C. Thomas Howell on Working with Spielberg & Coppola at a Young Age and How He’s Changed Since Then

C. Thomas Howell stars in Jake Allyn’s new rodeo drama, Ride, about the struggles of three generations of bull riders and their attempts to raise money for a young girl’s cancer treatment. While Howell’s character doesn’t compete in any rodeos during Ride, just one look at his cowboy hat-wearing persona and withered look and you can tell he’s been around the block in this biz as he watches his son (Allyn) try to make a name for himself in the same sport. In real life, Howell has been acting since his childhood years and is still keeping busy with projects today. “I was 13 when I did E.T., and I was 15 when I did The Outsiders,” he said, continuing:

“I had a career as a young boy that I never anticipated, and I was very grateful for it. But I’m almost 58 now and have wrinkles and gray hair, and the parts have changed, but I haven’t lost my passion. The only thing that’s really changed for me is really not [caring] what other people think anymore, and I don’t mean that from an egotistical place.”

Well Go USA

“I stopped trying to please other people,” added Howell, “and when I started raising the bar for myself and pleasing myself from a professional standpoint, I became a better actor, and I became a better person. I had a lot more to offer other people just by setting that example.”

Ride (2024)

3.5/5

Three generations of bull riders fight to raise money to transfer the family’s young daughter to a better cancer hospital. Set in Stephenville TX, Ride explores rodeo, addiction in the Heartland, and the cowboy’s place in modern America.

Release Date June 14, 2024

Distributor(s) Well Go USA Entertainment

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On Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg

Reflecting on his long career in the business, Howell compares run-of-the-mill directors with the greats like Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg. He says, “A lot of directors come from the creative side. They were directors in theater, they were writers, they spent a lot of time in dark rooms penning out 100 pages and not communicating with other people, so they don’t have really great communication skills. They don’t understand the technical side at all.”

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In contrast, “When you get Francis or Steven, they understand both sides extremely well. They’re great communicators, and that’s what I loved about working with Francis. Francis was, of course, our director, but he was more a psychologist and father figure than he was really this imposing director.” Howell says his youth and lack of experience allowed him to form that kind of bond with these titans:

“I was all of 15, so I didn’t carry any baggage when it came to who he was. I hadn’t seen
The Godfather
. I didn’t know what
Apocalypse Now
was. I was a kid from a ranch, and I’d seen a few movies, but these films weren’t being played on TV, and I certainly didn’t have access to them on my phone like all the kids have now. So I treated these men just as I would treat anybody else.”

All these years later, he’s still that earnest and honest actor — just better. From Well Go USA, Ride was released in theaters and on demand June 14, 2024.

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