Why Ann Dowd understands Aunt Lydia
Ann Dowd
In 2017, Ann Dowd won an Emmy for her terrifying performance in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
She was also nominated that same year for playing the cult leader Patti Levin on HBO’s “The Leftovers.” But before her recent success, she played dozens of scene-stealing supporting roles: from Busy Philipps’s mom in “Freaks and Geeks” to a real-life victim of a hoax in “Compliance” to Toni Collette’s eccentric friend in “Hereditary.”
Kurt Andersen talks to Dowd about finally getting the recognition she deserves and how she approaches playing scary characters.
“Rule number one is no judgment,” she says, “because judgment shuts all doors.”
(Originally aired September 13, 2018)
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?