Could you ever have imagined that youd become the go-to cult leader for scary post-apocalyptic worlds?
ANN DOWD: Honey, isnt that a riot?!
Im thrilled, beyond, but my goodness, I dont even know what to say!
Its just been an incredible challenge and a pleasure.
Youve become very good at finding your place among these very dark worlds.
DOWD: Thats so interesting.
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Ive always been drawn to that, for some reason.
For whatever reason, Im drawn to these people.
Essentially, I think what draws me is that they are survivors against rather considerable odds.
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DOWD: It was an absolutely extraordinary experience.
Starting the second season, I was not even sure what Patti was.
All I knew was that she was present in Kevins life.
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I wrote to Damon and said, Is she trying to help Kevin with his relationship with Nora?
And he said, Oh, no, she doesnt believe in relationships.
Now, that clarified about five mountaintops for me.
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He said, She doesnt really know why shes there.
The last thing she knew, she killed herself and things were done.
Suddenly, shes sitting next to Kevin in a truck and shes trying to put it together for herself.
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And boy, was that helpful.
The lightbulbs went off.
I thought, Okay, I understand her!
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He always put me on the right track without too many words in my head.
DOWD: You know, when I first read it, I didnt get it.
I read it and thought, What?!
What do you mean Departure?
What is that?!
And I dismissed it.
And then, my agent said, Why dont you have another look?
So, I read it again and I thought, Thats interesting.
And it still wasnt even conscious to me because I didnt even know what I was doing.
What is the Guilty Remnant?
The not talking terrified me, at first, but then I grew to love it.
It was such a fascinating experience.
We rely so on words, but silence is a wildly powerful position to take.
So, that was fascinating.
I didnt even know how attached I had become.
His imagination is without limits, and Tom, as well.
I always knew that none of it was random.
I could play it with full awareness.
I could not necessarily put into words what was going on, but I understood it.
And then, to work with Justin Theroux, they do not come better, on every single level.
Hes a tremendously kind human being and a wonderful actor.
Hes smart and we trusted each other.
DOWD: Its a funny thing.
I thought it was over with the first season.
And then, I found out that no, that wasnt the case.
So, I just accepted that.
I thought, Okay, I love it, but Im going to let it go.
It will always be a part of me, no doubt about it.
But, Damon is not careless.
Those things dont just happen.
So, I wrote and said, Is there a chance that Im in Season 3?
Thats how I found out.
I didnt know what the storyline would be.
I was never tempted to ask, anyway.
DOWD: It absolutely felt like pieces of a whole.
What I love so much about Damon is that he knew her so well.
In fact, I knew something was going to happen and it did happen.
Not only that, Im a leader and I will commit to the end.
She killed herself, which is the goal of the Guilty Remnant.
They want to stop the nonsense of fighting and pretending that life is going to continue because its not.
That was a huge thing in her life.
And then, in the second season, shes able to release that burden of profound regret.
That, to me, is a beautiful journey for a character and for a human being.
Its remarkable to me, what unfolds with her.
You made a very big impression on everyone who watchedThe Handmaids Tale.
Its a chilling and difficult story to watch, and Aunt Lydia was a truly terrifying figure.
I guess getting older has its benefits, one of them being perspective.
I dont share Lydias perspective, but I understand her.
I think she loves those girls and that she takes her job very, very seriously.
They have an opportunity here to do something quite beautiful, which is to bring life into the world.
(Show creator) Bruce Miller told me that she was a teacher prior to Gilead taking shape.
That made huge sense to me.
I think she loves those girls.
I was educated by nuns.
Thats the take I have on Lydia.
She knows her actions are firm and sometimes very harsh, but she also looks after them.
Is Lydia a character that you actually have fun playing?
Remember, its make-believe for me.
My job is to play her and I enjoyed it immensely.
Its a thrill to play with these young Handmaids who are extras.
They come in and they dont know what hit them.
DOWD: I thought the scripts were great.
What you start with is the written word.
And the people were so lovely.
The guy who played my son, Damon Herriman, I adored.
We got along instantly.
We just had a fine time.
We had to crank out a lot in a short period, and it was just a blast.
DOWD: A couple of things.
First of all, I think aging is underrated.
As you grow older, you have perspective and you realize just how fortunate you are to be working.
I think crews are extraordinary human beings at what they do and with the positive attitudes they have.
The crew never shows their discontent or fatigue.
I just think its the realization of, Hey, this is the greatest situation in the world.
How does success feel, at this point in your life?
Children teach you that, every day.
Life is large, so do the best you could and move on.
Do everything you might in a given day, and then let it go.
Just take a gentler hold on things.
Thats been an intense pleasure.
I just couldnt do it.
My mind just refused to go there.
I dont mean there werent low periods.
But I remember arriving in New York and I was maybe 32, and I didnt have an agent.
I said it out loud.
I would go to any audition, and I was terrible at auditioning, in the early days.
I was so nervous that they might have thought I had special needs.
I dont mean that with any disrespect, but I would stutter.
I venture to let go of the armor as much as possible and not be afraid.
DOWD: I always felt like a successful actor when I got a job.
!, and put your head under a pillow and weep.
I can say that I am, by nature, optimistic.
Thats how the world works.
Thats the attitude you have to go in there with.
You just have to know that its coming.
The lovely thing is that now being offered things is just a blast.
In the beginning, Id be offered something and be like, What?
What do you mean?
And now, I have less shock about it.
Its just a real pleasure.
What are you working on right now?
DOWD: Im working on the second season ofGood Behavior, which I think is so good.
It stars Michelle Dockery, Juan Botto and Terry Kinney.
And Chad Hodge, the showrunner and writer, is so wonderful.
Its based on wonderful novels by Blake Crouch.
So, I play an FBI agent whos got issues, and its a blast.
When I finish that, I leave North Carolina and go back home.
What is movie with Toni Collette about?
DOWD: It is, in essence, a horror film from director Ari Aster.
Im right up there with the devil worshipper, front and center.
