Ann Dowd On Her Character, Aunt Lydia In "The Handmaid's Tale"
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- Ann Dowd discusses the complexities of her character, and how she dives into the world of "The Handmaid's Tale."
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I think the best thing she brings to the role is her ability to portray the cruelness of her character while showing believable pain in her eyes.
wendyvee EXACTLY!!!
She does. It’s weird. I always think aunt Lydia is gonna see the error in her ways. I always see her about to break and then she doesn’t. She comes back and is even more cruel.
Couldn't agree more. She does that SO WELL. There are moments when the pain, or knowing in eyes makes me think she's going to switch over.
Yes!!!
wendyvee YES!!!! This right here!
that's the really terrifying part about the handmaid's tale-- not the patriarchal repression of women, but the way patriarchal women oppress other women, sometimes even for the sake of "helping" them. I think she really gets the role, and even though i had read the book beforehand, I felt just as cripplingly anxious while watching the show. I need a Valium
You're spot on! The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale with narration from Aunt Lydia, examines the logical development of this harrowing concept at the source.
frrr like in these types of societys and even ours women r always pitted against eachother. and many women go along w the patriarchy by taking down other women, so they can feel as though they have power.. like imagine if women worked together, how much work they could get done
So basically it’s about people in power abusing people who are not. Let’s just put aside the patriarchy/matriarchy bollocks here..,
GIVE THAT WOMAN AN OSCAR
Its the supporting actors and actresses for me who deserve those awards....
Well, not possible for Handmaid's Tale, obvs, but she got an Emmy!
Exactly, I feel like just an Emmy is not enough for that breathtaking performance
@@juliawirch2454well, she has been in movies too... it is about recognising her talent as an actress even if this video is about her Aunt Lydia character
So good!
I love her voice and the way she speaks.
Kristen a.k.a. Craftrat she does have the most soothing voice.
She has a mesmerizing tone to her voice...just sucks you in.
Kristen a.k.a. Craftrat Yes! Even as Aunt Lydia I love her voice.
She has a Voice and way of talking like a lady version of Donald Trump.
@@J-_-D. uh...no. Not at all. How do you get that? She has a very gentle voice and almost a transatlantic accent.
I really hope there is a aunt Lydia backstory because I really want to know how she became such a scary character.
huff huffington I would love to see a spin off of her prior life 👍
Possibly in the upcoming book?
Oh I think there will be, sooner than later. The character begs it.
There is now!
huff huffington kinda late for this but there is a backstory for lydia! It’s in a spin off book called “the testaments”
She has perfect annunciation when she speaks. Every “ T” is heard and every word is perfectly executed. She’s a great actress. She made me feel sympathetic at times and sometimes she wanted me to hate her in the series. Brilliant
Anthony Hebisen 7
A true trained actor, who's paid her dues in theatre and learned her craft inside out
Agreed. She brought out the ambivalence in the character, the spectrum of good and evil in any human.
I actually thought this when watching handmaids tail and I would actually repeat what she said because I wanted to test my own pronunciation. Love that you noticed that and that I get to comment on it lol.
Her character is so interesting. She's cruel and evil but can also be maternal and somehow makes me like her even though the things she does and believes in are outrageous.
Fluffy Unicorn totally. I mean, a part of me will be like "YAAAASSSS" when she finally pays for her crimes, but another part of me will be tearing up a little bit
Fluffy Unicorn I feel the exact same way about her
Fluffy Unicorn I don't know if it's maternal. Sometimes I think the love she shows them is more like an owner loves it's cattle and yet they both still know the cattle will end up in the slaughterhouse.
Mariam Hoosen good analogy
@@Mariam0017 not exactly. She does seem to have a maternal, loving side which shows up once in a while.
The scenes between Ann Dowd and Elisabeth Moss give me life. They are two outstanding actresses at the top of their game adding even more depth to the source material. They are fantastic together.
Her scenes with Janine are SO good omg!!!!
Amanda S.A I love their dynamics so much. Such complex characters
Great character. At first you think she's just cruel and evil, willing to do whatever the powers above tell her to do. However as the season continued her character develops and there are moments when you can tell that she actually cares about the well being of the hand maids.
baz Dost I thought the same thing, I had some very, very mixed feelings about her character by the end, I really hope that they have an episode that goes further into her backstory in the next season.
She is such an amazing actress. You detest Aunt Lydia, but you can see how much she loves the girls and if you watch her face you can see she does not want to hut the girls. She is showing them the only love she can in a brutal world that will destroy them if she is not harsh.
She cares just like a sociopath cares about their victims.
Thats the best part. Mid season when she takes care of Janine, we think that she really cares for the girls. But then she commands them to stone Janine. And season 2 is whole new level of haunting.
Listening to Ann, I’m almost starting to sympathises with Aunt Lydia! Amazing writing/preparation/acting to humanise what could have been a cartoon villain in a lesser show
She's an phenomenal actress. She actually made me "enjoy" her presence on screen
I'd say Aunt Lydia is one of my favourite characters because Ann Dowd plays her so magnificently. Just with one facial expression she gives so much depth to the character; she makes you think that maybe she's not just pure evil, maybe there's something else going on in there.
Aaaagh. I just adore her. She *understands* Aunt Lydia SO much and knows how important it is to understand her. Yet such a gentle, lovely woman in real life.
Ann Dowd is a national treasure and I'm delighted she is finally receiving the recognition she deserves.
I can't wait to find out more about Aunt Lydia's backstory. What did she do pre-Gilead? Maybe they'll give her Serena's arc from the book that she was an evangelist.
Maliha Intikhab I’m gonna say in her youth she was wild then settled down got divorced and became a crazy cat lady
Matt Kennedy the story of my life! Lol
bozogigi1 😆
She led a cult of chain-smoking mutes.
If I remember correctly, during a flashback early in season 1 we can see Aunt Lydia with some headphones in walking in the city looking disapprovingly. Can’t remember which episode but I thought that was her
It’s so weird to see her out of character like she looks so beautiful and gentle and peaceful here
I would love to just sit and talk with this woman for at least an hour!
She would be a wonderful dinner party guest!
She's playing the epitome of the 'I was ordered to do it so it's not my responsibility' person. She still manages to convey such pain for the Handmaids while she's being responsible for the foulness of the regime.
I think that it is more complex that this. Women of Gilead have no power at all. They can't own property, money, drive a car, or read a book. This includes Lydia as well. She understands that the girls will not survive if they cannot do their duty. They would go to the colonies to clean up toxic waste and die of poisons or be hung out right.
I didn't think that was the point of her character at all. She wasn't ordered to do it. She BELIEVES in it. Truly believes. That was the impression I got. Her harshness is her kindness because that's what she thinks is actually best for the girls.
JA M oh no she is firmly in the camp of I believe this so you are going to believe it too. She doesn't waiver, any human being who can do such cruel things as staple gun ears, order stonings, put out eyes is indoctrinated well and truly. To be hones Ann gave an articulate but dishonest speech. You have to have disdain for Aunt Lydia , and the nun, in her story because both abuse power, both have chosen indoctrination over humanity and it's a tiny tiny step from that to concentration camp guards and sadly ICE personnel currently. How can you deport a professor who has done nothing wrong, filled in all the correct paperwork, benefitted his community, do it in front of his family, because you are told to do it.
Take note US this isn't a fairy tale it's happening right now take note and keep your humanity.
diane shelton I agree with most of what you've said, but I don't believe Ann was being dishonest in her answer. She wasn't dismissing the cruelties in Lydia's character; she was simply articulating how she as an actress couldn't afford to judge Lydia (otherwise she'll never be able to play the role) and how she found a sort of link or opening to get into the character and understand where Lydia was coming from :)
Srinitya that wasn’t what she said and with a character who is so inherently evil, you need to denounce that evil. Sadly there are people who will use Aunt Lydia as a justification for doing evil themselves. Topically Michelle Wolf called out Sarah Huckabee Sanders for being an Aunt Lydia and gaslighting everyone at her press briefings. It aparrently has hurt Sarah’s feelings. That’s the way to view Aunt Lydia as a example of how not to be and how not to admire anything she does. I hope it has caused Sarah to view her actions in the way they are and not hide behind any “I am doing it for your good “ bullshit. She has looked more under pressure and has gaslighted less since that comment. That’s how to view Aunt Lydia not to admire her in any way.
I absolutely love the way she speaks. Something about her articulation and choice of words is so nice to listen to!
She is so diverse in her character. Truly amazing and believable hands down. Love her in this role.
this lady is so amazingly talented. She lives through her character. They are one and the same. It is insane. I love it.
Aunt Lydia reminds me so much of Sister Jude Martin from American Horror Story Asylum. They're both characters who you hate at first, but have so much depth in them and it gives them redeeming qualities. I really hope we see Aunt Lydia's backstory in season 2.
Mari E Oh my god, yes! And Jessica Lange would be fantastic in this if she got a role.
I was thinking of that when she was explaining her motivation with Janine, because as we later learned Jude's thinking was "As a woman this world will fucking crush you like it did me, and the more prepared for that you are the better"
Yes!
This, this is why this show/book is so great: the characters are wonderfully complex and layered, plus superb performances by the cast to deliver the nuanced emotions. Ann's perspective on Aunt Lydia shows great empathy on her part, Emmys well deserved!
Omg...she has the kindest face here. She's gorgeous!
loved what she had to say. in the book aunt lydia is broken is some ways too. '' this isn't easy for me either ''
Such a great actress I hadn't known about her prior to handmaids tale, but she is absolutely amazing in the show. Her and serena are almost perfect antagonists.
Aunt Lydia is hands down my FAVORITE character in Handmaids Tale! Plus she is the best actress in the show
I remember seeing her in a guest role on Law & Order back in the day. This was like 20 years ago and I always remembered her.
So much depth in her as a person and the way she master her craft as an actress is nothing short of impressive and amazing
Hard to separate the actress from her character (just finished watching the season last night) - she terrifies me!
Wendy B Wedding Photographer OMG SAME!!
Her acting style is the most unique i've ever seen. She gets completely into a character and makes it real. Elisabeth Moss is good, too, but Ann Dowd should be remembered as one of the greats
I LOVE her voice. It’s such a beautiful speaking voice. She has fabulous diction. Aunt Lydia is such a great character. You can definitely sense an ambivalence in her. She wants to be firm, but tender too. Conflicting roles.
She absolutely deserves an Oscar for this role. I love, hate and understand her character so much. Of course she has a backstory. Everyone does. I would love to meet her in real life and tell what a tremendous actress she is and that she’s one of the people who convinced/inspired my pursuit in the performing arts.
It would be an Emmy...and she deservedly won one in 2017...great actress.
Ann does a great job with this role, of taking what could have been a two dimensional character, and making her relevant. I wish that the show had delved into her background, because I have always thought that there must be some reason for this person to be this way. I know that she says that she had to make her human in some way to play her, but she doesn't discuss Lydia's attraction to her bit of power in this world (which is also a very human trait). This entire show/book is about control and power--who has it, who doesn't, and why. That's why Serena and Lydia are such fascinating characters, females with some power, in a world that claims women shouldn't have any.
She is such an amazing actress. I listened to her and forgot she played Aunt Lydia until Ann said "you had better get it". I saw Aunt Lydia there. I can't get over Ann Dowd
She is such an amazing actress with magnetic looks
im so glad the interviewer actually lets her speak. shes so intelligent and articulate and the way she speaks makes anything sound incredibly interesting
I want an episode on Aunt Lydia's past for one of the future seasons of the handmaid's tale
Plus Aunt Lydia is my favorite character because she reminds me of my Jehovah Witness Nana.
I had a feeling she would be a teacher before!! I love her character on how devoted she is on this show!!
I was first really introduced to her in the leftovers and I fell in love.. so to see her in THT was such a great treat she is just fantastic give her every award!
She gives such an excellent performance in this series and, listening to her now, leaves me conflicted as to whether I can go on hating Aunt Lydia. Even Aunt Lydia can have me swayed at times, like when she was handling Janine during her pregnancy/mental breakdown. This Ann Dowd is just one of those people you could go on listening to for hours because she is so eloquent and intellectual, and still able to reverberate a kind, relatable, passionate manner as well. A classy classy lady indeed.
I want an aunt Lydia backstory this season! Her character has much more that just being the mentor for the handmaids. Like why did she join Gilead? What was her life like before?
the character development through this show is immaculate.
I can really imagine Aunt Lydia as a teacher like they said in that interview. Between a strict private school teacher or a teacher at a really poor public school where she watches kids fall down the drain, so she really believes in the book and in Gilead as the option to end the issues.
I love Aunt Lydia! I love Anne's ability to humanize this character.
everything she said here i felt in her character. aunt lydia is not malicious, she cares for her girls and she wants to guide them and better them
you can really tell she was a teacher, I couldn't stop listening to her
This woman is such a gift, truly phenomenal actress. She was brilliant in The Leftovers as well.
The show's best character. So nuanced. Brilliant writing and acting.
She looks so hard in the series, but in real life she is so beautiful and soft, and the shine in her yes! Wow
I had a nursing teacher that seemed cruel and I learned the most from her honestly. My bff in school an Indian girl lost her grandpa who she loved dearly, this lady made her bring a copy of his death certificate to prove she needed to miss those days, I thought she was a monster but later I learned she was teaching us yes you have suffered a loss but you can’t take this job lightly, someone you may be responsible for may pass and their family will be there grieving and you need to be there. You can’t lie or use nonsense to call off bc the job is very serious and you are NEEDED. Every day you are needed and if you are not it should be a GOOD and valid reason. She made me cry almost every day lol but I learned the most from her
Aunt Lydia believes really, that she do the right thing. The way how motherly compassionate she looks when she punishes the women, is soo scary . I love her role ❤️
Such an interesting insight into her character, and how beautifully spoken. She deserves an Emmy for playing Aunt Lydia. She makes you believe she believes everything coming out of her mouth!
You won’t find the complete person only the one you judge! Is the deepest thing Ive heard from an actress and I wouldn’t mind she plays the role so well
Phenomenal actress. Every scene with her is a delight to watch.
Where has thus treasure of an actor been? She is wonderful and yes, I was so interested in every word she said. I also was taught by Nuns for the first 10 years of my education.
She explains a dimension of humanity that is easily overlooked in her monstrous character Aunt Lydia.
She is an amazing actress.
I love this woman. She's a tremendous actress shes seems like such a kind lady!
She plays her character so well. There are so many subtilites that she gets right on point. I’d love to see her character back story
I could listen to Ann Dowd speak all day long........I am such a fan of this absolutely amazing actress.
Ann Dowd is the best actress in the Handmaids Tale, so incredible.
Great actress - super interesting :)
I listened to Ann Dowd read the aunt Lydia parts for the Testaments and then I watched the show. Sometimes when you read a story you get an impression of who you think a character is, and that is rarely surpassed. For me, Ann Dowd is one of the greatest actors of our time and her portrayal of Aunt Lydia is more dynamic and authentic than the character I imagined. And she is so kind, humble and beautiful which makes her acting ever more impressive.
Aunt Lydia is cruel but inside she’s human and cares about the Handmaids she has to train. Ann is a very articulate and friendly woman. I love that you can understand her character and her devotion to the regime. Even though it’s sad...She’s a nurturer.
Her character Aunt Lydia reminds me of a scarier version of the principal from Matilda Trunchbull
I feel like I can listen to her talk for hours
I'm only halfway through season 2, but I truly believe Lydia cares for the Handmaids perhaps more than anyone in Giliad. Her story about possibly being a teacher really solidifies that image for me. She is ruthless, because preparing the Handmaids for their duties is the most compassionate thing she can do.
This woman does an amazing job playing Lydia... it takes real talent to pull that off convincingly.
Outstanding actress! How she makes us empathize with her even as cruel as she can be is brilliant.
Aunt Lydia!!! She looks so much younger!! I have a love/hate relationship with this character. You hate what she does to these girls, but she shows moments of caring for them. What a great acting job
Listening to Ann, I’m almost starting to sympathises with Aunt Lydia! Amazing writing/preparation/acting to humanise what could have been a cartoon villain in a lesser show
you know, the very first moment I saw Aunt Lydia it was like a punch in the face, it was like i didn't know what hit me, that was the kind of energy this lady transmits, and I couldn't help thinking that in real life this actress has to be the sweetest and most brilliant persons one might expect. THIS is a great actress!
The Handmaid's Tale is the best thing to ever happen to TV!
I REALLY hope Aunt Lydia redeems herself by the end of the series. I love Ann Dowd and I love the character of Aunt Lydia. I just hope she ends up helping the Handmaids escape at some point. Or something. Anything.
hoytster88 I don't think that will happen as much as I want it too...
Lydia is too indoctrinated by her ideology for that to happen. If that did happen, it would be unrealistic.
highly intelligent and explorative.
I am almost on the end of Season 2 and I have noticed how much more depth her character has gotten since the first season. She is in a way kinder and more understanding but only if you follow the rules and do what you supposed to be doing. It occured to me l, like Ann said, that she is not intending to be villainous but that is what she knows, that if these girls have to survive and live through as "people", she will have to make them pull through. And June starts understanding this as well cause she starts doing what she is told so that Auny Lydia can later on help her, like how Aunt Lydia helps her in getting to feed her baby. Aunt Lydia has nothing against the maids unless they are wrong.
I could listen to her speak all day.
Excellent way of describing and diving in the character. Super talented and wise.
She looks better now than when she was younger. Such a sweet soul.
Amazing woman, thank you for sharing your talent and being who you are.
She really is a great story teller. Praised be. 🙌🏻 🙏🏻 💕
Honestly she is such an amazing actor! I love her so so so so much! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
It’s amazing someone who’s this likable and charismatic in real life can play someone that’s such a monster on screen
When she plays Aunt Lydia her look and vice reminds of
Miss Schlowski from kindergarten cop
wow Ann is mesmerizing. her voice and hair. i just cant look away.
LOVE to hear Ann Dowd speak. I'm disappointed this video had to cut her off.
That she remembers the ways of a certain nun from her younger school experience makes the backstory of Lydia very clear, at least to me.
Wow that was so well said. She's pretty amazing.
Aunt Lydia reminds me of Ms trunchball
She had better win a ton of Emmys for that ridiculous character. She's next level. That character is so iconic and evil that to not want her murdered on the show in the most gruesome manner imaginable would feel wrong. Her death on the show will be magic.
I think she is one of the best actresses i have seen
Love Ann, she is such a powerful character and actress.
I'm so thrilled she won the Emmy for her performance in this show, but she also should've won for her performance in The Leftovers!!
ANN DOWN DESERVES AN OSCAR AND EVERY SINGLE AWARD , SHE IS EXTRAORDINARY I DONT KNOW HER BUT HONESTLY I REALLY FEEL SHE IS A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING .
THE WAY SHE SPEAKS AND BEHAVE IS SUPER HUMBLE I REALLY LOVE HER.
IF U HAVENT WATCHED THE LEFTOVERS PLEASE DO SO .
ITS SLOW THE FIRST EPISODES BUT THEN BECAUSE OF ANN DOWN CHARACTER EVERYTHING START GETTING AMAZING.
THT AND THE LEFTOVERS ARE HONESTLY AMAZING \
ONCE AGAIN ANN DOWD I LOVE U :P
I loved Patti Levin in the Leftovers. Then started watching THT and bam, all sympathy for her gone. But now I've finished the last episode and I must say I like her just as much as Patti. That promise of a full tray of dessert for Janine was the turning point for me.
She is my absolute favorite! I love her
She speaks beautifully and so eloquently! Wonderful lady :-)
This woman is simply Brilliant.