In the blasted post-apocalyptic future of Terminator Salvation, the ethereal beauty of Bryce Dallas Howard emerges through seared earth and homicidal machines that stalk the land, as a beacon of hope that Christian Bale’s John Connor returns home to after battling for our future. As Kate Connor, she is the film’s emotional rock, and Howard plays her with humanity in a world being quickly depleted of it. Perhaps best known for her roles in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village and Lady in the Water, Howard also starred in Manderlay, the second part in subversive filmmaker Lars Von Trier’s “America” trilogy. Here, the actress reflects on her Terminator fever, the Christian Bale scandal, and why McG, the film’s director, threw cookies at her.

Terminator Salvation takes place almost two decades after the last installment, but you’re taking over as Kate Connor for Claire Danes, who is in fact, two years older than you. Did this ever occur to you? Well, yeah. Of course, I excused it a bit, because I took over for Nicole Kidman in Manderlay, so I’ve gotten used to having to look older. I was glad to be cast, so I wasn’t about to question it.

Your character doesn’t have as many action sequences as Claire Danes’ character, or Linda Hamilton’s, or even Moon Bloodgood’s. Do you see Kate’s role evolving into a more physical one as the franchise progresses? That’s really dependent on if there are additional films. That’s totally up to them. I found it to be quite natural, the way in which my character serviced the story, because she was eight-months pregnant, so it would’ve been kind of irresponsible if I had been running around with machine guns. It was funny though, because I had given birth to my son right before I shot this movie, and so I was like, “Well, I’m going to look really pregnant.” And then, naturally you start losing weight after you have a baby, so McG was throwing cookies at me.

Why did they make your character pregnant? I don’t know. When I signed on to this movie, it was just a few days before shooting and she was pregnant in the script. I feel like, from a metaphorical standpoint, it represented the idea that there literally was a future worth fighting for.

Where do you see this film in a relation to the other three Terminator films? Do you see it as Terminator 4, or as a reboot that stands on its own? I think it’s being considered as a reinvention of the old movies, which makes sense. It takes place post-Judgment Day, and it’s not too far of a stretch to look at it in that light. Obviously, Terminator 2 was the one that really set the bar, and I feel like this is really a different kind of film. The first Terminator was a horror film, the second was a thriller, and the third was kind of an adventure story. This one—I think Sam Worthington said this and I’m totally stealing it from him—is a war story. So each Terminator has taken on its own distinctive way of approaching the material.

How did you react to the controversy surrounding Christian Bale that erupted a few months ago? It was really a shame, because this is a man who I respect and adore, and had a really lovely experience working with. For me, what happens on a set should really remain private, so that was really sad. That aside, I feel like he handled it in the way he of course would: as a gentleman. He apologized profusely, and made no excuses, so I do not feel like it’s going to have an impact on the reception of the film.

I think the way he handled it was, like you said, perfect. He is a very gracious human being. He viewed this as an opportunity to say something that actually needed to be said, in general. He demonstrated that graciousness and humility within his apology.

What about the way he gets into character? Is it true that he loses his British accent if his character doesn’t have one, even after the cameras stop rolling? A little bit, yeah. I wouldn’t necessarily call him a Method actor or anything like that, because sometimes when people are a little method-y it gets distracting, and you’re like, wait a second, Let’s just be human beings again! But he is very collaborative as Christian Bale. He is not John Connor all the time, but I did actually notice after the film that he lost his accent when he started speaking, and I was like, Oh wait, you’re from Wales!

Did Jim Cameron ever visit the set? No, he didn’t. I don’t think he intentionally stayed away. I mean, he was doing his film, and there were many weekends when Sam had to go and shoot Avatar.

What is it about this franchise that appeals to people so much? What’s most compelling about this franchise is that it’s the expression of our fears, of what could happen if we become so reliant on technology that it overtakes us. Secondly, I think we all want to see heroes emerge amidst a great obstacle and move towards some kind of triumph in the end. I think the balance between seeing our fears realized and seeing our hopes realized is what attracts viewers.

As the release date approaches, are you excited or nervous? Really excited. I mean, this is just really fun. It’s a great group of people and a really enjoyable experience. Plus, I’m really proud of this film and am so stoked to be in it.

Is it true that you replaced Charlotte Gainsbourg? I don’t actually know. I’m the kind of person who, being a fan of the film, went on Dark Horizons to find out what was going on. So I read when Christian Bale had gotten cast. I was like, Oh, that’s really ingenious, so I did know that she was involved, but as far as I know, there were some major scheduling difficulties because she’s doing several films right now. I also know that because of the pending actors strike and because of the writers strike, things got rushed. I don’t know to what extent she was involved in the process though.

Are you doing the third part of Lars Von Trier’s America trilogy? I don’t know. I’ve stayed in touch with him but he hasn’t talked about it. He’s got a lot of stuff going on.

What’s your favorite restaurant in New York? My favorite restaurant is called Park Avenue. Michael Stillman founded it, and it’s just exquisite. They change the décor every season so they completely change the entire restaurant every season to accommodate. In winter everything is white, for example. And the food is amazing. It’s high-end, really creative French. The menu is really imaginative, like they have white Cheetohs. Oh my gosh, it is so delicious.