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I’m not sure what they put in the water in the Howard home but it’s pretty clear Bryce Dallas Howard has inherited more than her last name from her father Ron. I say this because not only did she direct a fantastic episode of The Mandalorian in its first season, she also has her first documentary about Dads arriving on Apple TV+ today and it’s great.

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If you haven’t seen the trailer, the doc is a celebration of what it takes to be a father in today’s world through anecdotes and wisdom from people like Judd Apatow, Will Smith, Jimmy Fallon, Neil Patrick Harris, Kenan Thompson, Jimmy Kimmel, Hasan Minaj, Conan O’Brien, Patton Oswalt, and Ken Jeong. In addition, the doc also showcases what it’s like being a dad around the world by featuring two fathers that are located in Brazil and Japan. While Howard could have just focused on her celebrities and what they had to say, it’s clear she wanted to champion all dads and everyone’s stories and that’s why the film worked for me.

Last week I managed to get some time with Bryce Dallas Howard and she talked about how she found the people for the doc (which included infiltrating daddy blog communities), the editing process, how they used the hero’s journey to help shape the story, and more. In addition, she talked about directing an episode of The Mandalorian season 2 and her reaction reading the Jurassic World: Dominion script with her husband.

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Image via Apple

Check out what she had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about and the official synopsis.

For more with Howard on Dads, here’s our extended conversation from last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Bryce Dallas Howard:

  • How much did she debate which color would be behind each of the people in the documentary?
  • How she was filming the doc on weekends while she was also working on The Mandalorian.
  • How did she find the people around the world to include in the doc?
  • How did the film change in the editing room and did she lose any storylines?
  • Using the hero’s journey to help shape the story.
  • How she directed an episode of The Mandalorian season 2.
  • What does she want to direct in the future?
  • When did she think of the Jurassic World: Dominion script?
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Image via Apple

Here is the official synopsis for Dads:

Dads is a heartfelt and humorous documentary that celebrates the joys and challenges of parenting in today’s world. Featuring six extraordinary fathers from across the globe, this film offers a firsthand glimpse into the trials and tribulations of modern-day parenting through revealing interviews, rare home-movie footage, viral videos, and hilarious and thoughtful testimonials from some of Hollywood’s funniest celebrities, including Judd Apatow, Jimmy Fallon, Neil Patrick Harris, Ron Howard, Ken Jeong, Jimmy Kimmel, Hasan Minaj, Conan O’Brien, Patton Oswalt, Will Smith and more. Making her feature directorial debut, Bryce Dallas Howard also offers an intimate look at the dads in her own family, including remarkable interviews with her late grandfather Rance, her father Ron and her brother Reed.