Happy Days for Ron's daughter

Her father is one of Hollywood's biggest names, but Bryce Howard looks set to become a star in her own right.

The daughter of acclaimed director Ron Howard, the 23-year-old actress made her big-screen debut last night in New York for the world premiere of M Night Shyamalan's thriller, The Village.

Critics have heaped praise on her acting skills as a blind girl in the film, which has a cast that includes Joaquin Phoenix, Oscar winner Adrien Brody, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver.

It tells the story of a small rural community terrorised by creatures living in the surrounding woods.

The actress shares the same red hair as her 50-year-old father, who directed A Beautiful Mind and played Richie Cunningham the TV series Happy Days.

Shyamalan, who also made Unbreakable, offered her the part without an audition after seeing her on stage in Shakespeare's As You Like It. She prepared for the role by walking around with her eyes covered. Despite being afraid of the dark, she was sent into the woods blindfolded by the director, which she found "terrifying".

Although her father is best known for Hollywood blockbusters like Apollo 13, Howard says her taste in films is "a little bit sicker and more disturbed".

But she says her parents "were just freaking" when they saw The Village. Her next role will be to replace Nicole Kidman in the sequel to Lars von Trier's drama Dogville, called Manderlay.