Star Warsfans have historically been one of the most divided fandoms this side of otherStar Warsfans. So it’s a rare occasion to see a large number of them agree on something. One such instance involves Bryce Dallas Howard, a relatively new director to the franchise, and she’s managed to unite fans in a way few may have thought possible.
After seeing how some of theStar Warsfandom’s more toxic sectionsreacted to Moses Ingram’s existence, it’s probably a bit surprising to discover that anyone other than a white dude could earn near unanimous praise from a sizeable chunk of diehards. Well, Bryce Dallas Howard has seemingly done just that. But while she makes it look easy, her job as director (as well as her journey to get to this point) has been anything but.
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Bryce Dallas Howard recently spoke with Vanity Fair about how she became such an icon as aStar Warsdirector. As the daughter of legendary director Ron Howard, it should come as little surprise that it all began with a little inspiration from dear old dad. His role asdirector for 2018’sSolo: A Star Wars Storywas just the catalyst she needed. “I had just finishedJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” she said, referring to her acting role in the film. “We were shooting in Pinewood [Studios], which is the same location where my dad was. And I went to him and said, ‘Please, can I shadow you onSolo? I feel unbelievably lucky and privileged for all the access that I have had in my life, but I’m asking right now for more. Please, please, please can I shadow you on Solo?'”
This quickly kicked things off, with higher-ups taking note of Bryce Dallas Howard’s already impressive directing career at that point as well as her passion forStar Wars. It all culminated in a call with Jon Favreau in 2018, who just so happened to beworking onThe Mandalorianat the time. They shared their love of the franchise before Favreau dropped a bombshell. Howard detailed, “and then he said, ‘I’ve written a series, and I’d love for you to take a look at it. You can come in and I’ll show you all the artwork and stuff, and we can talk about it and you can see if you’d be interested.’ And so then I read the pilot, and when it got to Baby Yoda, I was just like, What am I reading?!”
From this point, it’s easy to see how quickly Bryce Dallas Howard’s directing skills kept getting her back in the director’s chair forStar Warsprojects. After directing a well-received episode in season 1 ofThe Mandalorian, she returned for the season 2 episode “The Heiress” and effectively solidified her status as a true member of theStar Warsfamily. It probably didn’t hurt that the latter episode also included the live-action debut ofKatee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze.
Now, with even moreStar Warsworks under her belt, including a handful of near universally praised episodes fromThe Book of Boba Fett, Howard has established herself as a genuine directing powerhouse in theStar Warsfranchise. Fans have even been pushing to see her get her own movie to direct. However things go from here, Howard’s talent and passion will definitely be worth watching.
