4. Proven Actress
I previously mentioned a handful of roles Howard has played, but she's done more than just pop up in big movies. Howard has turned in actual performances and really rocked the screen when she has the right material to guide her. Despite having only a few scenes in Hereafter, Howard managed to stand out in a Clint Eastwood drama that already had three leads. Her character, Melanie, meets George Lonegan in a cooking class and the two hit it off. We watch as they slowly fall for one-another and then drift apart in little more than a night. When Melanie asks to connect with a lost loved one, a talent of George's, we empathize with her. Then when she excuses herself and never sees George again, we still don't hate her. A lesser actress would have presented a selfish, villainous character, but Howard won our hearts with only a handful of moments. She's been tested with bigger role as well. Bryce Dallas Howard had another lead role in her career before Jurassic World. Unfortunately, that lead role was in The Village. The Village was M. Night Shyamalan's pointless mixture of Terrence Malick wannabe tricks, fake thrills and a horrible "twist" ending. However, through it all Bryce Dallas Howard managed to be one of the few bright spots about the movie even as the dialogue grew more and more tiring. She brought across blind Ivy's courage and fear and love all at once.