I was educated by nuns. None of them, of course, did anything resembling the actions of Lydia from The Handmaid's Tale, but they taught me a work ethic, that I had to toe the line, that I had to step up and do my work, and that we would stay until it was done, and that came from a devotion to making you the best person you can be. That's the take I have on Lydia. She knows her actions are firm and sometimes very harsh, but she also looks after them.
Ann DowdThe Leftovers was an absolutely extraordinary experience. After the first season of learning to work with Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, and all of the writers, you didn't question it because it all made sense. Because Damon knows those characters so well and has thought it through so well, there was never a time that I asked a question where it wasn't answered fully.
Ann DowdThe lovely thing is that now being offered things is just a blast. In the beginning, I'd be offered something and be like, "What? What do you mean? Are they sure?" And now, I have less shock about it. It's just a real pleasure. It's a privilege.
Ann DowdI love the roles that I'm having the chance to play, and I've learned to just let go a little. Children teach you that, every day. Life is large, so do the best you can and move on. Do everything you can in a given day, and then let it go.
Ann DowdDamon Lindelof is hypnotizing. His imagination is without limits, and Tom Perrotta, as well. You begin to just trust, completely, where the story is going, knowing that you're entirely safe in the truthfulness of it.
Ann DowdMy basic thought about actors, and I would say this to my students - I love to teach, but I haven't in awhile because I've been fortunate enough to be working - that, "If this is the work you love, there is work for you. That's how the world works. That's the attitude you have to go in there with. You just have to know that it's coming."
Ann Dowd