Is Bryce Dallas Howard married? Actress recalls having “biggest crush” on Joaquin Phoenix

Bryce Dallas Howard has been married to Seth Gabel since 2006. The couple tied the knot in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The Village actress, 44, reflected on sharing the screen with Joaquin Phoenix on the June 18 episode of the Podcrushed podcast with co-host Penn Badgley. She rose to fame with the spectacular portrayal of Ivy Elizabeth Walker. This unforgettable performance was critically acclaimed.

Recalling the experience of working with Joaquin, Bryce admitted a crush on the Joker star, Us Weekly reported.

While gushing over the actor, she shared,

"I had the biggest crush on Joaquin Phoenix when I was seven years old, and he was Leaf Phoenix, and he was in Parenthood."

Bryce Dallas Howard further continued her story, adding,

"And it was insane being like, 'Oh, you want me to play a character who’s been in love with this guy, like, her whole life? Sure.'"

In the 2004 film directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Joaquin Phoenix played the character of Lucius Hunt. Howard's role, Ivy, was that of a young woman who fell in love with Lucius.

The Black Mirror actress opened up on how M. Night Shyamalan selected her for The Village. Calling that moment a "career-defining moment," she recounted that the director saw her performing in the renowned play, As You Like It. He found her showcasing her talent at the Public Theater in New York City.

Bryce acknowledged the director during the conversation, sharing,

"That was very, I mean, incredibly courageous of Night to cast me, and he was really supportive."

A look at Bryce Dallas Howard and Seth Gabel's relationship

Howard and Gabel first met in 2001 while attending New York University Tisch School of the Arts. They joined the prestigious university to pursue their degrees in acting.

Recalling the special love at first sight moment, she shared with the Guardian in 2011, as People reported,

"The second I saw him on campus at New York University I broke into hives. That night I wrote in my journal: 'Today I met the man that I'm going to marry.' It was love at first sight — but not for him."

Bryce was the one who first pursued Seth "months and months." However, "there was no interest" from his end. Remembering a special night, she further added,

"Then I called him at an insane hour of the night and asked him out for coffee. He agreed, we went out and he called one of our friends afterwards and said: 'The tables have turned. I am so nervous she doesn't like me anymore and I really like her!'"

Bryce Dallas Howard and Seth Gabel exchanged vows in 2006 in Greenwich, People confirmed.

Bryce Dallas Howard and Seth Gabel are proud parents of two kids, Theodore Norman and Beatrice Jean.

In a June 10 conversation with Us Weekly at the premiere of Deep Cover at the Tribeca Festival, Howard talked about parenting her teenage kids using improv comedy.

Discussing motherhood, she explained,

"I think improv comedy is an incredible training ground for being a parent because you’re not really going in there with an agenda, per se. You’re there to listen, to respond, to be playful and to hopefully say yes."

Revealing how improv has been helping her, she further added,

"The thing that’s tricky with kids is that — I don’t know if it’s an evolutionary thing, I don’t know if it’s just me — but my kids are smarter than me, they’re faster than me, they’re quicker than me. I think that improv helps you develop the interpersonal skills to find a win-win, especially when it comes to your kids."

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