Here, at The Film Experience, there's a lot of love for Ann Dowd. The actress has been celebrated numerous times, interviewed, and she even took over the blog for a day in 2015. With Fran Kranz's Mass in theaters, Dowd may finally be poised to receive her first Oscar nomination after decades doing superb work on stage and on screens of all sizes. For years, despite the consistent quality of her performances, Dowd went unrecognized. In 2012, however, it all changed when Craig Zobel's Compliance generated widespread critical acclaim for the thespian, inspiring her to start a self-funded awards campaign. Making formidable use of this career momentum, Dowd quickly became a recognizable character actress powerhouse and an Emmy winner. Even so, all these years later, Compliance remains one of her greatest achievements…
1934 The first (of many) sound film adaptations of Treasure Island the novel opens in movie theaters starring Oscar winners Lionel Barrymore and Wallace Beery, along with child star Jackie Cooper, himself already an Oscar nominee...the youngest Best Actor nominee of all time in point of fact. Cooper and Berry had previously co-starred in the instant classic tearjerker The Champ (1931) so the advertising pushed the reunion hard...
As this new week begins, I need to take a moment to express gratitude for what made last week special. Ann Dowd was gracious with her time and thoughts for a special guest blog day. In case any of you missed it, it was neat to get an insight into her work on The Leftovers, hear about her teenage reaction to Romeo & Juliet, and more. I particularly enjoyed her comments on falling in love with acting and advice for young actors. Regarding the latter, I'm not an actor but it resonated with me strongly and I think it's great advice for any career that requires risk, heart, soul, and the ability to handle considerable peaks and valleys.
Which is quite a few careers if you stop to think about it.
Ann Dowd's film and television career began in earnest 25 years ago in 1990 with a role in the Golden Globe Comedy winner Green Card and guest appearances on two different TV series The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and The Baby-Sitter's Club.
this is just scratching the surface
Her gallery of characters has been growing ever since but with critical raves and a few prizes for her riveting film-carrying work as a duped fast food manager in Compliance (2012) audiences finally starting putting a name to the face. Ever since we've been blessed with more and more of her. The Leftovers was arguably her greatest showcase yet. If Emmy voters don't notice what casting directors already have, it'll be their loss.
What's your favorite Ann Dowd character and did her Guest Blog Day make you long for more peeks into your favorite character actors? (I'll take suggestions)
The Film Experience is proud to turn today over to the great actress Ann Dowd. Enjoy...
The cast of "Garden State"
- by Ann Dowd
Nathaniel tells me these are his favorite characters from my filmography and since I've taken over The Film Experience for the day, here are quick notes on each.
"Olivia" in Garden State (2004) Loved. Zach Braff really had it together- wrote, directed, starred in. He was very clear about what he wanted which is always a pleasure.
"Cookie Kelly" in Freaks and Geeks (2000) Hysterical. Writers, actors, everybody was talented and young and funny. I love that role - she was delicious and twisted.
"Sister Maureen 'Mo' Brody" in Nothing Sacred (1997) Sister Maureen was a wonderful role, so well written, a lovely cast. I have two aunts who are Catholic Ursuline sisters so I know something about that world – how educated they are, how generous and caring and complicated they are. The way the role was conceived by Bill Cain reflected the truth about that world and it was a pleasure to work on it.
"Sandra" in Compliance (2012) Another beautifully written role. I have tremendous empathy for that character, not having a guidance system of her own. How derailed her life became. Great director Craig Zobel.
"Estabrooks Masters" in Masters of Sex (2013) Oh my gosh, what I remember most about the first season is just the feeling of hitting that ground running. Michelle Ashford's writing is great. A really terrific cast - Michael Sheen, Lizzy Caplan, Caitlin FitzGerald. The stories were very strong and I love the character of Estabrooks. She's clear and unfaltering and also able to admit her mistakes, apologize and then move forward. Loved her.
"Patti" in The Leftovers (2014) We already spoke at length about this role but there was a lot of camarederie on set with Amy, Liv, and Justin. The atmosphere was so surreal -- keep in mind that sometimes we were shooting in the middle of the night in the cul-de-sac somewhere 45 minutes out of the city -- no sense of time or space. On one of the first days of shooting the first A.D. Vebe Borge didn't speak in solidary with the Guilty Remnant. How's that for commitment?
New Podcast ~ Part 2 of 2 [Part 1 Here] When we left off we were talking about the Globe Comedy and SAG Ensemble nods specifically and now the conversation continues. We turn to two films which could receive several nominations or none: The Master and Beasts of The Southern Wild and explore other Oscar mysteries too. [With Nathaniel, Nick, Katey, and Joe.]
Topics include:
The Master and P.T. Anderson's shift from ensemble to two-man dramas
Beasts of the Southern Wild, the outsider film
Globe categorizations. Why wasn't The Sessions a comedy?
Marion Cotillard is so Hollywood
Screenplays, Original and Adapted
Cinematography is neither Art Direction nor Visual Effects. Discuss
Oscar Stats. Will Supporting Actor be the only acting lineup ever that goes in with all previous winners?
Screener piles. Are AMPAS voters more likely to watch The Paperboy or Compliance?
You can download the podcast on iTunes or listen right here at the bottom of the post. But, as always, the podcast isn't complete without you. Join in the conversation by commenting!
Tuesday, October 12, 2021 at 10:00PM 
