Ann Dowd Embraces Career Built on Talent, Not Looks
Ann Dowd speaks about her long career and her unsettling role as Aunt Lydia. The actress, now 70, appears in the new sequel The Testaments on Disney+.
A complicated character comes into focus
Aunt Lydia has haunted viewers since The Handmaid’s Tale first aired in 2017. The character has been ruthless, using cattle prods and violent measures to control handmaids.
The Testaments explores Lydia’s life before Gilead. The sequel aims to explain how she survived and why she submitted to the regime.
Performance that convinces audiences
Fans sometimes mistake Dowd for her on-screen persona. One reported seeing her on an escalator and fleeing, terrified.
Dowd says there is a shared steeliness between her and Lydia. She calls the character “a dear friend” and says they learn from each other.
Politics and real-world impact
The show inspired street protests after the US reversal of Roe v. Wade. Women wearing handmaid costumes appeared at rallies in the United States and Northern Ireland.
Dowd praised the protesters and called such public action a tribute to Margaret Atwood’s work. She described Atwood’s writing as rooted in history rather than prophecy.
On contemporary threats and the manosphere
Dowd voiced alarm about rising misogyny and online movements like the manosphere. She singled out figures such as Andrew Tate as troubling influences on young men.
She raised concerns about boys abusing female teachers. The issues prompted a serious exchange during our conversation in London.
Interview setting and personal details
We met at Raffles Hotel in London, looking toward Whitehall and the Royal Horse Guards. Dowd, petite and energetic, wore strawberry-blonde hair and a fringe that day.
She has lived in Chelsea, New York, since 1989 with her husband Lawrence Arancio. The couple raised three children while keeping a longtime home base in Manhattan.
Notable roles beyond Aunt Lydia
Dowd broke out at 56 with the Sundance film Compliance. She also appeared in HBO’s The Leftovers and the horror Hereditary.
Her emotionally intense role in Mass (2021) involved eight days of shooting. The film features nearly the entire story at a church function room table.
Mass co-stars included Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton and Reed Birney. The cast later met a mother who lost a child in a real mass shooting.
Approach to age and appearance
Dowd says her career was built on talent, not looks. She resists industry pressure to alter her face for roles.
She acknowledged a past cosmetic tweak involving sunspot removal. After it returned, she chose to accept the changes and move on.
Looking ahead
Turning 70 prompted reflection and a desire for new work. Dowd wants to use more of her comic instincts in future projects.
She enjoyed a cameo on the final season of Girls. She has a comic sci-fi role coming up in Hacks, involving a blue-painted character.
The Testaments is now streaming on Disney+. This piece was produced for Filmogaz.com.
