Bryce Dallas Howard Doesn't Care If You Think Her Wearable Electromagnetic Frequency Devices Are Woo-Woo

There’s no right way to “do” wellness, but Marie Claire’s Doing Well offers a glimpse into the self-care mantras, therapies, and affirmations practiced by industry trailblazers.

When I finally log into my Zoom with Bryce Dallas Howard—late, thanks to classic tech issues—I expect awkwardness and scrambling. Instead, she smiles big, laughs, and says, "That gave me some extra time to apply my lip!" Her vibe? Down-to-earth, sharp, and quick-witted. Then I clock the product in her hand: the unmistakable bright purple, stacked compact from my newest beauty brand favorite. "Wait—is that Subtl Beauty?" I ask. We instantly bond over a shared "I'm obsessed" before she tells me she discovered it mid-flight, while overhearing the brand's founder in the seat in front of her (hi, Rachel!). "I DMed her as soon as we landed," she laughs. That's when I knew this wasn't going to be your standard celebrity profile.

Howard doesn't do small talk or scripted interviews. Chatting with her feels more like catching up with your smartest, most grounded friend—the one who, oh yeah, just directed a Disney+ documentary and is starring in an upcoming Prime Video action-comedy (it premieres June 12 on Amazon, mark your calendar). Between our conversation about Pets (the documentary that was inspired by her personal relationship with animals) and Deep Cover (think improv comedy meets undercover sting operations), it's clear she's been busy.

But when I ask how she manages to juggle everything and have a good relationship with wellness at the same time, it becomes clear that Howard's approach isn't about control or perfection. Instead, it's about joy and self-kindness. She's candid about emotional eating, talks openly about walking away from diet culture, and finds happiness in the things she values the most, big or small—like frequency devices, a skincare product she's been scraping from the same jar since 2017, and the cute animal videos she binges that send her into a dopamine spiral.

Howard isn't here with a wellness playbook—just real talk about listening to your body, ditching the guilt, and finding calm in the everyday. Oh, and, of course, she's got her lip on.

I’m a huge fan of frequency healing. When I’m stressed or feeling overwhelmed, I put on frequency sessions. It helps me drop out of the mental chatter and just be present. I wear these devices—I actually just ordered a new one. It’s a Trinity. My mom wears hers pretty much around the clock. My husband’s been having sinus issues, so we busted it out for him today. I just really believe in that stuff—frequencies, EMFs, radiation, all of it. It’s powerful. I’m very into it. Over the years, I’ve learned to pay attention to it whenever something pops up.

My mom used to get cold sores on her lips, and now she keeps it on the “cold sore” setting. She hasn’t had one in years. It’s this thing where you can use sound, vibration, or electromagnetic frequencies to help your body and mind reset and relax. It feels like this deep recalibration. I had my first experience with it a few years ago, and I was like, “Whoa, what is this?” It’s one of those things that sounds woo-woo but actually makes a huge difference in how I feel physically and mentally.

I usually reach for something that’s calm and doesn’t require much brain energy. It’s less about active learning and more about a pause. Usually, videos of pets. Online comedy. Laughter is the most powerful form of self-care for me.

When I’m feeling really overwhelmed, I like to take a break and watch videos of animals—pets doing silly, joyful things. It’s such a quick way to ground myself and bring a little lightness back into the moment. If I have just 10 minutes to reset, I’ll watch videos of animals being their goofy, authentic selves. There’s something about their pure joy and spontaneity that immediately shifts my mood.

That kind of lightheartedness is pure medicine for me. In our hectic lives, we often forget how much animals ground us. That’s exactly what I wanted to capture in my new documentary, Pets on Disney+—the deep, sometimes surprising, relationships that enrich our well-being. I basically made Pets as a place to house all those wonderful, funny videos that just make me laugh.

The Retrouvé Revitalizing Eye Concentrate. Okay, I’m going to admit something I probably shouldn’t...a bottle of this lasts forever. I’m still using one I got in 2017. And I did get another one—basically, I tend to pick one up every time I do a movie. So I got a new one in 2020. But I still have both—they just never seem to run out. You only need the tiniest dab. It’s so powerful.

Weleda Skin Food. I put it everywhere—especially around my mouth. I’ll let it sink in like a moisturizing mask. I use it daily; I have eczema, so I'll use it on my hands too, and it’s the only thing that helps.

By taking things one day at a time, and trying to stay playful. That also kind of ties in with [my new movie] Deep Cover. I play a comedy improv teacher in the movie. Improv helps you stay present, listen, and build on what’s already there. So instead of reaching or constructing something unrealistic, I’m trying to be grounded in the here and now. Laughter, playfulness, staying present, moment to moment. That’s what really helps.

I paint! I’m finishing up an online fine arts program at the Milan Art Institute—I’m in the portfolio phase right now. Even when I’m not working on portfolio pieces, I’ll do watercolor or something. It’s constant, I have all my [painting] supplies right here next to me.

Being a raw foodist. And it’s not a knock on veganism—I’d totally do that again. But I was a vegan raw foodist, and raw food was just one step too far. I did it for three and a half years, and when I stopped, it was a big deal because it became a real health issue, especially during pregnancy and after.

I saw four doctors, and each of them said, “You’re missing amino acids and essential nutrients. You need to eat some meat.” I was like, “No.” The last doctor said, “Bryce, I completely respect your choice, but you’re going to have to decide between your ethics and your future.”

It was really emotional starting to incorporate meat again—I felt like I was betraying my values. And it’s still something I struggle with: where’s this coming from, and what’s the real cost of this choice? Because the slaughterhouse industry is incredibly abusive. So yeah, the veganism I still value, but I took it too far with the raw foodism. Still, I’ve learned a lot from it and kept a lot of those tenets in my life.

Well…I could definitely improve. But there are two big things for me: First, I don’t diet or try to manipulate what I eat or how I move in order to control how I look. When I stopped doing that—when I stopped trying to fit into a certain size—my health totally turned around. I was finally listening to my body again. It became a collaboration instead of a dictatorship shaped by outside pressure. So not dieting has been huge. I don’t let my appearance dictate what goes into my body anymore.

The second thing is kind of on the other end of the spectrum—I have celiac, so I can’t eat gluten. And in the last few years, I developed a pretty severe allergy to eggs. I can still eat eggs if they’re baked into something, but if I have scrambled eggs? Whoa. I get just so, so sick. Then, about two years ago, I started to get a very similar reaction to coffee, so I had to give that up as well.

Now, more than ever, I am careful not to be restrictive in any way that isn’t medically necessary, because there are already so many foods I literally can’t have. But hot chocolate works great. Honestly, better [than coffee]. I need a shirt that says “Powered by Hot Chocolate.”

I’d talk about dieting. I’d say: if you knew with certainty that no matter what you did physically, or what you ate, it would have zero impact on your weight or size—how would you eat? How would you move? That kind of framing forces you to reconnect with what you actually enjoy and what actually feels good. It shifts your relationship with your body into something supportive and appreciative.

I really believe in the power of emotional eating. I think it’s beautiful. People demonize it, but to me, emotional eating can be a way to ground yourself, reconnect, even heal. When you can make food choices that reflect how you feel and you’re not judging yourself—that’s holistic wellness. I stopped dieting ten years ago, and healing that relationship has been miraculous for me.

I’ve raised my kids that way too, and they’re so much more in tune with their own needs than I ever was. I say ‘healthy’ with caution, but they have a grounded relationship with food. One of them doesn’t like meat and just naturally avoids it. The other one doesn’t like sugar. They crave salads. It’s wild.

Of course, there was a lot of brainwashing growing up—in the ’80s, ’90s, early 2000s—about how we should relate to food. What I’m saying might not work for everyone, but it works for me. I feel empowered not to change myself through things that don’t actually serve or support me.