Bryce Dallas Howard Talks Battling Depression On World Mental Health Day

Bryce Dallas Howard is speaking up about her battle with depression, hoping it can serve as an inspiration to other people.

The "Jurrasic World Dominion" actress posted a lengthy note on Instagram, detailing her struggles in line with celebrating World Mental Health Day, usually observed on October 10. Howard had also previously revealed in an interview that she battled postpartum depression following the birth of her first child, Theodore, in 2007. 

The "Jurassic World" actress got very candid with her 2.6 million followers on Instagram when she posted a moving and inspirational message to commemorate World Mental Health Day. 

Howard posted a stunning picture of herself rocking a dark blue body-hugging dress while her ginger hair was tinted darker to accentuate its color. She completed her looks by wearing black heel sandals. "The Help" star appeared to be in a room adorned with red curtains while she posed for the camera, giving a fierce expression. 

Opening up about World Mental Health Day, Howard reminisced about the time she suffered from postpartum depression, writing, "It was the last day of my first job as a new mother. I was still in the throes of postpartum depression, and I was in a car, alone, heading straight into the exquisite sunset we'd anxiously awaited all day. It was an existential moment, and since no one could hear me, I asked the question aloud: What is the purpose of ALL OF THIS?!" 

She revealed that the answer to that cogent question came to her through an anonymous voice in her head that told her, "The purpose of the human experience on earth is to move through obstacles with grace, and if you can do that, there will always be a sunset."

Howard further addressed her fight with depression, calling it the biggest challenge to my identity." She explained, "I'm energetic, enthusiastic, passionate – and I have this big ole belly laugh! My entire life, I had been so hyper-focused on blocking negative thoughts. That I failed to embrace or appreciate that these feelings and emotions and crises were not only not to be avoided, but that they were integral to the human experience."

Recounting her triumph over depression, the 41-year-old revealed she had to change her perspective on life. She announced, "I'm not the optimist I once envisioned myself to be; instead, I'm an emotionally-charged ball of wonder and awe, practically and possibility, with an indefatigable capacity to find humor and joy in the absurdity of whatever life serves up." 

While the gorgeous actress might always be keen on maintaining her high-spirited nature and remaining positive, it could get really hard working as an actress in the Hollywood industry.

As previously covered, Howard revealed how the executives behind the "Jurassic World" trilogy had reservations regarding her body and weight.  Speaking in a chat with a news publication, she said, "How do I say this… [I've] been asked to not use my natural body in cinema," even though she performed her own stunt in all of the "Jurassic" franchise.

The "Parenthood" actress, however, disclosed that it was director Colin Trevorrow who eventually stood up for her during the shooting of "Jurassic World Dominion." In her words, "there were so many women cast, it was something that Colin felt very strongly about in terms of protecting me… because the conversation came up again, 'We need to ask Bryce to lose weight.'"

She continued, saying, "He was like, 'There are lots of different kinds of women on this planet, and there are lots of different kinds of women in our film,'" while also remarking that she wouldn't have been able to pull the stunts she did if she had been dieting like the executives would have preferred. 

She hoped that directors would learn to focus more on women's abilities rather than their weight. 

The "Hereafter" actress appears to have been through a lot career-wise. Per The Blast, Howard, who played  "Claire Dearing" in the trilogy movie, disclosed during an interview that her pay was much lesser than the report released by Variety.

In 2018, Variety reported that the actress was paid $8 million while co-star Chris Pratt was paid $10 million. Disputing the information, the "50/50" actress shocked her already-angered fans when she confirmed she was paid "so much less" than the stated figure.

She explained, "When I started negotiating for 'Jurassic,' it was 2014, and it was a different world, and I was at a great disadvantage. And, unfortunately, you have to sign up for three movies, and so your deals are set."

However, she noted that Pratt stood up for her and pushed for the actress to be paid as well as him on other opportunities that weren’t already binding in her contract. He even offered to negotiate on her behalf, which resulted in her getting more pay.