Bryce Dallas Howard Says Dad — and Former Child Star — Ron Howard Forbade Her from Acting as a Kid (Exclusive)

"I think if I had the chance to act younger, I would've taken it. But I wasn't allowed to," the actress tells PEOPLE

Bryce Dallas Howard's dad, Ron Howard, has always had her best interests at heart.

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, the Argylle actress, 42, opens up about how her actor-director father, 69, and her mother, Cheryl Howard, would not allow her to act at a young age, unlike her famous dad did years before.

"I think if I had the chance to act younger, I would've taken it. But I wasn't allowed to," Bryce says. "My parents were very firm on that boundary, that they were not going to support anyone who wanted to be a child actor."

Her parents did support their eager teen gaining experience working in other industries, she notes. "I started working as a waitress on the weekends at a deli, and it was fantastic," she says. "Because I was 14, I needed to get a waiver from my parents to be on a payroll, and honestly, I was like, 'This is great.' "

"I just wanted to be working in the world, and then I worked in an allergy control product center on an assembly line at a factory, and then as a babysitter, a nanny, a dog walker and all of that," she adds.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: Bryce Dallas Howard Says Her Introverted Argylle Character ‘Fit Like a Glove’: ‘I’m So Risk Averse’ (Exclusive)

Looking back, Bryce says she is grateful that her parents encouraged her to find other avenues to earn a paycheck. "I'm really glad that they did that because when I did start acting, it took a while to make a living. To be able to be like, 'Oh, okay. I can actually support myself with this,' " she explains.

Bryce — who has two younger twin sisters, Jocelyn and Paige, and a younger brother named Reed — eventually attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University to pursue an acting career, and got her start in various theatrical productions.

In 2004, she was cast in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, kicking off her steady success in film and television, including roles in Spider-Man 3, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Help, Black Mirror and the blockbuster Jurassic World film series.

Bryce has also directed various projects, including the documentary Dads, her feature film directorial debut, along with episodes of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and the upcoming Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

Related: Bryce Dallas Howard's Colorful Upstate New York Cottage Is 'Like Joyful Springtime' — See Inside!

Currently, Bryce says that she and her father Ron — who rose to fame as a child star playing Opie Taylor on the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 through 1968 — have a great relationship and "love to talk about the movies."

"But it's usually admiring people's work and kind of gushing about things, or sharing crazy stories that turned around, or just fun things," she adds.

"It's so wonderful to get to be in an industry with family members, for me at least, because I'm not alone in it," continues Bryce.

She even shadowed Ron as he shot the 2018 Star Wars film Solo - though she had to talk him into it.

"He was not really into the idea," Bryce tells PEOPLE, noting it was largely the same crew she had just worked with for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. "And my pitch was like, 'Really? I know everyone. Please. I know everyone. I just finished working with everyone for the last six months. Please. I promise I'll be invisible.' "

For more about Bryce, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.