Bryce Dallas Howard helped Harvard’s Hasty Pudding kick off a new era during the 2019 Woman of the Year ceremony on Thursday.
The actor and director was in Cambridge for a chilly parade through Havard Square followed by a bit of roasting as she received her Pudding Pot at Farkas Hall. Howard also got the chance to witness a big moment for Hasty Pudding thanks to the theatrical group’s production of “France France Revolution,” which featured the first co-ed cast in the company’s history.
“It’s about time,” Howard told Metro during a press conference. “I’m really, really grateful to be here in general, and especially this year. It’s a huge honor.”
Bryce Dallas Howard helps Harvard’s Hasty Pudding welcome first co-ed cast
Hasty Pudding endured a bit of controversy at last year’s festivities over its long-standing tradition of only allowing male cast members. After some students called for Mila Kunis to boycott the 2018 Woman of the Year ceremony, Hasty Pudding announced that it would end the policy and allow women to join the cast.
Howard told reporters that she was happy to be part of the “first year of the new Hasty Pudding.” The “Jurassic World” star is a noted advocate for equality in the entertainment industry and recently announced her support for the 4 Percent Challenge, which calls on studios to give more opportunities to female directors. A study by the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism found that women directors only worked on 4 percent of the last decade’s thousand highest-grossing films.
“The statistic are just absolutely abysmal and embarrassing,” Howard said. “I absolutely jumped on that.”
Howard said that she hopes to work with more female directors and collaborators in the future, including Boston native and “SMILF” creator Frankie Shaw. “I think Frankie Shaw is remarkable.”
