M. Night Fans » Blog Archive » Shyamalan Found Dallas Howard on Stage in New York

M. Night Shyamalan had been looking for the perfect young woman to play the spirited blind heroine of his creepy fable “The Village.” Attending the theater one night in New York, Shyamalan found her – Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of filmmaker Ron Howard , himself once the fresh-faced child star of “The Music Man”and “The Andy Griffith Show.”

“For me, it was the moment I saw her on stage. I was just.. That‘s the girl,‘” said Shyamalan, who also cast Howard in his upcoming summer film “Lady in the Water.” “I actually believe she‘s a leading lady,which is a rare thing in this day and age. She‘s an old-school star,like the ‘20s, back when the big stars were women. Lillian Gish. She‘s that.”

[From the article: Hollywood Casts a New Face on Superman]