April 21, 2025 • 52 mins
Camilla is flying solo, but she's got the director of the new Pets documentary, Bryce Dallas Howard with her!
They discuss the real reason why kids love having a furry best friend, the advice Bryce's famous dad gives her and intimidating times involving fans from the Star Wars universe.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Call It What It Is with Jessica Capshaw and Camille Ludington,
an iHeartRadio podcast. Hello, Hello, Hello, Call It Crew, and
welcome to another episode of Call It What It Is. Today,
(00:22):
I am flying solo without my work wife, but I
am joined by someone super exciting, Bryce Dallas Howard, and
I'm equally as excited and nervous to have her on
because you guys, I've been a fan for a really
long time, and I'm gonna have to geek out a
little bit. She's been an everything I've loved. I've loved
(00:44):
her in the Village, i loved her in Jurassic World,
She's directed Star Wars, and she's a new documentary called
Pets Out on Disney Plus. I'm going to bring her
in because we have so much to talk about.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Everyone. Welcome Bryce Dallas Howard.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Okay, Bryce Dallas Howard, Welcome to Call It What It Is.
Thank you so much for being here today. I know
you're so crazy busy. I spent the morning watching Pets,
your new documentary that you directed on Disney Plus, and
in the first ten minutes I was giggling so hard.
I was chuckling like I and I woke up in
(01:24):
a really funky mood. And I have to say that
watching the documentary made me so happy, like literally bright
in my day.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I'm not even kidding.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Yay, that is the hope, that's that's the intention, because
that's what pets do, right.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yes, And I was surrounded by my dogs.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I have three rescue dogs, so they were with me
and one of the dogs. There's a part of the
documentary where there's a guy like out canoeing with this
female dog that looks just like my dog, and I
was like, look, this is what you could be doing
if I was more active.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
But after it's definitely like in a kayak off the
coast of Spain, and he has this adorable little doll
yeah the street. Yeah, and she's just a complete rock star.
And they're living this like wish fulfillment life for life
for both like dogs and humans alike. It's yeah, yeah,
someone gets to live like that. But Sergei does, Sergei does.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I wanted to talk to you about why you ended
up creating this documentary, sort of what research went into it.
How did you find these kids too? I was like,
how does she find them? You want TikTok searching for you? Like,
how did you find all these people to be part
of this documentary?
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Well, it was pets. I love pets, and I'm I'm
one of those folks that you know, like I'm sending
videos early in the morning of just like the pet
things that I find that crack me up. And I'm
always taking pictures of my pets, and you know, they're
just it's it's a whole, it's it's just a huge
(02:57):
part of my life and always has been, and I
feel very lucky for that. And as I was making
the movie Dads, which I did a few years ago,
which is really a celebration of, you know, of dads
and that that specific form of love, I kept being like,
oh my god, We've got to do this for pets.
(03:18):
We have to do this for pets, because there there
are documentaries that I mean, you know, and there's plenty
of stuff out there, but in terms of things for kids,
I've just looping back to your casting question, like I've
seen documentaries for kids about like wildlife and whatnot. Yeah,
(03:39):
but I love talking to kids about their pets, maybe
even more than adults. I don't know. It's pretty much
fun across.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
So I agree because even talking to my kids about
their pets. It's just they're so part of their life
and they and one of your one of the kids
early in the documentary describes them as being these magical
beings that have taken pet form, and I just thought
it was like such a beauty, beat full description of
a pet.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
The thing that really blew my mind. And just to
quickly answer your casting question, the producer of this project,
who is my partner in every single in every single way,
Elizabeth Jamison. She started as a casting director, so she
of documentaries and so she knows how to find folks
who are genuine and unaffected. And it was like a
(04:28):
lot of friends of friends kids and all that kind
of stuff. So that was really cool. And the thing
that I sort of learned talking to kids about their pets,
which I experienced myself, but I'm so far from it now,
like as an adult, I didn't remember this. They're especially
(04:49):
wise and insightful about their pets because it's one of
the first times the kid that you start to almost
be like a little adult. You start to have authority,
and you need to have discipline, and you have responsibilities,
and they're the being you know that is your pet.
Is more vulnerable than you, and as a kid, you're
(05:10):
used to being the most vulnerable one. And so the
sort of perspective, the parenting perspective that kids have in
regards to their pets is so incredible to get to
hear about.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
So. I have a four year old little boy, Lucas,
and he we have three rescue dogs.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
He loves those dogs so much.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
When you were saying that, it brings me to times
when he comes up to us and he's like, Mommy,
Sully needs someone love.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
She's not feeling good right now, and it's like, you're right.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
It's like he has that parental instinct over these puppies,
and some of them are older than him.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
It's just so cute.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Did you Were you in a family that had animals,
because I did not grow up with animals, and I
was so excited to be an adult and get them.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
No way, what was the reason that you.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
My mom was super allergic, and so I always wanted dogs.
I had like picture books of puppies and I was
just obsessed. And so then when I could afford to
look after an animal in my late twenties, I got
my first rescue and then every day I almost picked
up a dog this morning. Actually I really did, the
(06:20):
only reason that I didn't, my husband was like, I
just can't even look at you do what you want
to do is because it was already.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Taken my dog.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
I would wait for four pets, which I argue is fine,
Oh my gosh, but did you grow up with pets?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I did? I did. I I was really lucky. My
mom grew up with so many pets. She has like
insane stories growing up in Incino, California, and her dad
was like a pilot and he would like go off
and bring back all these animals, and it was just like, wait,
(06:56):
what should like a pet armadilla? Like? Do not? That
is not something that can happen. They're not pets. They're
not pets. But for my mom, you know, that was
the case. And monkeys and all that kind.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Of stuff really in Encino.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Yeah, there snakes and turtles and chicken and donkeys and
alpaca and cats and dogs and yeah, rats and and
but it was what was cool is that my mom
her philosophy was if we were really going to take
(07:33):
care of the pets, then she was game. And she
held us to that. Like it was like weekends were
mucking out the goat barn. It was just like that.
Those that was if, like, if I wanted to have goats,
That's what I was going to be doing on the weekends.
That was perfect because it's sort of like as a
(07:56):
child it it It didn't give us a false sense
of what that responsibility would be. I think sometimes when
parents sort of like take on all the responsibilities for
the pet, which they should, but not including the kids,
then kids grow up and think, oh, it's just easy
(08:16):
to be a guardian to a dog or a cat
or a fish or whatever it is, and no, it's
a huge responsibility, a huge, huge responsibility. So my mom
definitely modeled that for us and just you know, we're
just crazy pet people as a result.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So yeah, I love that so much.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
My daughter, we just went through this with my daughter
because she wants a snake. She's been wanting a snake
since she was very young. We had these people over
for a birthday party once that brought snakes over and
she's she's like two years old with this giant snake
on her. She loved them, and then so she's been
wanting them every single Christmas. She asked for one and
we explained to her that Sam because she threatens to
(09:01):
write Sanna. She's like, I don't have to ask you.
I can just write Santa the letter and he'll just
bring in.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And then we have to explain to her that on
the sleigh.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
The gatekeeping stop gatekeeping them.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yes, exactly right.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
We let her know that other things on the sleigh
maybe scare the snakes, so to hold off from that
letter for Santa.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
But she finally just got her first.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Own pet herself, which is our pet, hamster. And the
conditions that we said were you got to clean out
the hamster cage and you got to check the water.
And I think that it, even though it's not that
hard work, I think that it was a little shock,
a little adjustment for her to realize what it really
meant to take care of that pet. So I totally
(09:41):
agree with you that it's a great way for kids
to learn the responsibility of what a little thing is
in your house.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
It's a living being.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah. And then what's so funny is that story about
your daughter with the seeing at a birthday party seeing snakes.
I when I was five, at my birthday party, came
out with snakes and I screamed, and ran into the
other room and my mom was like, oh, I know
what I'm getting her for her birthday. So I got
a little corn snake snake. I know this is what
(10:11):
she wants to little corn snake. And I named him
Jophis and he was to be Joseph, but I had
his teach impediment, and god, so cute. He was so
cute and I was just literally just yesterday I was
with my sister and brother and their kids, and my
(10:32):
sister just got a corn snake for her kid, and
it's just like the cutest their faces.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
They are really cute.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
I mean, I'm not a snake person, but I do
think the corn snakes are very very cute. We got
got to hold a few, and they're they're like they're
like the labradors of sort of snakes.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Apparently they're like friendly and emotional and like really really really,
I you know, there was a real I felt loved.
I felt loved by Jophis, Like I definitely definitely definitely
felt loved. But what's interesting is I'm still terrified of snakes.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
It's just really just that one.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Was it like love at first sight as a kid
when you got him then or did it take some
intimation and I don't know what that but this has
talked about on your documentary though. Actually that moment where
there are just some like there's a there's a guy
in nor documentary who was a rapper and then he
ends up rescuing cats.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
The trap King, right, the trap King. He made me
laugh so hard.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
But he has a story about how, you know, he's
rescued so many cats, but there was one particular cat
that's like your soul mate animal, right, like the Toto
to your Dorothy a little bit. And I feel like
maybe that snake was that for that for you?
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Yeah, in many ways, yes, Sterling. Sterling talks about that
out now is the score or you know, soundtrack for
pets and one of his raps is on there.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Okay, okay, I loved it. I was giggling so hard.
I thought it was so cus on incredible.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
So he yes, so he runs, he runs a cat
rescue and before all this kind of like what you
you learned this in the documentary, he had a cat
that he named Rick James and with like his solemate
and and sort of changed everything for him. And and
(12:42):
I definitely, I mean I think that that sort of
exists for for all of us. For me definitely jopis
as Nick that was that was a really really really
big deal. But before that, when I was young, I
was very quiet to a degree that was a little
alarming for my parents. And when I was they said
(13:06):
they had heard some like little chuckles and stuff, but
very kind of just internal, okay, And I my parents
got me a dog named Frisky, a little jack Russell terrier.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Oh my god, that's like a little Toto like sort of.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Yeah. Yeah, he was really cute. And he was pulling
on my blanket and so we were doing like a
tug of war thing and and I let out this
giant belly laugh and my parents said they like they've
never forgotten it was like I was just like laughing.
So they were like, you sounded like an adult. And
(13:41):
I have a very very very big belly laugh now
to this day. But they were like, it was like
Frisky like brought me to earth sort of. And and
so it's you know, animals, they like, I feel so
present when it doesn't even have to be like my pet,
(14:02):
a pet and animal, you know, it just it's such
a beautiful relationship and it's a relationship without words.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
When you were doing the documentary, was there an animal
that really stood out to you that you were like,
if I could take that animal, I would steal that one.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Right, right, right right. So there's a there's a thing
in the documentary that was kind of blew my mind
because I hear lots of stories about, you know, pets
doing incredible things for their people, and you know the
enormity and depths of that love. And then Surgery, one
(15:00):
of the folks that we that we profiled, who's on
the kayak off the coast of Spain. He's got this
adorable dog, Nirvana, who's like like a like total wish
fulfillment on every level. And then and then he rescued
a kitten named Goku who needed nursing uh in order
(15:23):
to survive, and Nirvana the dog nursed Goku the cat,
and it was not with like no human intervention at all,
Like it was just something natural that happened. And so
it was just sort of like that, the fact that
that love can exist in animals, Like it's not just
(15:46):
it's not just like you know, human beings and animals, it's,
oh my god, they show up for each other in
a way that is so uh so meaningful. I mean
that just that just really stood out to me always.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
That's I mean, I'm always, I mean, unfortunately, I'm always
on TikTok looking at animal stuff, so I get sucked
into everything. And when you see that those things like
the rescued farm animal making friends with the random dog
and now they're together, that's my I could watch that
for hours. As soon as this documentary came out, my
husband didn't know I was interviewing you, and he was like, Camilla,
(16:23):
You're gonna be obsessed with this, and I was like,
that's so funny.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I'm interviewing her on Monday.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
I love And I'm gonna rewatch it with my kids
on Friday night, by the way, because that's our movie night,
so we've made pets our movie night for Friday. I
want to ask you, because usually I do this podcast
with my work wife, Jessica Capshaw.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Have you ever met because I feel like you're sort.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Of we've like not like properly, properly properly, but we
like we've like we've like met each other at like
you know, like a easter like gathering. Yes, but not for.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Many okay, okay. So I want to ask you a
question because I was asking her.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
I know, I know her stepsister and her half sister
sister step.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Yes, half sister or half sister.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
So I was asking her last week because she was
talking about being out in the world and auditioning and
just you know, the hustle of it, you know, for everybody.
Last week I asked her if she sends her dab
or she asks her dad for tips sometimes on her
acting work, right, she'll send him some of her auditions
after they've been sent. But is there ever a time
(17:29):
where it's like, hey, do you want to sort of
like direct me?
Speaker 2 (17:32):
And so I'm curious.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
You have an incredible director as a father to Ron Howard.
Does do you ever go to him for tips on
now directing out in the world or do you keep
that sort of separate in your relationship with him.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
It's so weird because I'm it's not conscious, but I yeah,
I should, I should.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
No, I mean I think it's an organ No, I
think it's a really organic thing that probably happens. That's
your parent, right, So it's I'm joke that my dad
is not an actor, but he wants to give me
tips on my acting all the time.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
He's definitely never done in his life and he's terrible
at it. He has a lot of opinions, but no.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
She It was just an interesting conversation because I was
like I would be hitting him up all the time
being like what should I do with this role?
Speaker 2 (18:24):
And that's just not something that happens so so clearly. Yes,
I mean it's.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Like, you know, it's kind of I'm experiencing this now
because I have an eighteen year old and a thirteen
year old, and like I was like a young mom,
like I'm not like, you know, a cool, cool person,
but I'm like, I you know, I like direct in
Star Wars, and I.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Know, I was like, I think that a lot of
people would think that you're cool, but kids never think
you're cool.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
You never think you're We're never going to be cool, no,
And so I'm like, oh wow, and like I embarrass
Like how the degree to which I'm so embarrassing, It's
I never knew I could be so embarrassing to another being.
Just the breath coming out of me, ye humiliating, Yeah,
just gets you know, it's just yeah, my son is
(19:14):
uh spoiler, he's more tolerant of me.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I have a girl and a boy too, so I
understand this dynamic.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Yeah, yeah, I know. She's she's definitely mortified by me,
and unfortunately, so I think that and and and what's
funny for me is that I I was never like
embarrassed by my dad, like I'm incredibly I'm like obsessed
with him. I have him on a pedestal still, like
we're very alike. We talk constantly. We do talk about
(19:44):
the business, we do talk about stuff, but I don't
really go to him for anything having to do. He
finds out that I'm like doing jobs and stuff after
the fact.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
The creative is with you, like it's not shared with
him necessarily.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
And my audition for NYU is this sort of like
a little famous story in my family. I was I
was headed to NYU to audition for the drama program
and my dad was driving me there and I hadn't
yet to tell him what my monologue was when I
was doing anything like that, and he's been like asking me,
(20:26):
wanting me to do it for him, and I was
like no, no, no. As we were on our way, He's like, hey, Bryce,
why don't you just like warm up and why don't
you Why don't you just like say your monologue a
couple of times? And I was like Nope, that's okay.
And he was like, well, I mean maybe I can.
I can help you. It'd be good to just like
kind of just get it out and if there's anything
that you know or whatever. And I was like, no, no, really,
(20:47):
I'm okay, I'm fine. And my dad was like, Bryce,
I'm an a list director. Want my advice about this?
Like what why are you not you ask this?
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Like no, no.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
And so it's it's like he's gonna Imagine Documentaries produced pets.
Imagine is a company that my dad founded with Brian
Grazer and and it's been incredible getting to work with
Imagine documentaries. I worked with them on Dads and all
this kind of stuff. And my dad is gonna come
to there tonight. He's like, I can't wait to see
(21:25):
the movie.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Oh he hasn't even seen it yet until tonight.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
I love it. He's like, I hope it's good.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I was like, I could have sworn you saw it.
I could have sworn you saw it. He's like, yeah, yeah,
I saw some with your mom early on. I haven't
seen it.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
I was like, oh my goshosterical, I love it.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Okay, you mentioned Star Wars.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
You directed some of the live action episodes, and I
come from Grasnaty has a very intense fandom. But I
I don't know if anything can beat the Star Wars fandom.
I mean, the intensity of those fans is incredible. But
if I was stepping into direct even to act in
any sort of Star Wars anything, I would find it
(22:14):
so intimidating, wanting and hoping to make the fans happy.
I'm wondering if you went into directing those episodes with
the weight of the fandom sort of in the background,
or if you were able to sort of separate that
while you were able to do your job.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
That's such a great question. I mean, I think I
would feel differently about this if it was something if
I had created a news story within Star Wars, like
if I was Jon Favreau in this instance. Yeah, but
this is John Favreau's show. Mandalorian is his show, and
(22:53):
I was there to be of service to his vision.
And he had wisely partnered with Dave Filoni, who had
apprenticed with George Lucas Forever Come up in animation was
a very experienced UH Star Wars storyteller, and so it
(23:13):
was really my my focus was on understanding what what
what John was envisioning, understanding what Dave was envisioning, you know,
and and kind of like collaborating with them to bring
that to life. Like similar to like as as an actor,
you're it's probably different on TV show because as an
(23:36):
actor you're more you're more of an author of it
than the directors that come in. But you're like you're
for the show runner. You're there to breathe like these
that you know created before you were ever involved. And
so that's that's the That's kind of how I feel
(23:57):
about it as as an episodic director, I I really have.
I mean, it's like it's of course, it's like a
it's whenever you're working in something where there's a lot
of passion and there are a lot of folks who
(24:18):
who do Yeah, there's just a lot of like love
for it, for the the the intellectual property, like you do.
Like you you you do hope that your story resonates
and the intentions behind it resonate. And so it was
in you know, my head in in in that sense,
(24:41):
but it was really mostly about focusing on John and
Dave's vision. But if I'm doing my own show or
my own easy, my own short film, that's much more
kind of a conversation directly with the fan base, and
and that's even more that's that's more pressure, you know.
(25:02):
So I have a lot of respect for, you know,
anyone who steps into the role of being a showrunner.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
I do remember when your episodes came out, though, and
fans absolutely were obsessed with your episodes. They're obsessed with
you as a director of them.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
I'll never, I honestly will never get over the level
of warmth and support that I have felt from the
Star Wars community. It is so meaningful, and I do
not feel entitled to it at all. It doesn't always
have to happen. I do really like, I really rely
(25:40):
on the feedback, so I want everyone to always be
honest at every point act that that. It's been just
a lot of just so much, so much encouragement.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
It's it's so it's so meaningful just seeing all these
tweets about the episode that had come out and you
and I was like, yes, because it's like.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Female director in Star Wars. Oh my god, you know,
I was like so excited. I felt like it was
a win for all of us.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Right, Oh my gosh, that means so much now. I'm
I just forever, forever pinching myself that, you know, getting
to play in that sandbox and then that you know,
just yeah, yeah, yeah, to survive anything is amazing for
(26:26):
you know, there to be that much support, and I
just feel very grateful.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Do you feel like your passion now lies more with
directing than acting? Like, if you had to just pick
one lane to move forward, do you.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Know what that would be for you?
Speaker 3 (26:55):
I like how you framed that, because like, normally it's
for me, I don't. I don't have a like I
want to keep doing both. But if I have had
one lane moving forward, I would at this chapter lean
into directing more. And I and I am because I
love love love acting and I love love love directing,
(27:18):
and Pets is going to be, you know, or is
my second documentary feature. But I would love to direct
a narrative feature, you know, I would love to have
a show and direct pilots and all of that, and
so there are definitely there are there are you know,
(27:39):
I don't normally use this word I'm not it's not
a dirty word. But I don't even look at myself
as being ambitious. But I do have like certain ambitions,
Like there are things that I'm like, oh, it would
be great if I could direct a feature in my life.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Yes, I think ambitious is such a great word though, right,
Like I love that.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
I love that for you, I love that for all
of us. I want to see that.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Yeah, No, it's it's it's important. It's it's important to
have have things that are important. Sometimes because I'm not
a competitive person and not competitive, which I think is
like a happier it's like a happy, happier existence. Yeah,
it can take a little bit of the Like sometimes
people when they're competitive, they're clearer about what their goals are.
(28:24):
Where when you're just sort of like I just you know,
like I want to you know, be a good human being.
Oh yes, challenge and of course, you know, support my
family and just just all of that. It's that becomes
a little the goals become a little less clear, and
(28:44):
so just being like, yeah, if I had to be
in one lane moving forward and stick to one lane,
it would be directing. Wow, And I do have goals
that I haven't achieved yet that I would, you know,
would be amazing to get to achieve in this lifetime.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
My I've been a fangirl of you for a really
long time. Oh my god, yes, really long. I'm a
huge horror movie fan. And so The Village was I
was obsessed with the Village. It was not like your
first big breakout role, because that's my movie first movie
ever was The Village.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
I mean, yeh, that's like, that is insane. You're incredible
in it. I have so many moments from that movie
that I used to make my husband watch over and
over with me. And in fine you laugh, But okay,
there's one moment in this in the movie where like
the monster whatever that being is is creeping up and
you hold out your hand and walking phoenix s grabs
(29:43):
it in that slow mouth.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
I literally you're gonna laugh.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
I send that scene to my husband back in the
early days of dating, and I'm like, I feel like
this is us, Like you would just like take my hand.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
I don't know if he remembers that, I have to
ask him. That's how obsessed with that movie I was.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
And then okay, so what was it like getting that
movie I did not see the ending coming. I know
this is a million years ago for you, but just
as a fangirl, I have to ask you the process
of making that movie and m Night Shallaman what he
was like to work with.
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Oh my god, it was well, it was such a
kind of mind blowing experience I had done. I had
been auditioning for movies but had gained zero traction. I
don't think I was very I was like a little
big in my auditions. You know. I have a lot
of energy, and so just wasn't wasn't really getting callbacks
(30:34):
or anything. But I was. I was getting I was
working in theater, and so I had done I was
like twenty twenty one, and I had done by then
a Broadway run, a regional run, an off Broadway run,
and I was doing I was playing Rosalind in As
You Like It at the Public Theater, and Roslind is
(30:56):
a character who has like the most lines out of
like any any female Shakespearean character. And I was and
I was doing a show. And I was actually cast
like sort of last minute. I replaced someone who like
booked a pilot who had already been like performing it,
and so it was like sort of this like crazy
thing me just doing this show. And pretty early on performing,
(31:22):
I looked out and I like looked in the audience
because I'm obsessed with him night Shyamalan, and I was
obsessed with six Cents and obsessed with them break and
watched like the DVDs like extras of Unbreakable like NonStop,
just couldn't get enough of it. And I looked out
into the crowd and I was like, wait, that's a
night Shyamalan sitting in the crowd. And he had a
white shirt on. It was like he had a spotlight
on him and he waited.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
He's very recognizable. Yeah, yeah, yeah he is.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
He is totally And he waited afterwards with his wife
and they introduced themselves and he was in his early
thirties at the time. And a few weeks later he
reach out to my agent and asked to go to lunch,
and at lunch he handed me a Manila envelope and
(32:08):
was like, this is the script to my movie. I
would like you to play the lead. And I was like, what,
you don't want me to audition? And he went no,
because I don't want to give the studio a chance
to say no. To this.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
I know, I know this is just like you guys listening,
This never happens. This is the stuff that you land
in Hollywood and you dream of happening and then you
know it doesn't ever. Okay, So if that happened to me,
I feel like I'd be a little bit intimidated because
I would almost wonder if I'm right for it since
I'm not auditioning. The audition is like it's sometimes a
(32:43):
confirmation that, like, you were right for this role. So
when you were there on set on that first day,
it's your big role, you haven't even had to audition
for it.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Were you freaking out a little bit?
Speaker 1 (32:52):
So?
Speaker 3 (32:53):
No, And I'll tell you why I love it. I know.
Night was awesome. Night was I was the first person
cast other than Joaquin and Woquing Phoenix, and I had
had a giant crush on.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
Joaquin Phoenix since Gladiator.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
No, when he was in Parenthood and I was Parenthood
and we were on on location education together in the
trailer and I was he was twelve, and I was like,
I'm gone with the hospital's guy.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Oh my god, that's way back, way back. But real life,
real life crush, real life Okay, now he's been cast
as the Love and trust you guys, I'm sweating for you.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Here we are, Here we are and a night. Knowing
that this was my first movie, he he was like, Okay,
we're going to start rehearsing immediately, and so he would
book a car for me to come out from I
was living in New York at the time, to come
out from New York to to out Bucks County, Pennsylvania,
(34:03):
where he was living, which was, you know, like a
three hour drive, and I would go out there at
least a few times a week and I would sit
with him and we would go through the script and
then I would sort of like almost shadow him in
a way, so I would get to I would sit
with him while he was like with the storyboard artist.
I would sit with him while he was like going
through other casting things. I would sit with him when
(34:25):
he was like starting to talk with like the composer.
And I I don't know why he he he knew
to do that, but because I never articulated this, but
that's how I was raised. I was I was the oldest,
and I was always with my dad on set, and
I would just be shadowing him. I would just be
(34:46):
like with him at all times, and because the younger
ones were like very overwhelming, and they were twins, and
then another one two years after, and so it was
like they were at home and I came to set
and and and so I ended up feeling very comfortable.
The comfort that I felt because of the privilege of
(35:09):
growing up in the industry and particularly spending so much
time on a movie set, which is like such a
rare occurrence for a person to be on a movie
set unless you like have a job on the lucky lucky, lucky, lucky,
privileged beyond. And then Night sort of replicated that dynamic.
(35:29):
So the questions that I had so many questions were
being answered as I was just privy to his process
as a filmmaker and as a director. By then i'd
been I'd already been directing theater and all that kind
of stuff, and I was like, oh my god, the
way this man works is so unique, so remarkable, so disciplined,
(35:51):
so creative, Oh my god, it was just mind blowing,
so genuinely. For six months now, I worked with me
and then separately, you know, I was doing a lot
of research and a lot of work and and I
and I do it's important for me to say this,
uh uh. As much as I I loved playing I
(36:13):
v Walker uh And you know, what a great character
and there is a supernatural as to to her, and
you know, and and the movie at large, that's a
that's a visually impaired character. And I'm not visually impaired.
And there are like so many dough actors out there
who would have killed at that part. So I am
(36:37):
looking forward to you know, more movies happening like The
Village and for it to be cast in a way
authentic to the character. So it's really important to say that.
And I and I really at the time, I really appreciated,
uh and and valued enormously all the incredible individuals you know,
(36:57):
from the blind community who were I would not have
been able to do that performance had I not been
you know, learning from them and talking to them and
consulting and all that kind of stuff. So very very
very very grateful and and yes, and and and we
can do better.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
But I know, I love that you said that I
thought you were beautiful in the movie.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
I really was such a fan.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
And I also love that you said that too. Are
your kids kind of wanting to be in industry for sure,
(37:41):
for sure. Okay, cool. It's funny because my daughter, So,
I always wanted to be an actress from like five
years old. I was obsessed with the Wizard of Oz,
I obsessed with Annie. And my daughter got to do
a production of Annie when she was like so seven,
and I was like, oh my god, this was my dream.
(38:01):
I never got to do this, and she walked off
the stage. It was like a local community little thing.
She walked off the stage, and I said, oh my god,
how was that? And she was like, I hated it
so boring?
Speaker 2 (38:13):
And I was like, oh, so horrified.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
It's not that I want her in the industry, but
I was like, she just doesn't have that thing right now.
And I honestly hope that she kind of doesn't right
because we know what it's like to be in our
industry is really tough. And she's actually a beautiful artist.
But I don't think any of my husband's an actress too.
I don't think our genetics have at all spread to
(38:36):
the kids with the acting vibe.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
That could change. So I when I was a kid,
I was like I said, I was kind of like
a you know, quiet and a dreamer and my dad
would said that he would go to the he would
go to the play because he was like a child actor.
So and I was like a cute little kid, and
so we was like, Oh, she's gonna be dazzling on
(39:02):
the street, stand in the back and just like mouths
and clearly didn't know any of the song, just like
what yes, And it just wasn't It didn't. It didn't
switch on for me until until later. There were a
(39:23):
few kind of things that I was like, whoa, whoa,
whoa whoa. But it was like I remember I was
going to an academic camp that my parents were like,
why are you doing this? Brightce when I was between
like seventh and eighth grade and like eighth grade and
ninth grade, and it was at Vassar. It was super
super fun and they had a theater kind of they
(39:46):
had like a theater program as part of the summer program.
But it never occurred to me to sign up for it.
I was like, no, I'm here to study debate and
philosophy and psychology and I sign up to come to
Vassar to take college level courses and why would I
do theater? Like what, like yeah, you know, it's so
(40:06):
weird that that didn't really occur to me. So I
wasn't I wasn't really a kid that that was thinking acting.
I did want to be on a set. All I
wanted was to be on a set. My parents had
total control over me because if they even began to
threaten the possibility of me not being able to go
(40:28):
to the set and the next day, I was going
to cooperate.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
What did you love about it?
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Because right now when I bring my kids, they love
the Crafty truck.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
They love it. They're like, they know that there's.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
A bunch of cookies, but other than that, and they
do like sitting there and listen. But then you know,
forty five minutes in, they're like, are we going to go? So?
Speaker 2 (40:44):
What was it that you loved about being there as
a kid?
Speaker 3 (40:47):
So Crafty is the perfect gateway. When I was seven,
my first my first like in quotes job on set
was I because I wanted to help and that was
kind of the idea to my parents were like, you
don't get to like hang around unless you're helping because
no one on everyone on set has a job, and so,
(41:10):
uh so I would help with squeezing the orange juice
in the morning at Craft Service. But then I really
I like, I loved Craft Service so much, and like
by the time I was eleven, they had to like
release a memo at some point and they're like, if
you see right headed children by Craft Service, please guide
them to a village because they do not belong there.
(41:38):
When I would, I think it was it was that
there were like I would go, I would go into
work in the morning with my dad and he would
kind of talk through the shot list and he would
you know, he made it really interesting because I was
really included in his process, and so I was almost
like a game. Like I knew that he had had,
(42:00):
you know, seven setups before lunch and these situations and
how are they going to figure it out? And the
actor was dealing with X, Y or Z and I
had heard that, and so so I was always I
was always it was very active, and it never felt boring.
Never felt boring, Okay, going back to the village for
(42:24):
a moment. I was so kind of trained in my
head like when you're good, you're on set. When you're
like being punished, you're not on set. That I would
wrap like with the village and if they had like
additional setups without me. I would literally be like, can
(42:45):
I just.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
Sign out and set and hang out and I can.
Speaker 3 (42:49):
Like go and help prep the wicks. Can I just
get to like going from department to department and and yeah,
they finally like they were like, they were like, yeah,
you can out and just hanging your trailer. And I
was like, no, I either want to be on set,
but if it's like a close set in this moment,
I'd rather just go and hang in the trailers. And
and so yeah, I did not feel comfortable leaving until
(43:11):
everybody else was gone. Wow.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
I have to admit I'm not as professional or as
passionate as that, because when I get to go, I'm in.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
My car, I'm so tired. Oh yeah, but.
Speaker 3 (43:26):
That's how I am. Now that's totally I like, how
I am it? No, that's I'm like, yeah, but everyone
I love it. I light up when I'm yeah, No,
it's it's it's it's a lot, it's a lot.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
It is Those are Those are long days, people, They
can be seventeen hour plus days.
Speaker 3 (43:44):
Acting were tiring than directing, I think, oh, oh a
lot more tiring than directing.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Oh that's so interesting, by a lot.
Speaker 3 (43:53):
My opinion.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
Yeah, that's interesting. I've never done.
Speaker 1 (43:57):
You know, there's a lot of actors on our show
that end up directing, and I've been asked if it's
something that I'm interested in. I would love to direct
a comedy. That's what I would like to do. I
would just that's one of my dreams to be able
to do that at some point.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
But I'll have.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
To report back what I find more exhausting if I
get to actually have the honor of doing that one day.
I have to tell you that my daughter also loves
you because she loves spooky things. She loves creepy things
and scary things, and I have held off on letting
her watch anything scary and then the first movie Listen,
I don't judge me because maybe it's not appropriate. I
(44:35):
let her watch earlier this year Jurassic World. Okay, yeah,
well she's eight. I don't know if it's a little young.
I don't know if it's a little young, but we
watched it. She is so obsessed with that movie and
her favorite part is my part. And my husband was like,
you have to tell her that you made us watch
(44:56):
the slow mo run out of the two where you
had to open the t Rex cage and then you
run out slow mo I, like you know when you
said in a movie theater and you get goosebumps. That
was a goosebump scene for me, and my daughter loves
it too.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
So I asked her if.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
She wanted me to ask you anything, And she wanted
me to ask you if you could pick your favorite
dinosaur between Blue, who is the he's a lot, yes, yes,
and the t Rex. And I was like, I'll have
to ask her.
Speaker 3 (45:27):
Oh, that's that's a tough tough that's a tough one.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
Because Blue is trainable the t Rex isn't.
Speaker 1 (45:34):
But the t Rex did kind of help say the
day with Blue in that I don't know, it must.
Speaker 2 (45:38):
Be complicated for you. I understand.
Speaker 3 (45:40):
The way the way I think about Rexy is like
she's really she's the true lead of the entire franchise,
Like she's in every movie. She's like the true like
the true lead. She's number one on the call sheet,
number one on the call shop.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
Yeah she should be Yes.
Speaker 3 (45:57):
Okay, So I love like I I should. I should
choose the t Rex because I've ran from her. I
ended up riding on her back a little bit when
she was passed out during Fallen Kingdom. There's like definitely
a lot of connections there, yes, But Blue as as
a character is so is so exciting because it's it
(46:21):
sort of gets into like the pets territory where it's like,
oh my gosh, this is like this is like a
very dangerous animal where there's a relationship with and and
especially when boot Blue is not in captivity anymore, it's
like and you see that, like choices are made in
(46:42):
support of the relationship and the bond between Blue and
Owen Grady. I'm like all about that. I love I
love that so much. And I think I always felt
like it was something that that all of us talked
about and that Chris Pratt in particular was really focused
on sort of not not making Blue overly cuddly. Keeping
(47:07):
the danger real is uh is so much a part
of the peal of appeal of it because then you're like,
oh my gosh when she's like, you know, trying to
help out take down the indominous Rex.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
I know, we just saw you.
Speaker 1 (47:22):
We went to it was spring break and we went
to Universal Studios last week and we just saw you.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
On the ride. Have your kids done that ride? And
do they are they like that's mom or are they like,
oh god, that's mom my.
Speaker 3 (47:36):
God? You know what is the creepy thing? And this
is like classic like how we started with me being
like like my dad hasn't even yeah, like that's going
to be coming up. I have no idea. I have
no idea. They have totally been to Universal. They go
to Universal fright night.
Speaker 2 (47:54):
You're in that ride, you're one of the you have
a little thing.
Speaker 3 (47:57):
Where you don't done it.
Speaker 2 (47:59):
They didn't report back anything.
Speaker 1 (48:02):
No, we're impressed, nonplussed, not impressed. You can't even be
a ride at Universal Studios.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
I don't know what. How do we win our kids over?
What can we do? I don't know what we could do.
Speaker 3 (48:12):
There's nothing. There's nothing that we can do. There's there's
there's nothing. We just have to wait for the hormones
to settle. And then one.
Speaker 1 (48:21):
Day, in thirty years from now they have kids, Yeah,
then they'll be on the ride and they'll be like, look,
there's Grandma, and that'll be the moment.
Speaker 3 (48:32):
It's true. I mean when I when I was a
kid growing up and my dad was filming Apollo thirteen,
it was at the Universal back lot, and and I was,
you know, like helping out on set and stuff like that,
and I was in charge of getting all the lunch
orders together and your crafty dreams related. Yeah, yeah, And
(48:59):
when after lunch and after everything was cleaned up, I
would always have like a little break and sometimes I
would like go into the park and ride the rides,
which is like so fun. And there was a backdraft
ride that my dad was in and I remember being
impressed with that.
Speaker 1 (49:20):
I think you got to ask them. I'd be like,
I know you guys have been and I know I'm
on ront.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
Of those rides. We have yet to discuss.
Speaker 3 (49:27):
They must have, they must have.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
I have one last question for you before we go,
and it's very timely, and since you brought up Apollo thirteen,
I have to ask, yes, the first all female crew
that went up into space, Katie Perry. Everyone's talking about it.
So when they're talking about like space tourism, Now, if
you were offered the chance to go up into space,
(49:53):
would you take it?
Speaker 2 (49:53):
Because I watched that launch and I was like, there's
no way, no, there's no way, I'm going, no way.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
No.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
It doesn't help that you on the set of a
Pollo thirteen.
Speaker 3 (50:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean it's it's I
think the sensation probably of feeling weightless is you know, unbelievable.
In all of that, And when they were doing Apollo thirteen,
they did this thing called the Vomit Commet is what
they nicknamed it. Where is a plane that would like
drop and they would get twenty seven seconds of weightlessness?
Speaker 2 (50:26):
Is that how they shot that?
Speaker 3 (50:28):
How they freaking shot that movie? Insane? The insurance would
never cover it now and so and so that kind
of like weightless thing is wild.
Speaker 1 (50:40):
I mean, maybe I could do that. I feel like
though they were only up there for apparently like four minutes,
it was like four minutes of weightlessness and the terror
of going up, and then they had the sound audio
of them coming down. Then are all just screaming. I
don't even like flying, Like, I don't know if the
four minutes is worth it, I really don't.
Speaker 2 (51:00):
Yeah, I watched it. I was not jealous at all.
Speaker 3 (51:04):
My mom would love to go to space. She would
love to go to space. Love it. And my one
of my nieces, my brother is like terrified because she's
we can just like all feel it. We're like, oh god,
she's going to be an astronaut. We can just feel it,
(51:25):
feel it like that is terrifying. And he's like, she's
gonna want to go to Mars.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
I'm like, I know, I know, I know, but I
futurize too with my kids too.
Speaker 2 (51:35):
I would be like this too.
Speaker 1 (51:36):
I'm like, God, it's going to be a Venus trip
when she's twenty one. It's not gonna be Calma anymore.
Speaker 2 (51:40):
It's gonna be Venus. Thank you so much for coming
on the pod.
Speaker 1 (51:46):
Please everybody check out this incredible documentary Pets on Disney. Plus,
it makes for such a good family movie night.
Speaker 2 (51:52):
That's my plan.
Speaker 1 (51:53):
I watched it by myself drinking coffee this morning and
giggled and felt all the warmth and all the things.
And I've been wanting. You were on my original guest
list for this podcast day one, and so I'm just
so happy that you're finally here.
Speaker 3 (52:06):
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,
Call It What It Is with Jessica Capshaw and Camille Ludington,
an iHeartRadio podcast. Hello, Hello, Hello, Call It Crew, and
welcome to another episode of Call It What It Is. Today,
(00:22):
I am flying solo without my work wife, but I
am joined by someone super exciting, Bryce Dallas Howard, and
I'm equally as excited and nervous to have her on
because you guys, I've been a fan for a really
long time, and I'm gonna have to geek out a
little bit. She's been an everything I've loved. I've loved
(00:44):
her in the Village, i loved her in Jurassic World,
She's directed Star Wars, and she's a new documentary called
Pets Out on Disney Plus. I'm going to bring her
in because we have so much to talk about.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Everyone. Welcome Bryce Dallas Howard.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Okay, Bryce Dallas Howard, Welcome to Call It What It Is.
Thank you so much for being here today. I know
you're so crazy busy. I spent the morning watching Pets,
your new documentary that you directed on Disney Plus, and
in the first ten minutes I was giggling so hard.
I was chuckling like I and I woke up in
(01:24):
a really funky mood. And I have to say that
watching the documentary made me so happy, like literally bright
in my day.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I'm not even kidding.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Yay, that is the hope, that's that's the intention, because
that's what pets do, right.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yes, And I was surrounded by my dogs.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I have three rescue dogs, so they were with me
and one of the dogs. There's a part of the
documentary where there's a guy like out canoeing with this
female dog that looks just like my dog, and I
was like, look, this is what you could be doing
if I was more active.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
But after it's definitely like in a kayak off the
coast of Spain, and he has this adorable little doll
yeah the street. Yeah, and she's just a complete rock star.
And they're living this like wish fulfillment life for life
for both like dogs and humans alike. It's yeah, yeah,
someone gets to live like that. But Sergei does, Sergei does.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I wanted to talk to you about why you ended
up creating this documentary, sort of what research went into it.
How did you find these kids too? I was like,
how does she find them? You want TikTok searching for you? Like,
how did you find all these people to be part
of this documentary?
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Well, it was pets. I love pets, and I'm I'm
one of those folks that you know, like I'm sending
videos early in the morning of just like the pet
things that I find that crack me up. And I'm
always taking pictures of my pets, and you know, they're
just it's it's a whole, it's it's just a huge
(02:57):
part of my life and always has been, and I
feel very lucky for that. And as I was making
the movie Dads, which I did a few years ago,
which is really a celebration of, you know, of dads
and that that specific form of love, I kept being like,
oh my god, We've got to do this for pets.
(03:18):
We have to do this for pets, because there there
are documentaries that I mean, you know, and there's plenty
of stuff out there, but in terms of things for kids,
I've just looping back to your casting question, like I've
seen documentaries for kids about like wildlife and whatnot. Yeah,
(03:39):
but I love talking to kids about their pets, maybe
even more than adults. I don't know. It's pretty much
fun across.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
So I agree because even talking to my kids about
their pets. It's just they're so part of their life
and they and one of your one of the kids
early in the documentary describes them as being these magical
beings that have taken pet form, and I just thought
it was like such a beauty, beat full description of
a pet.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
The thing that really blew my mind. And just to
quickly answer your casting question, the producer of this project,
who is my partner in every single in every single way,
Elizabeth Jamison. She started as a casting director, so she
of documentaries and so she knows how to find folks
who are genuine and unaffected. And it was like a
(04:28):
lot of friends of friends kids and all that kind
of stuff. So that was really cool. And the thing
that I sort of learned talking to kids about their pets,
which I experienced myself, but I'm so far from it now,
like as an adult, I didn't remember this. They're especially
(04:49):
wise and insightful about their pets because it's one of
the first times the kid that you start to almost
be like a little adult. You start to have authority,
and you need to have discipline, and you have responsibilities,
and they're the being you know that is your pet.
Is more vulnerable than you, and as a kid, you're
(05:10):
used to being the most vulnerable one. And so the
sort of perspective, the parenting perspective that kids have in
regards to their pets is so incredible to get to
hear about.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
So. I have a four year old little boy, Lucas,
and he we have three rescue dogs.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
He loves those dogs so much.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
When you were saying that, it brings me to times
when he comes up to us and he's like, Mommy,
Sully needs someone love.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
She's not feeling good right now, and it's like, you're right.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
It's like he has that parental instinct over these puppies,
and some of them are older than him.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
It's just so cute.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Did you Were you in a family that had animals,
because I did not grow up with animals, and I
was so excited to be an adult and get them.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
No way, what was the reason that you.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
My mom was super allergic, and so I always wanted dogs.
I had like picture books of puppies and I was
just obsessed. And so then when I could afford to
look after an animal in my late twenties, I got
my first rescue and then every day I almost picked
up a dog this morning. Actually I really did, the
(06:20):
only reason that I didn't, my husband was like, I
just can't even look at you do what you want
to do is because it was already.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Taken my dog.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
I would wait for four pets, which I argue is fine,
Oh my gosh, but did you grow up with pets?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I did? I did. I I was really lucky. My
mom grew up with so many pets. She has like
insane stories growing up in Incino, California, and her dad
was like a pilot and he would like go off
and bring back all these animals, and it was just like, wait,
(06:56):
what should like a pet armadilla? Like? Do not? That
is not something that can happen. They're not pets. They're
not pets. But for my mom, you know, that was
the case. And monkeys and all that kind.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Of stuff really in Encino.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Yeah, there snakes and turtles and chicken and donkeys and
alpaca and cats and dogs and yeah, rats and and
but it was what was cool is that my mom
her philosophy was if we were really going to take
(07:33):
care of the pets, then she was game. And she
held us to that. Like it was like weekends were
mucking out the goat barn. It was just like that.
Those that was if, like, if I wanted to have goats,
That's what I was going to be doing on the weekends.
That was perfect because it's sort of like as a
(07:56):
child it it It didn't give us a false sense
of what that responsibility would be. I think sometimes when
parents sort of like take on all the responsibilities for
the pet, which they should, but not including the kids,
then kids grow up and think, oh, it's just easy
(08:16):
to be a guardian to a dog or a cat
or a fish or whatever it is, and no, it's
a huge responsibility, a huge, huge responsibility. So my mom
definitely modeled that for us and just you know, we're
just crazy pet people as a result.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So yeah, I love that so much.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
My daughter, we just went through this with my daughter
because she wants a snake. She's been wanting a snake
since she was very young. We had these people over
for a birthday party once that brought snakes over and
she's she's like two years old with this giant snake
on her. She loved them, and then so she's been
wanting them every single Christmas. She asked for one and
we explained to her that Sam because she threatens to
(09:01):
write Sanna. She's like, I don't have to ask you.
I can just write Santa the letter and he'll just
bring in.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And then we have to explain to her that on
the sleigh.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
The gatekeeping stop gatekeeping them.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yes, exactly right.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
We let her know that other things on the sleigh
maybe scare the snakes, so to hold off from that
letter for Santa.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
But she finally just got her first.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Own pet herself, which is our pet, hamster. And the
conditions that we said were you got to clean out
the hamster cage and you got to check the water.
And I think that it, even though it's not that
hard work, I think that it was a little shock,
a little adjustment for her to realize what it really
meant to take care of that pet. So I totally
(09:41):
agree with you that it's a great way for kids
to learn the responsibility of what a little thing is
in your house.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
It's a living being.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah. And then what's so funny is that story about
your daughter with the seeing at a birthday party seeing snakes.
I when I was five, at my birthday party, came
out with snakes and I screamed, and ran into the
other room and my mom was like, oh, I know
what I'm getting her for her birthday. So I got
a little corn snake snake. I know this is what
(10:11):
she wants to little corn snake. And I named him
Jophis and he was to be Joseph, but I had
his teach impediment, and god, so cute. He was so
cute and I was just literally just yesterday I was
with my sister and brother and their kids, and my
(10:32):
sister just got a corn snake for her kid, and
it's just like the cutest their faces.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
They are really cute.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
I mean, I'm not a snake person, but I do
think the corn snakes are very very cute. We got
got to hold a few, and they're they're like they're
like the labradors of sort of snakes.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Apparently they're like friendly and emotional and like really really really,
I you know, there was a real I felt loved.
I felt loved by Jophis, Like I definitely definitely definitely
felt loved. But what's interesting is I'm still terrified of snakes.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
It's just really just that one.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Was it like love at first sight as a kid
when you got him then or did it take some
intimation and I don't know what that but this has
talked about on your documentary though. Actually that moment where
there are just some like there's a there's a guy
in nor documentary who was a rapper and then he
ends up rescuing cats.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
The trap King, right, the trap King. He made me
laugh so hard.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
But he has a story about how, you know, he's
rescued so many cats, but there was one particular cat
that's like your soul mate animal, right, like the Toto
to your Dorothy a little bit. And I feel like
maybe that snake was that for that for you?
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Yeah, in many ways, yes, Sterling. Sterling talks about that
out now is the score or you know, soundtrack for
pets and one of his raps is on there.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Okay, okay, I loved it. I was giggling so hard.
I thought it was so cus on incredible.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
So he yes, so he runs, he runs a cat
rescue and before all this kind of like what you
you learned this in the documentary, he had a cat
that he named Rick James and with like his solemate
and and sort of changed everything for him. And and
(12:42):
I definitely, I mean I think that that sort of
exists for for all of us. For me definitely jopis
as Nick that was that was a really really really
big deal. But before that, when I was young, I
was very quiet to a degree that was a little
alarming for my parents. And when I was they said
(13:06):
they had heard some like little chuckles and stuff, but
very kind of just internal, okay, And I my parents
got me a dog named Frisky, a little jack Russell terrier.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Oh my god, that's like a little Toto like sort of.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Yeah. Yeah, he was really cute. And he was pulling
on my blanket and so we were doing like a
tug of war thing and and I let out this
giant belly laugh and my parents said they like they've
never forgotten it was like I was just like laughing.
So they were like, you sounded like an adult. And
(13:41):
I have a very very very big belly laugh now
to this day. But they were like, it was like
Frisky like brought me to earth sort of. And and
so it's you know, animals, they like, I feel so
present when it doesn't even have to be like my pet,
(14:02):
a pet and animal, you know, it just it's such
a beautiful relationship and it's a relationship without words.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
When you were doing the documentary, was there an animal
that really stood out to you that you were like,
if I could take that animal, I would steal that one.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Right, right, right right. So there's a there's a thing
in the documentary that was kind of blew my mind
because I hear lots of stories about, you know, pets
doing incredible things for their people, and you know the
enormity and depths of that love. And then Surgery, one
(15:00):
of the folks that we that we profiled, who's on
the kayak off the coast of Spain. He's got this
adorable dog, Nirvana, who's like like a like total wish
fulfillment on every level. And then and then he rescued
a kitten named Goku who needed nursing uh in order
(15:23):
to survive, and Nirvana the dog nursed Goku the cat,
and it was not with like no human intervention at all,
Like it was just something natural that happened. And so
it was just sort of like that, the fact that
that love can exist in animals, Like it's not just
(15:46):
it's not just like you know, human beings and animals, it's,
oh my god, they show up for each other in
a way that is so uh so meaningful. I mean
that just that just really stood out to me always.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
That's I mean, I'm always, I mean, unfortunately, I'm always
on TikTok looking at animal stuff, so I get sucked
into everything. And when you see that those things like
the rescued farm animal making friends with the random dog
and now they're together, that's my I could watch that
for hours. As soon as this documentary came out, my
husband didn't know I was interviewing you, and he was like, Camilla,
(16:23):
You're gonna be obsessed with this, and I was like,
that's so funny.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I'm interviewing her on Monday.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
I love And I'm gonna rewatch it with my kids
on Friday night, by the way, because that's our movie night,
so we've made pets our movie night for Friday. I
want to ask you, because usually I do this podcast
with my work wife, Jessica Capshaw.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Have you ever met because I feel like you're sort.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Of we've like not like properly, properly properly, but we
like we've like we've like met each other at like
you know, like a easter like gathering. Yes, but not for.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Many okay, okay. So I want to ask you a
question because I was asking her.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
I know, I know her stepsister and her half sister
sister step.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Yes, half sister or half sister.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
So I was asking her last week because she was
talking about being out in the world and auditioning and
just you know, the hustle of it, you know, for everybody.
Last week I asked her if she sends her dab
or she asks her dad for tips sometimes on her
acting work, right, she'll send him some of her auditions
after they've been sent. But is there ever a time
(17:29):
where it's like, hey, do you want to sort of
like direct me?
Speaker 2 (17:32):
And so I'm curious.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
You have an incredible director as a father to Ron Howard.
Does do you ever go to him for tips on
now directing out in the world or do you keep
that sort of separate in your relationship with him.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
It's so weird because I'm it's not conscious, but I yeah,
I should, I should.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
No, I mean I think it's an organ No, I
think it's a really organic thing that probably happens. That's
your parent, right, So it's I'm joke that my dad
is not an actor, but he wants to give me
tips on my acting all the time.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
He's definitely never done in his life and he's terrible
at it. He has a lot of opinions, but no.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
She It was just an interesting conversation because I was
like I would be hitting him up all the time
being like what should I do with this role?
Speaker 2 (18:24):
And that's just not something that happens so so clearly. Yes,
I mean it's.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Like, you know, it's kind of I'm experiencing this now
because I have an eighteen year old and a thirteen
year old, and like I was like a young mom,
like I'm not like, you know, a cool, cool person,
but I'm like, I you know, I like direct in
Star Wars, and I.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Know, I was like, I think that a lot of
people would think that you're cool, but kids never think
you're cool.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
You never think you're We're never going to be cool, no,
And so I'm like, oh wow, and like I embarrass
Like how the degree to which I'm so embarrassing, It's
I never knew I could be so embarrassing to another being.
Just the breath coming out of me, ye humiliating, Yeah,
just gets you know, it's just yeah, my son is
(19:14):
uh spoiler, he's more tolerant of me.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I have a girl and a boy too, so I
understand this dynamic.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Yeah, yeah, I know. She's she's definitely mortified by me,
and unfortunately, so I think that and and and what's
funny for me is that I I was never like
embarrassed by my dad, like I'm incredibly I'm like obsessed
with him. I have him on a pedestal still, like
we're very alike. We talk constantly. We do talk about
(19:44):
the business, we do talk about stuff, but I don't
really go to him for anything having to do. He
finds out that I'm like doing jobs and stuff after
the fact.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
The creative is with you, like it's not shared with
him necessarily.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
And my audition for NYU is this sort of like
a little famous story in my family. I was I
was headed to NYU to audition for the drama program
and my dad was driving me there and I hadn't
yet to tell him what my monologue was when I
was doing anything like that, and he's been like asking me,
(20:26):
wanting me to do it for him, and I was
like no, no, no. As we were on our way, He's like, hey, Bryce,
why don't you just like warm up and why don't
you Why don't you just like say your monologue a
couple of times? And I was like Nope, that's okay.
And he was like, well, I mean maybe I can.
I can help you. It'd be good to just like
kind of just get it out and if there's anything
that you know or whatever. And I was like, no, no, really,
(20:47):
I'm okay, I'm fine. And my dad was like, Bryce,
I'm an a list director. Want my advice about this?
Like what why are you not you ask this?
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Like no, no.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
And so it's it's like he's gonna Imagine Documentaries produced pets.
Imagine is a company that my dad founded with Brian
Grazer and and it's been incredible getting to work with
Imagine documentaries. I worked with them on Dads and all
this kind of stuff. And my dad is gonna come
to there tonight. He's like, I can't wait to see
(21:25):
the movie.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Oh he hasn't even seen it yet until tonight.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
I love it. He's like, I hope it's good.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I was like, I could have sworn you saw it.
I could have sworn you saw it. He's like, yeah, yeah,
I saw some with your mom early on. I haven't
seen it.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
I was like, oh my goshosterical, I love it.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Okay, you mentioned Star Wars.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
You directed some of the live action episodes, and I
come from Grasnaty has a very intense fandom. But I
I don't know if anything can beat the Star Wars fandom.
I mean, the intensity of those fans is incredible. But
if I was stepping into direct even to act in
any sort of Star Wars anything, I would find it
(22:14):
so intimidating, wanting and hoping to make the fans happy.
I'm wondering if you went into directing those episodes with
the weight of the fandom sort of in the background,
or if you were able to sort of separate that
while you were able to do your job.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
That's such a great question. I mean, I think I
would feel differently about this if it was something if
I had created a news story within Star Wars, like
if I was Jon Favreau in this instance. Yeah, but
this is John Favreau's show. Mandalorian is his show, and
(22:53):
I was there to be of service to his vision.
And he had wisely partnered with Dave Filoni, who had
apprenticed with George Lucas Forever Come up in animation was
a very experienced UH Star Wars storyteller, and so it
(23:13):
was really my my focus was on understanding what what
what John was envisioning, understanding what Dave was envisioning, you know,
and and kind of like collaborating with them to bring
that to life. Like similar to like as as an actor,
you're it's probably different on TV show because as an
(23:36):
actor you're more you're more of an author of it
than the directors that come in. But you're like you're
for the show runner. You're there to breathe like these
that you know created before you were ever involved. And
so that's that's the That's kind of how I feel
(23:57):
about it as as an episodic director, I I really have.
I mean, it's like it's of course, it's like a
it's whenever you're working in something where there's a lot
of passion and there are a lot of folks who
(24:18):
who do Yeah, there's just a lot of like love
for it, for the the the intellectual property, like you do.
Like you you you do hope that your story resonates
and the intentions behind it resonate. And so it was
in you know, my head in in in that sense,
(24:41):
but it was really mostly about focusing on John and
Dave's vision. But if I'm doing my own show or
my own easy, my own short film, that's much more
kind of a conversation directly with the fan base, and
and that's even more that's that's more pressure, you know.
(25:02):
So I have a lot of respect for, you know,
anyone who steps into the role of being a showrunner.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
I do remember when your episodes came out, though, and
fans absolutely were obsessed with your episodes. They're obsessed with
you as a director of them.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
I'll never, I honestly will never get over the level
of warmth and support that I have felt from the
Star Wars community. It is so meaningful, and I do
not feel entitled to it at all. It doesn't always
have to happen. I do really like, I really rely
(25:40):
on the feedback, so I want everyone to always be
honest at every point act that that. It's been just
a lot of just so much, so much encouragement.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
It's it's so it's so meaningful just seeing all these
tweets about the episode that had come out and you
and I was like, yes, because it's like.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Female director in Star Wars. Oh my god, you know,
I was like so excited. I felt like it was
a win for all of us.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Right, Oh my gosh, that means so much now. I'm
I just forever, forever pinching myself that, you know, getting
to play in that sandbox and then that you know,
just yeah, yeah, yeah, to survive anything is amazing for
(26:26):
you know, there to be that much support, and I
just feel very grateful.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Do you feel like your passion now lies more with
directing than acting? Like, if you had to just pick
one lane to move forward, do you.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Know what that would be for you?
Speaker 3 (26:55):
I like how you framed that, because like, normally it's
for me, I don't. I don't have a like I
want to keep doing both. But if I have had
one lane moving forward, I would at this chapter lean
into directing more. And I and I am because I
love love love acting and I love love love directing,
(27:18):
and Pets is going to be, you know, or is
my second documentary feature. But I would love to direct
a narrative feature, you know, I would love to have
a show and direct pilots and all of that, and
so there are definitely there are there are you know,
(27:39):
I don't normally use this word I'm not it's not
a dirty word. But I don't even look at myself
as being ambitious. But I do have like certain ambitions,
Like there are things that I'm like, oh, it would
be great if I could direct a feature in my life.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Yes, I think ambitious is such a great word though, right,
Like I love that.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
I love that for you, I love that for all
of us. I want to see that.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Yeah, No, it's it's it's important. It's it's important to
have have things that are important. Sometimes because I'm not
a competitive person and not competitive, which I think is
like a happier it's like a happy, happier existence. Yeah,
it can take a little bit of the Like sometimes
people when they're competitive, they're clearer about what their goals are.
(28:24):
Where when you're just sort of like I just you know,
like I want to you know, be a good human being.
Oh yes, challenge and of course, you know, support my
family and just just all of that. It's that becomes
a little the goals become a little less clear, and
(28:44):
so just being like, yeah, if I had to be
in one lane moving forward and stick to one lane,
it would be directing. Wow, And I do have goals
that I haven't achieved yet that I would, you know,
would be amazing to get to achieve in this lifetime.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
My I've been a fangirl of you for a really
long time. Oh my god, yes, really long. I'm a
huge horror movie fan. And so The Village was I
was obsessed with the Village. It was not like your
first big breakout role, because that's my movie first movie
ever was The Village.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
I mean, yeh, that's like, that is insane. You're incredible
in it. I have so many moments from that movie
that I used to make my husband watch over and
over with me. And in fine you laugh, But okay,
there's one moment in this in the movie where like
the monster whatever that being is is creeping up and
you hold out your hand and walking phoenix s grabs
(29:43):
it in that slow mouth.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
I literally you're gonna laugh.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
I send that scene to my husband back in the
early days of dating, and I'm like, I feel like
this is us, Like you would just like take my hand.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
I don't know if he remembers that, I have to
ask him. That's how obsessed with that movie I was.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
And then okay, so what was it like getting that
movie I did not see the ending coming. I know
this is a million years ago for you, but just
as a fangirl, I have to ask you the process
of making that movie and m Night Shallaman what he
was like to work with.
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Oh my god, it was well, it was such a
kind of mind blowing experience I had done. I had
been auditioning for movies but had gained zero traction. I
don't think I was very I was like a little
big in my auditions. You know. I have a lot
of energy, and so just wasn't wasn't really getting callbacks
(30:34):
or anything. But I was. I was getting I was
working in theater, and so I had done I was
like twenty twenty one, and I had done by then
a Broadway run, a regional run, an off Broadway run,
and I was doing I was playing Rosalind in As
You Like It at the Public Theater, and Roslind is
(30:56):
a character who has like the most lines out of
like any any female Shakespearean character. And I was and
I was doing a show. And I was actually cast
like sort of last minute. I replaced someone who like
booked a pilot who had already been like performing it,
and so it was like sort of this like crazy
thing me just doing this show. And pretty early on performing,
(31:22):
I looked out and I like looked in the audience
because I'm obsessed with him night Shyamalan, and I was
obsessed with six Cents and obsessed with them break and
watched like the DVDs like extras of Unbreakable like NonStop,
just couldn't get enough of it. And I looked out
into the crowd and I was like, wait, that's a
night Shyamalan sitting in the crowd. And he had a
white shirt on. It was like he had a spotlight
on him and he waited.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
He's very recognizable. Yeah, yeah, yeah he is.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
He is totally And he waited afterwards with his wife
and they introduced themselves and he was in his early
thirties at the time. And a few weeks later he
reach out to my agent and asked to go to lunch,
and at lunch he handed me a Manila envelope and
(32:08):
was like, this is the script to my movie. I
would like you to play the lead. And I was like, what,
you don't want me to audition? And he went no,
because I don't want to give the studio a chance
to say no. To this.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
I know, I know this is just like you guys listening,
This never happens. This is the stuff that you land
in Hollywood and you dream of happening and then you
know it doesn't ever. Okay, So if that happened to me,
I feel like I'd be a little bit intimidated because
I would almost wonder if I'm right for it since
I'm not auditioning. The audition is like it's sometimes a
(32:43):
confirmation that, like, you were right for this role. So
when you were there on set on that first day,
it's your big role, you haven't even had to audition
for it.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Were you freaking out a little bit?
Speaker 1 (32:52):
So?
Speaker 3 (32:53):
No, And I'll tell you why I love it. I know.
Night was awesome. Night was I was the first person
cast other than Joaquin and Woquing Phoenix, and I had
had a giant crush on.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
Joaquin Phoenix since Gladiator.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
No, when he was in Parenthood and I was Parenthood
and we were on on location education together in the
trailer and I was he was twelve, and I was like,
I'm gone with the hospital's guy.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Oh my god, that's way back, way back. But real life,
real life crush, real life Okay, now he's been cast
as the Love and trust you guys, I'm sweating for you.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Here we are, Here we are and a night. Knowing
that this was my first movie, he he was like, Okay,
we're going to start rehearsing immediately, and so he would
book a car for me to come out from I
was living in New York at the time, to come
out from New York to to out Bucks County, Pennsylvania,
(34:03):
where he was living, which was, you know, like a
three hour drive, and I would go out there at
least a few times a week and I would sit
with him and we would go through the script and
then I would sort of like almost shadow him in
a way, so I would get to I would sit
with him while he was like with the storyboard artist.
I would sit with him while he was like going
through other casting things. I would sit with him when
(34:25):
he was like starting to talk with like the composer.
And I I don't know why he he he knew
to do that, but because I never articulated this, but
that's how I was raised. I was I was the oldest,
and I was always with my dad on set, and
I would just be shadowing him. I would just be
(34:46):
like with him at all times, and because the younger
ones were like very overwhelming, and they were twins, and
then another one two years after, and so it was
like they were at home and I came to set
and and and so I ended up feeling very comfortable.
The comfort that I felt because of the privilege of
(35:09):
growing up in the industry and particularly spending so much
time on a movie set, which is like such a
rare occurrence for a person to be on a movie
set unless you like have a job on the lucky lucky, lucky, lucky,
privileged beyond. And then Night sort of replicated that dynamic.
(35:29):
So the questions that I had so many questions were
being answered as I was just privy to his process
as a filmmaker and as a director. By then i'd
been I'd already been directing theater and all that kind
of stuff, and I was like, oh my god, the
way this man works is so unique, so remarkable, so disciplined,
(35:51):
so creative, Oh my god, it was just mind blowing,
so genuinely. For six months now, I worked with me
and then separately, you know, I was doing a lot
of research and a lot of work and and I
and I do it's important for me to say this,
uh uh. As much as I I loved playing I
(36:13):
v Walker uh And you know, what a great character
and there is a supernatural as to to her, and
you know, and and the movie at large, that's a
that's a visually impaired character. And I'm not visually impaired.
And there are like so many dough actors out there
who would have killed at that part. So I am
(36:37):
looking forward to you know, more movies happening like The
Village and for it to be cast in a way
authentic to the character. So it's really important to say that.
And I and I really at the time, I really appreciated,
uh and and valued enormously all the incredible individuals you know,
(36:57):
from the blind community who were I would not have
been able to do that performance had I not been
you know, learning from them and talking to them and
consulting and all that kind of stuff. So very very
very very grateful and and yes, and and and we
can do better.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
But I know, I love that you said that I
thought you were beautiful in the movie.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
I really was such a fan.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
And I also love that you said that too. Are
your kids kind of wanting to be in industry for sure,
(37:41):
for sure. Okay, cool. It's funny because my daughter, So,
I always wanted to be an actress from like five
years old. I was obsessed with the Wizard of Oz,
I obsessed with Annie. And my daughter got to do
a production of Annie when she was like so seven,
and I was like, oh my god, this was my dream.
(38:01):
I never got to do this, and she walked off
the stage. It was like a local community little thing.
She walked off the stage, and I said, oh my god,
how was that? And she was like, I hated it
so boring?
Speaker 2 (38:13):
And I was like, oh, so horrified.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
It's not that I want her in the industry, but
I was like, she just doesn't have that thing right now.
And I honestly hope that she kind of doesn't right
because we know what it's like to be in our
industry is really tough. And she's actually a beautiful artist.
But I don't think any of my husband's an actress too.
I don't think our genetics have at all spread to
(38:36):
the kids with the acting vibe.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
That could change. So I when I was a kid,
I was like I said, I was kind of like
a you know, quiet and a dreamer and my dad
would said that he would go to the he would
go to the play because he was like a child actor.
So and I was like a cute little kid, and
so we was like, Oh, she's gonna be dazzling on
(39:02):
the street, stand in the back and just like mouths
and clearly didn't know any of the song, just like
what yes, And it just wasn't It didn't. It didn't
switch on for me until until later. There were a
(39:23):
few kind of things that I was like, whoa, whoa,
whoa whoa. But it was like I remember I was
going to an academic camp that my parents were like,
why are you doing this? Brightce when I was between
like seventh and eighth grade and like eighth grade and
ninth grade, and it was at Vassar. It was super
super fun and they had a theater kind of they
(39:46):
had like a theater program as part of the summer program.
But it never occurred to me to sign up for it.
I was like, no, I'm here to study debate and
philosophy and psychology and I sign up to come to
Vassar to take college level courses and why would I
do theater? Like what, like yeah, you know, it's so
(40:06):
weird that that didn't really occur to me. So I
wasn't I wasn't really a kid that that was thinking acting.
I did want to be on a set. All I
wanted was to be on a set. My parents had
total control over me because if they even began to
threaten the possibility of me not being able to go
(40:28):
to the set and the next day, I was going
to cooperate.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
What did you love about it?
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Because right now when I bring my kids, they love
the Crafty truck.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
They love it. They're like, they know that there's.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
A bunch of cookies, but other than that, and they
do like sitting there and listen. But then you know,
forty five minutes in, they're like, are we going to go? So?
Speaker 2 (40:44):
What was it that you loved about being there as
a kid?
Speaker 3 (40:47):
So Crafty is the perfect gateway. When I was seven,
my first my first like in quotes job on set
was I because I wanted to help and that was
kind of the idea to my parents were like, you
don't get to like hang around unless you're helping because
no one on everyone on set has a job, and so,
(41:10):
uh so I would help with squeezing the orange juice
in the morning at Craft Service. But then I really
I like, I loved Craft Service so much, and like
by the time I was eleven, they had to like
release a memo at some point and they're like, if
you see right headed children by Craft Service, please guide
them to a village because they do not belong there.
(41:38):
When I would, I think it was it was that
there were like I would go, I would go into
work in the morning with my dad and he would
kind of talk through the shot list and he would
you know, he made it really interesting because I was
really included in his process, and so I was almost
like a game. Like I knew that he had had,
(42:00):
you know, seven setups before lunch and these situations and
how are they going to figure it out? And the
actor was dealing with X, Y or Z and I
had heard that, and so so I was always I
was always it was very active, and it never felt boring.
Never felt boring, Okay, going back to the village for
(42:24):
a moment. I was so kind of trained in my
head like when you're good, you're on set. When you're
like being punished, you're not on set. That I would
wrap like with the village and if they had like
additional setups without me. I would literally be like, can
(42:45):
I just.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
Sign out and set and hang out and I can.
Speaker 3 (42:49):
Like go and help prep the wicks. Can I just
get to like going from department to department and and yeah,
they finally like they were like, they were like, yeah,
you can out and just hanging your trailer. And I
was like, no, I either want to be on set,
but if it's like a close set in this moment,
I'd rather just go and hang in the trailers. And
and so yeah, I did not feel comfortable leaving until
(43:11):
everybody else was gone. Wow.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
I have to admit I'm not as professional or as
passionate as that, because when I get to go, I'm in.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
My car, I'm so tired. Oh yeah, but.
Speaker 3 (43:26):
That's how I am. Now that's totally I like, how
I am it? No, that's I'm like, yeah, but everyone
I love it. I light up when I'm yeah, No,
it's it's it's it's a lot, it's a lot.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
It is Those are Those are long days, people, They
can be seventeen hour plus days.
Speaker 3 (43:44):
Acting were tiring than directing, I think, oh, oh a
lot more tiring than directing.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Oh that's so interesting, by a lot.
Speaker 3 (43:53):
My opinion.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
Yeah, that's interesting. I've never done.
Speaker 1 (43:57):
You know, there's a lot of actors on our show
that end up directing, and I've been asked if it's
something that I'm interested in. I would love to direct
a comedy. That's what I would like to do. I
would just that's one of my dreams to be able
to do that at some point.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
But I'll have.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
To report back what I find more exhausting if I
get to actually have the honor of doing that one day.
I have to tell you that my daughter also loves
you because she loves spooky things. She loves creepy things
and scary things, and I have held off on letting
her watch anything scary and then the first movie Listen,
I don't judge me because maybe it's not appropriate. I
(44:35):
let her watch earlier this year Jurassic World. Okay, yeah,
well she's eight. I don't know if it's a little young.
I don't know if it's a little young, but we
watched it. She is so obsessed with that movie and
her favorite part is my part. And my husband was like,
you have to tell her that you made us watch
(44:56):
the slow mo run out of the two where you
had to open the t Rex cage and then you
run out slow mo I, like you know when you
said in a movie theater and you get goosebumps. That
was a goosebump scene for me, and my daughter loves
it too.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
So I asked her if.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
She wanted me to ask you anything, And she wanted
me to ask you if you could pick your favorite
dinosaur between Blue, who is the he's a lot, yes, yes,
and the t Rex. And I was like, I'll have
to ask her.
Speaker 3 (45:27):
Oh, that's that's a tough tough that's a tough one.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
Because Blue is trainable the t Rex isn't.
Speaker 1 (45:34):
But the t Rex did kind of help say the
day with Blue in that I don't know, it must.
Speaker 2 (45:38):
Be complicated for you. I understand.
Speaker 3 (45:40):
The way the way I think about Rexy is like
she's really she's the true lead of the entire franchise,
Like she's in every movie. She's like the true like
the true lead. She's number one on the call sheet,
number one on the call shop.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
Yeah she should be Yes.
Speaker 3 (45:57):
Okay, So I love like I I should. I should
choose the t Rex because I've ran from her. I
ended up riding on her back a little bit when
she was passed out during Fallen Kingdom. There's like definitely
a lot of connections there, yes, But Blue as as
a character is so is so exciting because it's it
(46:21):
sort of gets into like the pets territory where it's like,
oh my gosh, this is like this is like a
very dangerous animal where there's a relationship with and and
especially when boot Blue is not in captivity anymore, it's
like and you see that, like choices are made in
(46:42):
support of the relationship and the bond between Blue and
Owen Grady. I'm like all about that. I love I
love that so much. And I think I always felt
like it was something that that all of us talked
about and that Chris Pratt in particular was really focused
on sort of not not making Blue overly cuddly. Keeping
(47:07):
the danger real is uh is so much a part
of the peal of appeal of it because then you're like,
oh my gosh when she's like, you know, trying to
help out take down the indominous Rex.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
I know, we just saw you.
Speaker 1 (47:22):
We went to it was spring break and we went
to Universal Studios last week and we just saw you.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
On the ride. Have your kids done that ride? And
do they are they like that's mom or are they like,
oh god, that's mom my.
Speaker 3 (47:36):
God? You know what is the creepy thing? And this
is like classic like how we started with me being
like like my dad hasn't even yeah, like that's going
to be coming up. I have no idea. I have
no idea. They have totally been to Universal. They go
to Universal fright night.
Speaker 2 (47:54):
You're in that ride, you're one of the you have
a little thing.
Speaker 3 (47:57):
Where you don't done it.
Speaker 2 (47:59):
They didn't report back anything.
Speaker 1 (48:02):
No, we're impressed, nonplussed, not impressed. You can't even be
a ride at Universal Studios.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
I don't know what. How do we win our kids over?
What can we do? I don't know what we could do.
Speaker 3 (48:12):
There's nothing. There's nothing that we can do. There's there's
there's nothing. We just have to wait for the hormones
to settle. And then one.
Speaker 1 (48:21):
Day, in thirty years from now they have kids, Yeah,
then they'll be on the ride and they'll be like, look,
there's Grandma, and that'll be the moment.
Speaker 3 (48:32):
It's true. I mean when I when I was a
kid growing up and my dad was filming Apollo thirteen,
it was at the Universal back lot, and and I was,
you know, like helping out on set and stuff like that,
and I was in charge of getting all the lunch
orders together and your crafty dreams related. Yeah, yeah, And
(48:59):
when after lunch and after everything was cleaned up, I
would always have like a little break and sometimes I
would like go into the park and ride the rides,
which is like so fun. And there was a backdraft
ride that my dad was in and I remember being
impressed with that.
Speaker 1 (49:20):
I think you got to ask them. I'd be like,
I know you guys have been and I know I'm
on ront.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
Of those rides. We have yet to discuss.
Speaker 3 (49:27):
They must have, they must have.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
I have one last question for you before we go,
and it's very timely, and since you brought up Apollo thirteen,
I have to ask, yes, the first all female crew
that went up into space, Katie Perry. Everyone's talking about it.
So when they're talking about like space tourism, Now, if
you were offered the chance to go up into space,
(49:53):
would you take it?
Speaker 2 (49:53):
Because I watched that launch and I was like, there's
no way, no, there's no way, I'm going, no way.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
No.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
It doesn't help that you on the set of a
Pollo thirteen.
Speaker 3 (50:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean it's it's I
think the sensation probably of feeling weightless is you know, unbelievable.
In all of that, And when they were doing Apollo thirteen,
they did this thing called the Vomit Commet is what
they nicknamed it. Where is a plane that would like
drop and they would get twenty seven seconds of weightlessness?
Speaker 2 (50:26):
Is that how they shot that?
Speaker 3 (50:28):
How they freaking shot that movie? Insane? The insurance would
never cover it now and so and so that kind
of like weightless thing is wild.
Speaker 1 (50:40):
I mean, maybe I could do that. I feel like
though they were only up there for apparently like four minutes,
it was like four minutes of weightlessness and the terror
of going up, and then they had the sound audio
of them coming down. Then are all just screaming. I
don't even like flying, Like, I don't know if the
four minutes is worth it, I really don't.
Speaker 2 (51:00):
Yeah, I watched it. I was not jealous at all.
Speaker 3 (51:04):
My mom would love to go to space. She would
love to go to space. Love it. And my one
of my nieces, my brother is like terrified because she's
we can just like all feel it. We're like, oh god,
she's going to be an astronaut. We can just feel it,
(51:25):
feel it like that is terrifying. And he's like, she's
gonna want to go to Mars.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
I'm like, I know, I know, I know, but I
futurize too with my kids too.
Speaker 2 (51:35):
I would be like this too.
Speaker 1 (51:36):
I'm like, God, it's going to be a Venus trip
when she's twenty one. It's not gonna be Calma anymore.
Speaker 2 (51:40):
It's gonna be Venus. Thank you so much for coming
on the pod.
Speaker 1 (51:46):
Please everybody check out this incredible documentary Pets on Disney. Plus,
it makes for such a good family movie night.
Speaker 2 (51:52):
That's my plan.
Speaker 1 (51:53):
I watched it by myself drinking coffee this morning and
giggled and felt all the warmth and all the things.
And I've been wanting. You were on my original guest
list for this podcast day one, and so I'm just
so happy that you're finally here.
Speaker 3 (52:06):
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,
Hosts And Creators
Jessica Capshaw
Camilla Luddington
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