Typical: You spend $150 million on your effects-heavy summer blockbuster, and all people want to talk about is a character's choice of footwear. When "Jurassic World," the long-gestating sequel to the original "Jurassic Park" trilogy, opened internationally in June, the film's producers probably weren't expecting the media to focus on the shoes worn by its star.
Bryce Dallas Howard plays Claire Dearing, the power-dressing operations manager of a lucrative theme park populated by genetically engineered dinosaurs. When the park's latest attraction escapes and goes on a murderous rampage, Claire has to deal with the situation — dashing through the jungle, outrunning a Tyrannosaurus rex, stuff like that — in heels.
This simple wardrobe decision would end up dominating coverage of the film, as media pundits debated whether it was propagating sexist stereotypes or slyly subverting them. Reflecting on the experience during a promotional trip to Tokyo a month later, Howard sounds surprisingly sanguine.