Bryce Dallas Howard: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked

4. The Village (2004)

It might seem surprising that an actor appearing in a M. Night Shyamalan movie that isn't The Sixth Sense could turn it into a positive rather than a black mark on their entire career. Actually The Village isn't a terrible effort from its director, just a little dull compared to what audiences expected at the time. Anyway, Howard's performance is actually really good as the creepy Ivy Walker. In a film that is so boring it seems designed purely to inhibit the performance of its lead characters, Howard quietly shines as the sister of Lucious (Joaquin Phoenix). Her pale features and otherworldly performance blend in perfectly with the mysterious, 'out of time' setting that the film attempts to create. Her part here gained her a significant amount of interest from the critical community, with nominations for Best Actress from Empire and MTV. Even though she missed out on those awards, most would agree that her performance was one of the strongest aspects of the film though.