Ron Howard Reacts to KeKe Palmer Aspiring to Walk in His Footsteps (Exclusive)

The child actor-turned-acclaimed filmmaker opened up to ET at the premiere of his new film 'Thirteen Lives.'

Sharing the appreciation! Ron Howard knows exactly how hard it can be to move from being a young star to an accomplished filmmaker, and feels a great deal of respect for other talented artists with big dreams.

The two-time Oscar winner spoke with ET's Will Marfuggi at the premiere of his new film, Thirteen Lives, on Thursday, where he responded to recent comments from Nope star Keke Palmer, who said she aspires to following a similar path as Howard when it comes to moving behind the camera on future projects.

"Wow! Well, that's high praise," Howard marveled. "I'm honored by it. She's a great talent."

Howard reflected on his own path -- beginning with his childhood role on The Andy Griffith Show, followed by his starring role on Happy Days, before he became one of the most celebrated directors and producers of the past four decades.

"I've been so fortunate," Howard shared. "At the time that I transitioned into becoming a director and a producer, the notion that, you know, a kid coming off of a of a sitcom, and then a teenager coming off of a sitcom, could actually aspire to take that level of responsibility and make an array of different kinds of films? It was something I dreamed about, and I expected of myself, but I don't think anybody else took the idea very seriously."

Howard's daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, has also been been stepping behind the camera recently. The actress directed two episodes of The Mandalorian, as well as one episode of The Book of Boba Fett, and it in pre-production on her first feature film, Flight of the Navigator.

"She loves it!" Howard said of his daughter's directorial efforts. "She's actually been directing since college because she she was doing plays as well... recently [she's] picking up more and more and more momentum, and she loves working with Jon Favreau and the team on Mandalorian."

See Howard's latest film -- starring Colin Farrell and Viggo Mortensen, Joel Edgerton and more -- when Thirteen Lives opens in theaters exclusively in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, for one week on July 29, before launching globally on Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 5.

RELATED CONTENT:

 

Latest News