Ann Dowd

Playing a strict disciplinarian is not new to Ann Dowd. The 62-year-old actress successfully played the steely doomsday cult leader Patti Levin in The Leftovers. However, it’s as the no-nonsense Aunt Lydia — who disciplines the handmaids into bearing children for the heads of an autocratic theocracy — in The Handmaid’s Tale (airs every Monday at 10pm on AXN) that Dowd has shown her mettle as an actor, even bagging an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress last year. t2 chatted with Dowd on being Lydia.

Did you read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood before you landed the part of Lydia?

Yes, I did many, many times. I first read it in the ’80s and was very struck by it then. As soon as I read the screenplay, I understood that (show-runner) Bruce Miller had exactly understood where it was coming from and it was a great pleasure for me to join the show. 

So what was your reaction when you were asked to play Lydia? 

I was very taken with the book  and while reading the script, I felt I could understand Lydia… play her without judgement. I think she’s very complicated and she raises the question of how does one become this individual with such a way of looking at the world. I was very interested in her and the writing was very, very good. I was very excited to join in. 

While playing Lydia, have you been repelled or fascinated or has it been a mix of both?

It is a mixture of both. She believes that in order for these girls (called the ‘Handmaids’ who are forced into child-bearing servitude) to have a successful life or survive at all in Gilead (the theonomic military dictatorship in which they live), these severe measures have to be taken. If they didn’t comply, they wouldn’t survive. She’s a deeply religious person. She believes these girls lost their way before Gilead… they had sex before marriage, got pregnant and aborted their children or some left their marriages midway… all reasons that Lydia believes will lead to the downfall of the world. Then we see in the first season that she actually gets attached to these girls. She keeps a watchful eye on those who are particularly fragile. She looks around at the opulence in Gilead and says, ‘Wait a minute, this is not what I signed up for’. She’s a humble person and she lives in a dorm room, for god’s sake! She wants to keep it simple, unlike the others in Gilead. 

How do you play complex characters like Lydia or Patti, your character in The Leftovers, and not face the danger of losing yourself?

It all comes down to the writing. Both these characters are written very well. They are both kept consistent. And for an actor, that’s the joy, isn’t it? To be able to play any role. When I think of Lydia, I am reminded of my years growing up in catholic schools. Not that they did anything remotely cruel as Lydia… not at all! (Laughs) But there was a sense of work ethic and no one was made to feel more special than the other. As a kid, I felt that what my teachers were sometimes doing was the meanest thing on earth, but now I realise that everything was being done to prepare me to live a good life. If you can take the core of that and apply it to Lydia, then somewhere, within me, I can connect to that. 

The same goes for Patti Levin. She was a woman who was told all her life that she’s stupid and suddenly she’s thrust into a position of power after a large population of the earth disappears inexplicably. I could relate to that character and could imagine what her life must be like. I find both women interesting, compelling and complex. 

How special was it winning an Emmy Award last year for playing Lydia?

Honestly, I don’t think I will ever get over it! (Laughs) It was one of the most extraordinary moments of my life. It’s the kind of moment where everything in your life comes together. I was happy enough to be nominated and suddenly, my name was announced and it was just unbelievable… very beautiful. I won’t ever get over the shock of it… oh my goodness… I don’t know what the words are! (Laughs)

Women, specifically those above a certain age, are getting better roles to play in films and on television… 

Yes, that’s right. There are many more opportunities, many more stories out there. What everyone’s realised is that women are interesting and have interesting stories to tell! (Laughs) I think it’s a wonderful time. 

Besides Lydia and Patti, which other character of yours is close to your heart?

I loved playing Aloysius in the play Doubt. Also, I like some of the roles I’ve played in short plays… there are so many, so many.