Bryce Dallas Howard: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked

5 Awesome Performances

5. As You Like It (2006)

Playing the part of Rosalind, one of Shakespeare's greatest heroines, in a Kenneth Branagh film adaptation (well, technically a straight-to-TV film) is sure to get the critics purring, and while the movie itself received mixed reviews, Dallas Howard stood out in her lead role. She comes close to perfecting the barbed humour and quick thinking of the famous character, giving her a thorough but not jarring reworking for modern audiences while perfecting a British accent. Branagh's decision to set the film in Japan was questioned by critics, some of whom deemed it an unnecessary distraction rather than innovation, but he must be applauded for hiring Howard for the main part. Surely enough, the accolades came knocking on the door, and though she didn't win at the Golden Globes (she lost out to Helen Mirren) it was an early taste of real critical appreciation. Her most successful roles have tended to be a little 'talkie' in nature, and this Shakespearean effort laid the groundwork.