Aeon/GC Images; Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage Bryce Dallas Howardwas starstruck when she found out that her love interest inM. Night Shyamalan'sThe Villagewould be played by her childhood crushJoaquin Phoenix. On the latest episode ofPodcrushed, Howard discussed her breakout role in Shyamalan's 2004 thriller, in which she starred opposite Phoenix. "I had the biggest crush on Joaquin Phoenix when I was seven years old, and he was Leaf Phoenix, and he was inParenthood,"she told co-hostPenn Badgley. "And it was insane being like, 'Oh, you want me to play a character who's been in love with this guy, like, her whole life? Sure.'" Howard joked that it was "no problem" and that she actually crushed hard on movie sets. She also told thePodcrushedgang that she worked on the set of her fatherRon Howard's 1995 filmApollo 13as a tween and had a crush on a youngColin Hanks, who was a PA on the movie. Want more movie news? Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free newsletterto get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. The Villagecenters around an isolated 19th-century community that lives in a forest surrounded by monster-like humanoids. Phoenix plays rebellious protagonist Lucius, who is betrothed to Howard's Ivy. Howard shared that her experience onThe Village, which was her first movie role, was "very magical." She added that the cast was an "unbelievable group of people," including Phoenix,Adrien Brody, andSigourney Weaver. Frank Masi/Touchstone Pictures Shyamalan cast Howard as a lead in the film after seeing her perform inAs You Like Itat the Public Theater in New York, which she said was a "career-defining moment." Howard added, "That was very, I mean, incredibly courageous of Night to cast me, and he was really supportive." Listen to Bryce Dallas Howard's entire interview onPodcrushedbelow. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly