Bryce Dallas Howard, the daughter of famed director Ron Howard, may have grown in the glow of Hollywood, but behind the glitz was a childhood that, in her own words, was far from typical.
“I was such a messed up kid,” the actress explained in an interview. “I would walk around the Disney lot reading about euthanasia.”
The 44-year-old revealed how, as a child, her mind often wandered to disturbing thoughts about mortality and tragedy, compounded by an emotional intensity that made it hard for her to develop as a normal child.
“There was just a sort of intensity to my feelings and the stories I was curious about,” she said.
That intensity showed up early in Bryce’s development, causing learning problems for her. Concerned, Ron and Cheryl Howard sought the help of psychologists—but the feedback they got only made things worse.
Actress Bryce Dallas Howard revealed how thoughts of mortality and tragedy often plagued her mind even as a child
Image credits: Dave Benett/Getty Images
According to Bryce, she struggled with communication and learning and was often cryptic with her parents.
“I was always very happy and smiley but not extremely verbal,” she recalled. “It was unclear what intelligence was there and how much I was really processing.”
During her sessions with her psychologist, Bryce would often talk about grim topics, seemingly without a clear cause or reason, which confused the professional.
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“Can we talk about the dead babies? Because Bryce talks a lot about dead babies,” the therapist told her parents.
According to experts, talking about death frequently during childhood can often be an early indicator of underlying mental health struggles, and in Bryce’s case, it may have been an early manifestation of depression—a condition she later publicly acknowledged as being central to her life experience.
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“Battling depression has been the biggest part of my identity,” she wrote in an Instagram post for World Mental Health Day in 2022.
Though others might describe her as “energetic, enthusiastic, passionate,” she revealed that her inner world often told a different story—one that she’s been sharing since she was a toddler.
Bryce’s dark childhood thoughts gave way to a lifelong battle with depression
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Ron and Cheryl’s early intervention and decision to send Bryce to therapy as a child might have saved her life, as it armed her with an arsenal of tools to put her darkest thoughts into perspective and stop them from spiraling out of control.
Over time, she learned to embrace life’s challenges as essential to her growth, observing her darkest thoughts and embracing them—but without letting them overwhelm her or paint her entire life black.
“Those challenges ARE the journey, the purpose,” she wrote. “Not an annoyance we can gaslight with militant optimism and denial.”
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At the time, Bryce shared a personal story regarding her experience as a new mother, still dealing with the impact of postpartum depression.
“It was the last day of my first job as a new mother. I was still in the throes of postpartum depression, and I was in a car, alone, heading straight into the exquisite sunset we’d anxiously awaited all day,” she said.
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“It was an existential moment, and since no one could hear me, I asked the question aloud: What is the purpose of ALL OF THIS?! Those words are the response I received: to move with grace, and that struggle will guide you toward the sunset.
“We are here for the obstacles, not to avoid them.”
Far from rejecting the label of “nepo baby,” Bryce has embraced it, being fully aware of the advantages it confers
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As the daughter of the man behind Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, Bryce grew up on film sets. But she wasn’t mixing with celebrities.
“I was always told not to bother the actors,” she said. Instead, she found herself drawn to the technical crew—the camera operators, assistant directors, and sound engineers—soaking in the mechanics of moviemaking from the ground up.
Image credits: CBS Sunday Morning
It wasn’t until high school that she considered acting for herself. By then, she had already developed an insider’s perspective of Hollywood—as well as an awareness of the labels that would be applied to her if she ever decided to take that path.
Instead of rejecting the “nepo baby” label, Bryce has embraced it, fully aware of the privilege she was born into.
Image credits: brycedhoward
“I happen to be in a situation where there are multiple layers of privilege,” she said in a separate interview with The Times UK, noting that her father, Ron, is himself the son of actors Rance Howard and Jean Speegle Howard.
“So I got to have access in a way that, even if you were born into it, most people wouldn’t.”
Image credits: brycedhoward
This self-awareness was present in her since the early days of her career. For instance, she was surprised when asked if having a famous last name would hurt her chances in the business.
“At the beginning of my career, people would ask—and I was always so shocked by this—‘Do you feel it’s been a disadvantage?’ And I was like, ‘Disadvantage?’”
“When you’re an actor, you need to capture a casting director or director’s attention,” she added. “But when you’re someone who’s related to someone else, there’s an inherent curiosity there.”
“Respect.” Netizens praised the actress for discussing her personal traumas
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