND BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD.
Bryce: SOMETHING I REALLY LEARNED EARLY ON,
IN TERMS OF BEING ON A SET,
WAS JUST IT CAN BE A REALLY PLAYFUL ENVIRONMENT,
BUT THERE IS A STRICT HIERARCHY.
BEING ABLE TO LEARN THAT AND FUNCTION WITHIN THAT
AND NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY THAT,
I THINK THAT WAS A HUGE GIFT THAT I WAS GIVEN.
Ron: I DON'T OFFER A LOT OF ADVICE.
IF SHE ASKS ME ABOUT SOMETHING,
IF SHE WANTS ME TO READ SOMETHING, WHICH ISN'T ALWAYS.
ISN'T EVERY PROJECT.
I ASK BRYCE ADVICE.
SHE'S, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPED GREAT INSTINCTS
ABOUT THE MEDIUM, WHAT IT CAN BE,
WHAT IT CAN MEAN TO AUDIENCES.
IF I'VE LEARNED ANYTHING,
I AM SHOCKED AT HOW MUCH MORE COMPLICATED IT IS
TO BE A FEMALE IN THIS BUSINESS.
I REALLY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE ADDED LEVEL OF PRESSURE.
IT'S INFORMED MY WORK WITH WOMEN WHO I'VE DIRECTED SINCE.
I JUST WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THE SENSITIVITY.
Bryce: THE THING THAT I ALWAYS NOTICE IN EVERY SINGLE FILM
IS THAT THERE'S A GENUINENESS TO THE CHARACTER THAT TRIUMPHS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S VERY MUCH WHO MY DAD IS.
I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING
KIND OF INHERENTLY AMERICAN ABOUT MY DAD.
I THINK HE ALWAYS, IN A WAY, UNDERSELLS HIMSELF.
HE NEVER REALLY TAKES CREDIT FOR HIS SUCCESS,
HIS OWN SUCCESS, AT ALL.
YOU KNOW, HE ALWAYS TALKS ABOUT
JUST HAVING A STRONG GROUP OF COLLABORATORS
AND HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS TO HIM.
BUT HE'S GOT IT COVERED.
LIKE, HE REALLY -- HE REALLY KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING.
Ron: I THINK "LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND"
IS ONE THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.
KNOWING WHAT I NOW KNOW,
THAT NONE OF US REALLY UNDERSTOOD THEN,
WAS THAT SHE WAS BATTLING POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
TO A VERY ACUTE DEGREE.
WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE WORK SHE DID
WITH THAT VERY CHALLENGING CHARACTER,
I THINK SHE WAS ABLE TO CHANNEL SOME OF WHAT WAS GOING ON
INTO THIS CHARACTER.
BUT I THINK IT ALSO JUST SPEAKS TO HER SENSE OF COMMITMENT,
HER SENSE OF PROFESSIONALISM, KIND OF HONOR FOR THE MEDIUM.
Bryce: SOMETHING THAT HE'S CONSISTENTLY REMINDED ME OF
IS ABSORB YOUR ENVIRONMENT,
BECAUSE EACH DIRECTOR WORKS VERY DIFFERENTLY,
AND IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO GET TO BE WITNESS
TO EACH PERSON'S OWN WAY OF SOLVING THE PUZZLE.
Ron: BRYCE IS IN IT BECAUSE IT FEEDS SOMETHING IN HER.
THAT'S WHAT'S GOT TO BE THERE. IT'S NOT JUST A BUSINESS.
IT'S NOT JUST A WAY OF MAKING A LIVING.
IF THAT'S WHY YOU'RE IN IT, YOU WON'T BE HAPPY.
YOU HAVE TO BE IN IT FOR THE PROCESS.
AND YOU HAVE TO LOVE THOSE INTERACTIONS
AND THOSE KINDS OF CHALLENGES.
♪♪