CAMBRIDGE — Venerable Harvard theater troupe Hasty Pudding honored actor, director and producer Bryce Dallas Howard as its Woman of the Year and unveiled its first performance with women cast members Thursday.
In keeping with the quirky traditions of the nation’s oldest collegiate theatrical organization, the 37-year old “Jurassic World” star was paraded through Harvard Square surrounded by extravagantly costumed performers then roasted by the young cast and handed a golden pudding pot.
“For some of the smartest people on the planet, you’re totally bananas,” Howard said on stage. “This is a blast. I’ll never forget this as long as I live. And please, accept my children to Harvard.”
Afterward, she told reporters she was grateful to be a part of the historic performance. “It’s about time,” Howard said.
During Howard’s roast, the cast gently mocked her for past roles in the Terminator and Twilight franchises.
They knocked her for her likeness to Jessica Chastain and other red-haired contemporaries in Hollywood. And they referenced her famous father, Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard.
Howard, for her part, said she hopes to focus more on directing rather than acting as her career evolves, not unlike her father. And she joked that her father has said the “Dallas” part of her name refers to the Texas city where she was conceived.
Howard also said she didn’t consider herself accomplished enough for Thursday’s honor, given how many other women are “really taking a stand and being courageous.”
“This inspires me to do more and contribute and give back,” she said. “Hopefully I will be worthy of this hilarious award.”