ST_MAY_LOW2

vision and getting to be a part of it. Whereas as a director, it’s really
your vision—it starts and ends with you. And then you get to work
with fantastic people who elevate and craft and design that vision.
It challenges you to take responsibility, which I think is a really great
balance with a career as an actor.
ST: Has your father [director Ron Howard] given you any career
advice?
BDH: You know what, I’m actually surprised how little—I mean
he’s not really one to offer up advice, and he really downplays the
challenge of it. Like I remember before I started directing, he said,
“Oh yeah, it’s going to be easy. Directing is easy; it’s not as hard as
acting.” And that’s not true [laughs]. It’s different. Acting is perhaps
a little more anxiety inducing,
Photo: Zoey Grossman
because you really need to
perform. It’s like being an athlete.
But he’s been doing it for so long,
he almost—things that would
typically need to be a decision for
somebody are second nature to
him and habitual. He’s such an
effortless filmmaker, so he’s not
usually dishing out a lot of advice.
But whenever I do need advice,
he’s a fantastic person to talk to!
ST: Did you ever find it difficult
to make a name for yourself
growing up in a famous family?
BDH: In the beginning, when I
first started working, I actually
used the name Bryce Dallas,
because I wanted that kind of
space from [my dad’s] career,
because I think most of all,
honestly, I wanted to do right by
him, and I didn’t want to be a
distraction at all if I wasn’t good or if I started it, but ultimately it
didn’t work out. I wanted the privacy through that process, because
I didn’t want people to necessarily have opinions of that journey
with him in mind. Like I really wanted to make sure it was about the
work that I was generating as opposed to in context with my dad’s
career. And I think in retrospect that was definitely good. But as I got
a little older and started working more, I realised I’m so proud to be
a part of my family, and it was more about my own insecurity and
just wanting to get really pure feedback from people than wanting
to be separated from my family. And also, Bryce Dallas sounds like
a porn name.
ST: What’s your stance on fashion? Is it a big part of your everyday
life?
BDH: Listen, I’m into fashion, I’m for sure into fashion. It’s mostly
for me about the visual, the creativity, the comfort level, or the
confidence that clothes bring you. Putting [an outfit] together is
always—it’s like you have to reconnect with yourself while you’re
doing it. It really brings me into the present moment. I’m thinking,
“What am I dressing for? Who do I want to be?” And that’s not
some sort of self-help question, it’s like ok, I want to be relaxed, I
want to be professional, I want to be comfortable, I want to be fun.
That’s just an easy question to ask. And there is the obvious “What’s
the weather going to be like?” And then you get to work and you
look at your closet, and oftentimes I learn more about myself in
those moments than if, say, I’m going to a yoga class where you are
really supposed to connect with yourself. I find that through getting
dressed, I connect with myself in a way that really resonates and
is concrete. I realised that I’m actually more kind of modest and
conservative than I think I would be. Because in work, I don’t care
about nudity, I don’t care about how I look, really. It’s not about that.
But in my day-to-day life, I realised whoa, I’m pretty conservative.
I’ll wear something that’s body conscious or whatnot, but there’s
usually not a lot of flesh. And then I’ll think right, I was raised in
Greenwich, Connecticut; I’m part WASP. But it’s only through
dressing that I really honour that side of myself—this aesthetically
traditional person. And also I’ve learned through dressing myself
and the different eras, I feel connected to what that might mean
about my personality and me as a person.
ST: What are some of your fashion go-tos?
BDH: I love online shopping; it’s incredibly convenient. My staples I
would say are, I mean, I get a lot of stuff online at Nordstrom, and
then for nicer stuffNet-a-Porter is fantastic, and Kate Spade is really
great—I’ve had a relationship with them for a while—and J.Crew.
And those are sort of my staples when I’m going online and getting
things. In terms of specific designers that I think I have a tendency to
gravitate towards, I’ve found some great stuff recently with Michael
Kors and Stella McCartney. AndZac Posen is a designer that I love
and love working with.
ST: What is the one piece you are wearing over and over again
right now?
BDH: I really like my Citizens of Humanity bell-bottom jeans. I’m so
into bell-bottoms—why did they ever go away? I’m going to hold on
to them until the bitter end. They are so flattering, and I particularly
like that these bell-bottoms are high-waisted. The silhouette of a
high-waisted bell-bottom is really beautiful in my opinion. And I
always like a dark wash. I’m into the midi skirt and the crop top; it’s
really good for me when I need to be formal in any kind of way. And
any striped shirt.
ST: So what’s next?
BDH: Well I’m stoked for the Jurassic press, and it’s really fun because
I’m not working with a stylist, so I’m actually getting to have a lot of
those moments of meditating on what feels good to me. And then
I’m going to be doing some more
directing in June and an indie film
in July, and my brother is getting
married, and I’m looking forward
to that. And hopefully some great
family time! I’m taking a class—a
UCLA course—that I’m finishing
up, so maybe I’ll take some more.
I’m very lucky this year, because
I did a film called Pete’s Dragon,
which I just came back from a few
weeks ago in New Zealand. The
seasons are opposite from here,
so I went over there when it was
winter here and summer there,
and then I came back when it was
summer here and winter there, so
I think 2015 was a beautiful year
because it’s the year of perpetual
summer, and it actually feels like
that as well even now. ST
Creditline: Who What Wear
Credits: Narciso Rodriguez dress from
Barneys New York Beverly Hills.
INTERVIEW OF THE MONTH
Photographer: Zoey Grossman | Hair: Derek Yuen | Makeup: Kara Bua | Stylist: Zoe Costello |
Manicurist: Michelle Saunders | Location: Velaslavasay Panorama
13