MINING THE GOLDEN ROLES
Bryce Dallas Howard has earned the right to be choosey with her movie roles
The mega-hit Jurassic World changed things for Bryce Dallas Howard. After the flick scored at the 2015 world wide box office, the 35- yearold mother of two kids now selects roles she wants to do rather than hopes to do. Her latest choice is a co- starring effort opposite Matthew McConaughey in the dramatic adventure Gold.
Just a month before heading to London for the Jurassic World 2 shoot, the friendly Howard shared her Gold thoughts at a Manhattan Hotel.
Q Why did you pick the Gold part?
A It was interesting for me to get into this, because the mindset was different. I had just finished Jurassic World and Pete’s Dragon.
Q Did you need a change?
A I really had this desire to act in an adult piece where I am immersing myself in an atmosphere that is inherently flawed.
Q Is Gold a cautionary tale?
A (Laughs) The motivation of the movie is not to contain a moral message but to reveal pathology. That was something I was craving.
Q Did you get into the Kay look?
A It’s important. I have big hair. And this girl loves her curls. Everything is a bit snug and there is an earthiness to her.
Q She seems to be a good fit for McConaughey’s balding overweight Kenny. True?
A Oh yeah. When I arrived on set as Kay and saw Matthew’s Kenny, I said, ‘My hair could be a lot bigger.’
Q What do like about Kay?
A My favourite thing about my character is the description in the script. It says Kay’s pants are too tight but only because she’s so happy.
Q Anything else?
A Kay has two jobs, and is likely supporting (Kenny) but that’s the reality she’s living in, and she’s probably at peace with that.
Q Is Kay stronger than Kenny?
A He does keep coming back to her. There is a singularity and clarity to her, and a contentness with the choices she’s made.
Q Did you get along with McConaughey?
A I had seen him work with my dad. I was a teenager on set when he did my dad’s EDtv. So I knew he was a great guy and a family man, and I knew I would have fun working with him. And I did.
Q Did you have a crush on him back in 1998?
A Sure. Matthew was in his late 20s, his romantic comedy sweet spot.
Q Do you enjoy playing diametrically opposed roles?
A I’ve been doing this the whole time I’ve been acting. In college (New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts), I’d go from edgy avantgarde to street theatre stuff. There would always be this darkness and then light.
Q Are you preparing for Jurassic World 2 in London?
A We’re figuring it out now. The kids are coming out for their breaks and during the summer.
Q What should we expect from the Jurassic World sequel?
A I think it’s going to be even more intense.
‘THIS GIRL LOVES HER CURLS. EVERYTHING IS A BIT SNUG AND THERE IS AN EARTHINESS TO HER’ — BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD