Ron Howardis a Hollywood legend. He’s been in the business since he was a little kid, moving his career effectively from being seen as an endearing actor (Happy Days) to a dependable director/producer (Apollo 13)—while also finding the time to narrateArrested Development. Now, his daughter seems to be falling suit.Bryce Dallas Howardis a bonafide movie star, recently toplining theJurassic Worldfranchise and appearing in the acclaimedRocketman. But she also directed an episode ofThe Mandalorian, and has a new documentary calledDadscoming soon. At the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, our very own Steve Weintraub spoke with Ron Howard, screening his documentaryRebuilding Paradise. The two chatted about Bryce Dallas Howard’s entry into theStar Wars-verse—and how she and Ron influenced each other on not only that show, but on Ron’sStar WarsmovieSolo: A Star Wars Story.
Ron Howard got to see his daughter’sMandalorianepisode (“The Sanctuary”) early, and he loved it, expressing how proud he was of her. He even gave her some notes on where her cut could go. Did she take those notes? “Most ignored,” admitted Ron with a wry grin. “Sheismy daughter. Why would she listen to anything I say?” And while Ron gave props toJon Favreau, creator ofThe Mandalorian, for showing his daughter the ropes, he also revealed that she was on set forSolotrying to learn some ropes before.
Bryce Dallas Howard wanted to shadow her father while he directed the Han Solo adventure. And Ron Howard, of course… said “No”?! Wait, why? He explained why he was worried having his daughter around might throw things off:
“She’s not really a daughter, she’s a movie star. With a young cast feeling a lot of pressure onSolo, I wasn’t necessarily sure how comfortable everyone would [be] with Bryce around. But she convinced me to try it for a day or two, and of course everybody fell in love with her because she’s that kind of person. And it was great having her around, and she had a couple of pretty great suggestions.”
Did Ron take those suggestions? Of course he did. After all, sheishis daughter.
Ron Howard also got a bit into “the circumstances of the way I wound up being involved inSolo.” As you may remember, that film was originally set to be directed byPhil LordandChris Miller(21 JumpStreet). But after a series of fraught behind-the-scenes dramas and conflicts of working styles, that duo wastaken off the projectand replaced by Howard. He called the resulting filmmaking style, “almost a rewrite and a continuation, and there was a certain percentage of the film that hadn’t been shot at all yet… We were pretty targeted as to what we were making.”
And theStar Warsfandom, which has a troubling precedent ofsliding into toxicity, had a lot of thoughts about theSolodrama. Did that affect Howard at all? Not really! “I had a blast making that movie, and it did remind me that I really enjoy that kind of playful storytelling and the action, and I love tech. I love actors more, but it’s great what you may offer audiences.” In fact, Howard took some advice from an OG on how to deal with those types of fans:
“George Lucas is a mentor, a tremendous friend. He warned me, and he said, ‘Hey look, it’s for the fans, and yet you have to have the courage to hear them but tell the story you wanna tell.’ So he’s all for the galaxy expanding and experimenting. That’s what he prefers the most. He gets most excited about those that wanna push the boundaries of what aStar Warsmovie or TV show [can be].”
So will we ever get to see Mr. Howard follow his daughter’s footsteps and direct aMandalorianepisode himself? Watch the interview clip above and find out for yourself. And verify to catch his inspiring documentaryRebuilding Paradise, in theatres later this year.
For more of Collider’s Sundance 2020 coverage,click here. Look for Steve’s full interview with Ron Howard early next week.
