Side Dish: More with Ann Dowd

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Dinner’s on Me" Side Dish: More with Ann Dowd

Host: Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Guest: Ann Dowd
Date: June 18, 2026
Location: The Peninsula, Beverly Hills (Living Room, over tea)

Episode Overview

This “Side Dish” episode extends the conversation from the main interview with acclaimed actress Ann Dowd, best known for The Handmaid’s Tale, The Leftovers, and Testament. Over tea at the upscale Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills (apt for Gilead’s tea-centric scenes), Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ann Dowd dig into parenting, career choices, handling criticism, stage anxiety, meditation, and the emotional realities of being a performer.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Scene & Family Life

[02:28 - 05:10]

• Jesse and Ann chat warmly about tea service and hotel staycations, with Ann admitting she’s never done one.
• Personal backgrounds:
  • Jesse shares about raising his sons, Beckett and Sullivan, and moving to a more family-friendly neighborhood in Encino.
  • Ann shares about her grown children (ages 34, 28, 21), not having grandkids yet, and the joy (without pressure) she feels about potential grandchildren.
• The joys and exhaustion of parenting prompt both to reflect on how parenthood affects lifestyle choices. Jesse mentions giving up alcohol after having kids (“My energy levels are so much better when I’m not drinking.” – Jesse, [05:05]).

Parenting On and Off Screen

[05:15 - 06:58]

• Jesse discusses the contrast between being a TV dad on Modern Family (where fussy babies could be swapped out) and real fatherhood (“In real life…you just gotta deal with it.” – Jesse, [05:49]). Ann relates to this as a fellow parent and actress.
• Behind-the-scenes: how child actors on Modern Family struggled with set life, and how the production adapted, eventually casting Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as Lily.

Advice for Aspiring Actors

[08:49 - 12:22]

• Jesse’s pragmatic advice: Only pursue acting if you can’t imagine doing anything else, due to the industry’s inherent heartbreaks.
• Ann reframes:

  “Rather than desperate…it’s a love story you’re keeping alive.” ([09:23])

• Ann shares her philosophy: She never questions those who want to act, believing that “this business teaches you very quickly if you can or you can’t” (Ann, [10:15]).
• Handling rejection and criticism:
  • Ann’s strict rule: She avoids reading reviews entirely because both positive and negative ones distract her (“Even the positive…I’m too prone to focus on something.” – Ann, [11:20]).
  • Jesse admits he struggles not to read them, despite knowing “if you listen to the lovely things, you have to also listen to the negative things” ([11:06]).

Battling On-Stage Anxiety & The Power of Meditation

[13:20 - 18:06]

• Ann recounts crippling anxiety that struck during a Broadway play with Ed Harris, exacerbated by a director’s choice to have her visible but idle onstage before her big scene.

  “I’m a pacer…I want the hallway. Don’t talk to me…I need that hallway” ([14:14]).

• Desperate for relief, Ann learns meditation and describes its life-changing effects:

  “I cannot tell you strongly enough the effect that had on me…suddenly presence would happen. It was like being at an amusement park of heaven” ([15:44-16:58]).

• Both share that although meditation improved their well-being, falling off the habit is easy, but the practice is “always there for you.”

Vulnerability: One-Person Show & Stepping Back from Theater

[18:07 - 20:44]

• Ann recalls her experience in a one-person adaptation of Ibsen’s Enemy of the People at the Armory, highlighting her bond with director Robert Icke.
• Despite the creative richness, the stress of performing solo in such a vast space became overwhelming. Ann reveals she had to withdraw before the run ended:

  “The anxiety would be so profound…And I realized I can’t go on. So I had to end it…And I’ve not done a play since” ([20:17-20:44]).

• Feelings of stage fright mix with deep love and longing for the theater; Ann doesn’t rule out a return, but would prefer an ensemble (“I need to be in the Greek chorus!”).

Reflections on Performance & Joy

[22:41 - 26:27]

• Jesse and Ann discuss the unique mental challenges of solo shows, especially the fear of becoming dissociated on stage (“Your brain would go elsewhere and your mouth would keep going.” – Jesse, [22:22]).
• Ann shares what she’s most proud of:

  “Keeping the love story alive. Joy, the presence of joy in the work…by and large, I felt very fortunate with the people I worked with, the roles I got to play, the variety of them.” ([23:06-23:52])

• On playing Aunt Lydia for Handmaid’s Tale and Testaments: Ann insists the darkness of the role doesn’t negatively affect her, instead she draws strength and work ethic inspiration from the character.

  “You’re not special. You’re there to do a job…do it to its completion.” ([25:19])

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On acting as a calling:
  “If there’s anything else you want to do, do that. But if this is the only thing you want, then do it.”
  — Jesse Tyler Ferguson ([08:49])

• Reframing the actor’s motivation:
  “Rather than desperate…it’s a love story you’re keeping alive.”
  — Ann Dowd ([09:23])

• On stage anxiety & meditation:
  “It was like being at an amusement park of heaven…There was nothing you would change.”
  — Ann Dowd ([16:58])

• On leaving the solo show early:
  “The anxiety would be so profound…And I realized I can’t go on. So I had to end it…And I’ve not done a play since.”
  — Ann Dowd ([20:17-20:44])

• On rejecting the ‘specialness’ of actors:
  “Don’t for a moment think you are special and not going to do the job you have to the best of your ability.”
  — Ann Dowd ([25:19])

• On joy as an engine for longevity:
  “Keeping the love story alive…joy in the work. That’s just a way in.”
  — Ann Dowd ([23:06])

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Important Timestamps

• [02:28] – Tea service and discussion of staycations and LA neighborhoods
• [03:57] – Jesse explains his sons’ names and inspiration
• [05:13] – Parenting on Modern Family vs. real life; handling babies on set
• [08:49] – Career advice for aspiring actors; love for the craft vs. desperation
• [11:20] – The policy of not reading reviews (Ann’s rule)
• [13:20] – Ann’s Broadway anxiety and the stage director’s process
• [15:44] – Meditation and its impact on anxiety
• [18:07] – One-person show, Enemy of the People, and theater anxiety
• [23:06] – Ann’s reflections on pride and the joy of her career
• [25:19] – Lessons from Aunt Lydia on work ethic and humility

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Tone & Style

The episode is intimate, vulnerable, and conversational, full of supportive rapport and honest admissions—true to the “candid convos over a meal” mission of Dinner’s on Me. Ann Dowd’s warmth and considered responses pair well with Jesse’s self-deprecating humor and frankness.

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This detailed breakdown delivers the highlights, candid advice, career takeaways, and personal reflections that will resonate with both fans and those interested in the artistry and psychology of acting.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Spring break planning at our house is it's definitely an adventure. Our kids have very strong opinions and they're always on different sides of the spectrum. Beckett has very strong opinions about the ocean. It has to be a certain temperature and the wind has to be blowing a certain way if he's gonna get anywhere near it. He doesn't want sand on his feet. Sully, on the other hand, he will roll around in the sand and doesn't care about the water temperature. And he, you know, he could be just sitting amongst seagulls and he's happy. Justin and I, we just want to air conditioning and wifi. Honestly, juggling all the details of a trip can be very stressful. And while I'm thinking about our plans, I also start thinking about our house while we're away. And it hits me. Maybe we could list our place on Airbnb while we're gone. It always sounds great, but I don't know if I can manage all the details myself. That's where Airbnb's co host network comes in. You can hire a vetted local co host to handle all the behind the scenes details, managing reservations, guest communications, and even providing on site so hosting feels manageable even with everything else going on. So if you're traveling this spring, it might be the perfect time to list your space on Airbnb and maybe earn a little extra cash while you're gone to put toward that extra future travel someplace with air conditioning and Wi fi. If you're ready to host but could use a little extra help, find a co [e-mail] host.

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[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Hey, it's Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Here's a little side dish episode from this week's episode of Dinners on Me. This week's guest was Ann the Emmy, a winning actress who you might know from the Handmaid's Tale, the Leftovers, and more recently, the Testaments. We met up at the Peninsula in Beverly Hills, where, fittingly, we settled in for tea in the living room with Anne returning to the world of Gilead in the Testaments, where tea is A key part of schooling there. It felt like the perfect way to spend the afternoon.

[Ann Dowd]

You do this often?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I don't do the tea service, so. I mean, the last time I had tea was in London.

[Ann Dowd]

Oh, no kidding.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Because that's what you do when you go to London.

[Ann Dowd]

Sure. Have tea.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But I have heard about the tea service here at the Peninsula. I've been here for massages.

[Ann Dowd]

Oh, yes.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And staycations. It's a beautiful hotel, but I've never had the tea.

[Ann Dowd]

It's a staycation.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's when you live in a city and you decide you want to like, stay in a hotel for a few nights.

[Ann Dowd]

Never done that.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Staycation.

[Commercial Narrator]

No.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

New York's a great place for staycation.

[Ann Dowd]

I bet it is.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yes.

[Ann Dowd]

And sweetheart, where do you live?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I live in Encino.

[Ann Dowd]

Oh, that's pretty.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So, yeah, it's very nice. I used to live in Los Feliz, which I loved. I feel like a lot of New Yorkers when they come in to LA for the first time, gravitate toward the east side. So I was in Silver Lake in Los Feliz.

[Ann Dowd]

Nice.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But yeah, now I have children, so I've moved.

[Ann Dowd]

How many children and how old are they?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

They're four and six.

[Ann Dowd]

No.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yes. I know, I'm exhausted.

[Ann Dowd]

But is it. Oh, honey, that's amazing.

[Commercial Narrator]

Thank you.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Thank you. You have kids, right?

[Ann Dowd]

I have three, but 34, 28, 21.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Do you have grandkids?

[Ann Dowd]

No.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Okay.

[Ann Dowd]

No, no grandchildren yet.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Do you want grandkids?

[Ann Dowd]

Oh, I love it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, but there's no pressure.

[Ann Dowd]

No, no, not pressure.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Okay.

[Ann Dowd]

God, no.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Because I, my, my mother in law, she was like, let's get to it. Like, let's go. Oh, she loves grandkids. She's very happy right now.

[Ann Dowd]

That's wonderful.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Ann Dowd]

What are their names?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Beckett and Sullivan.

[Ann Dowd]

No, those are beautiful.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Very strong, unusual names.

[Ann Dowd]

Two boys.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Two boys, yeah.

[Ann Dowd]

Say the names again.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Beckett is my older son. Beckett.

[Ann Dowd]

That is a gorgeous name.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Isn't that great?

[Commercial Narrator]

Yes.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

People ask me if he's named after Samuel Beckett, who is actually one of my least favorite playwrights. So the answer is no. I just like the name Beckett. And then Sullivan, Beautiful is named after one of my favorite streets in New York, Sullivan Street. Sullivan Street. Yeah.

[Ann Dowd]

Yeah. That's Chelsea, right?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

In the Village. Yeah.

[Ann Dowd]

Oh, in the Village.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And one of my favorite Counting Crow songs, Sullivan Street. So yeah, they're my. They're my boys.

[Ann Dowd]

Beautiful. Thank you. Oh, my goodness.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

My goodness.

[Ann Dowd]

You recommend?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Eh, yes, it's part of the experience.

[Ann Dowd]

One glass is included.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So excited for you. I don't drink. I'm just having some cider.

[Ann Dowd]

Are you, sweetheart? Thank you. I'll have a sip of this champagne. You don't drink.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I don't. I stopped a few years after having kids.

[Ann Dowd]

Oh, that was smart of you.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, I tried for a little while, and it just became a little overwhelming for me.

[Ann Dowd]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah. So I was like, I just feel like my energy levels are so much

[Ann Dowd]

better when I'm out drinking.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So I miss it. I do miss it.

[Ann Dowd]

And weekends, you can't do it because the kids are still there.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

They don't. They don't go away.

[Ann Dowd]

That's right.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I was just saying, you know, with. With, you know, being on modern family for 11 years, I. I was a dad on the show.

[Ann Dowd]

Was it 11 years? 11 years.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Can you believe it? Thank you, honey. Thank you so much. I was a dad on the show, and I feel like I got a lot of training to be a parent on the show. But the thing that people ask me if being on Modern Family prepared me for being a dad, and I was like, well, you know, when you have babies on the set and they're fussy, literally, someone comes in and takes the children away and brings you sometimes a twin, like, they switch them out, and it's like, that does not happen.

[Ann Dowd]

No.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

In real life, which is, you know, you just gotta deal with.

[Ann Dowd]

Is that what happened? Well, that's so interesting.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

We had twins for the first few years.

[Ann Dowd]

Yeah, we had twins. That's been my experience, too. And how did that work?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Well, they actually hated being there. They were such lovely little girls and they had such a great time. Offsets. Jaden and Ella were. Their names are their names. And. And then they'd come on set and it's like they. The music moment. They saw the set, they just got really colicky and fussy, and it was kind of heartbreaking because, you know, they

[Ann Dowd]

just be like, what are they doing? Torturing children. Exactly. I used to worry about that terribly.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And, you know, now being a dad, it's like, my God. I mean, I'm so happy that the parents, like, let us work with our kids because, you know, we needed that. And they were actually so lovely. Offset. And, you know, we got what we needed from them, but we basically fired them. Like, we didn't. They didn't get invited back after the second season. And then the girl, Aubrey Anderson, and then sue played my daughter for the rest of the run. Started in season three.

[Ann Dowd]

And she was.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And she was great. Yeah, she was lovely. Yeah.

[Ann Dowd]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Anne and I discuss what advice we would give to up and coming actors. Okay, be right back.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And we're back with more dinners on me. I mean, I think it's. Listen, if I, if I meet someone who wants to be an actor or really do anything in this business, I always say, is there anything else you want to do? And if the answer is no, and like, they desperately want to be an actor, then I said, then do it. But like, if there's anything else, I mean, if you don't desperately want this, I feel like you're setting yourself up for heartbreak. And I, I don't want to discourage anyone from trying to live a dream, but like, it's. It's something that you really desperately have to do. So I deeply resonate with you saying there's a deep love for, I would

[Ann Dowd]

say too, rather than desperate, because that's tends toward the negative, keeping it more in the positive. It's a love story you're keeping alive. And if someone wants to be an actor, I don't need my Daughter's an actress.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Okay.

[Ann Dowd]

It never occurred to me to question her. And I don't question others because they're going to learn so quickly whether they can do it or not, whether they can take the rejection. Because I remember working with an actress, I was kind of jealous of her too. She was very talented. I don't remember her name. I'm just tell you that one.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Meryl Streep.

[Ann Dowd]

Yeah, that one who was extremely. She was very good at auditioning, got roles and was talented. I thought that's the. Well, she got rejection on two things. In reviews or didn't get a job. She quit.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Interesting.

[Ann Dowd]

I think you'll know soon enough. This business teaches you very quickly. You can or you can't. I think it's almost black and white. If you have that reserve in you.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

How do you deal with deduction or reading things that are not kind about.

[Ann Dowd]

You don't read any.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But do you ever. Does it ever trickle down? I try. I try not to do this. I've told my. I just did a play in New York. This is. I did. I did a revival of True, the Robert Morris did on Broadway. Not Chewy Capote. And I'm not going to read reviews. This is the time. I'm not going to do it. And of course I did anyways. You know, people have opinions. Some things are lovely, some things are not. I always feel like if you listen to the lovely things, you have to also listen to the negative things and vice versa. But I'm not good about just not reading things. And so, I mean, that's what everyone says. Don't look at them. Things sometimes trickle down to me regardless. And you know, sometimes I don't want to hear them and I'm going to hear them anyway.

[Ann Dowd]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Both good and bad.

[Commercial Narrator]

Right.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So you're saying you don't. Obviously I don't. I don't. I'm trying not to seek them out.

[Ann Dowd]

It's a strict rule because even the positive, you focus on something. It just. I'm too prone to focus this. That I don't read any. And if someone's talking about them, I don't listen. I don't pay any mind. If I wanted to know something that was said, which is unusual, I would ask my husband to check it out and he would. He would talk to me about it. But in general, because the negative and the positive. The negative. I feel mortified. And it goes right to the place of. It's like that feeling of jealousy where that feeling is so uncomfortable when I say I don't want it. I don't want to be jealous of so and so or I don't want to be crushed because someone said they didn't think I was good in the role. I'm sure I had plenty of bad reviews. Sure I did. You know, I'm sure there were plenty. But I. No, thank you. In a way, it's like watching. Why I don't watch because I don't have a calm place.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Well, you become your own critic in that way.

[Ann Dowd]

Well, that's the thing. Exactly. Exactly.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Ann opens up about crippling stage anxiety and a surprising confession about a one person show that became one of the biggest challenges of her career. Okay, be right back.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Ann Dowd]

life on the go.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And we're back with more dinners on me.

[Ann Dowd]

Can I tell you a story about. Please. Okay. Being present.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yes.

[Ann Dowd]

I was doing a play on Broadway. What the heck was the name of it? Ed Harris was in it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Okay.

[Ann Dowd]

He was fantastic. Loved him, by the way.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yes.

[Ann Dowd]

He's a cool guy.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

He's about to be on Broadway again. He's doing a revival of Other Desert Cities. Yes.

[Ann Dowd]

Okay. So I was doing this play on Broadway and the character literally just comes on in the middle of the first act, I think it is. Does a very powerful scene and then leaves. And that's it for the night. And the anxiety about it. Oh, my.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That he would have.

[Ann Dowd]

That I would have.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'll bet you have.

[Ann Dowd]

That. I would be emotionally present for where I needed to be to do this scene because the director. This to me was a nightmare. Had me sitting on stage huddled in a hump on the steps of someplace right there for the audience to see all the time. Until I had to go on stage. I had to lie there. I'm a pacer. I want the hallway.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Right, right, right.

[Ann Dowd]

Don't talk to me or bother me. I'll get to where I need to go. But I need that hallway.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I understand that. Yeah. And you had to instead lie in the heat on the stage.

[Ann Dowd]

On the stage. And so. So the anxiety created over time.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Ann Dowd]

Can I do it?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Ann Dowd]

Because who she was came to me. And usually you got to work on your text. You have to do script analysis. It's important to do that. Who am I telling you? No matter how often you've done it, you've got to figure out what am I doing, what's in my way, and what am I going to do to get what I want. Those basic questions, we do them automatically. Well, I just. It was off the charts. And I would wake up in the night, I would say to my husband, I can't do it. I can't go one more night. And he said, just breathe. So out of sheer desperation, which is the place I was in, I learned to meditate. And I cannot tell you strongly enough the effect that had on me.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Did you meditate on stage or do you meditate on stage separately?

[Ann Dowd]

At home.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

At home.

[Ann Dowd]

At home, I learned how to do it. I lay flat on my back, knees up. Follow the breath, not judge. But if the new thoughts come in, they would. You just say, okay, thinking about such and such. Let me go back to breath. Gentle. Gentle. It took two weeks of. I did it for 20 minutes a day. That's it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Is this transcendental meditation? Is there just.

[Ann Dowd]

It's just. I don't know if it is. It's just. It's. It's kind of general meditation meeting. You follow the breath. You don't try to control the breath. You just let them follow it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You let them come in.

[Ann Dowd]

That's it. Exactly. You don't judge yourself. It's just two weeks into it. Okay. And I'm not exaggerating. I would have moments where I was present, and they were so incredibly powerful. Jesse, I don't know how to describe this. I'd be sitting on the balcony, just sitting in a chair, looking at a brick, and I wouldn't have changed one second being present. I would have times walking down the street when suddenly presence would happen. It was like being at an amusement park of heaven. There was nothing you would change. And everything felt that you could solve it. Everything was possible in this moment. And I had a few nights on stage of that. But the fact that I could get myself there before going on stage and during the day meant hell was behind me. And why did I not keep it up?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Have you stopped it?

[Ann Dowd]

Yes.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's always there for you.

[Ann Dowd]

That's it. But following the breath, now the anxiety will. No, I'm gonna do it, I swear, if it's the last thing I do right. But, oh, they're not exaggerating about what happens when you're in the present moment.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I know I've gotten. Also fallen off my meditation I was doing it for a while.

[Ann Dowd]

Really?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah. And I was a much happier person when I was meditating. Absolutely.

[Ann Dowd]

100%. Oh, wow. How long did you do it for?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I was doing a pretty good job of it for like, at least six to eight months.

[Ann Dowd]

Wow.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And for me, it would always be hard for me to wake up. And then I was meant to. My practice was asking me that I would meditate first thing in the morning, 20 minutes, and then again in the early afternoon. And I would have a hard time waking up and then kind of asking my body to calm down immediately.

[Ann Dowd]

I see.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So I wasn't doing a great job of like, sitting in that my mind would be going about things I needed to do for the day. But I know that I felt better and I feel like I know it's there for me.

[Ann Dowd]

Yes, it's there for me. I. That's really what I want to focus on very badly.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Ann Dowd]

I would love to be able to go.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Do you think you would ever want to be on stage again?

[Ann Dowd]

Okay, I'm gonna tell you something else. I can't believe I'm telling you.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Tell me. I love a scoop.

[Ann Dowd]

I did a one person show at the Armory.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yes.

[Ann Dowd]

Written and directed by Robert Ike.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Incredible

[Ann Dowd]

rabbi. Genius.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yes.

[Ann Dowd]

Hands down, brilliant. Kind. I've never gotten close to it to a director in my life. Over time. We worked for months together. He was in England. He would rewrite. What was the name of the show? Oh, Ibsen. Ibsen.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Okay.

[Ann Dowd]

Oh, my God.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But it was a one person version of this.

[Ann Dowd]

Yes. Six characters.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Okay.

[Ann Dowd]

Oh, I can't believe. I can't think of them in. At the.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

At the Armory.

[Ann Dowd]

At the Armory, sweetheart. I love that.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You can't remember it. I love that actually. I actually love that. I think the title was not important. It was like you were. You were busy enough with the six

[Ann Dowd]

characters, and I've never had a time of rehearsal.

[Commercial Narrator]

Enemy of People.

[Ann Dowd]

That's it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Oh, you did Enemy of the People. It's a one man. When did you do this?

[Ann Dowd]

I did this probably five years ago. Oh, my.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

How did I miss this?

[Ann Dowd]

I don't know. But it was an extraordinary experience. And he was. I can't say enough about him to this day, a dear friend. And I would do anything to work with him. Brilliant. And he was like my family, family to me. Well, he went back to England and. I don't know how to put it. The anxiety got to be so much to come on and be by myself in the Armory, which is vast.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's huge.

[Ann Dowd]

It's Huge. And everybody was on a screen. I mean, everybody had a screen. I was on the screen. Oh, how huge billboard of me. So that those sitting so and so and so where could see.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Oh, how interesting.

[Ann Dowd]

But that's very lonely because you're not looking. You're not.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I've done two one person shows. You're very right. It's very lonely.

[Ann Dowd]

Amazing.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, it is very lonely.

[Ann Dowd]

I have to have a glass of water.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Oh, that's so. First of all, that play is so great. I can't believe I missed this.

[Ann Dowd]

Well, listen to this. I had to stop before the run ended because I could not. I would be moaning. I can't believe I'm telling you this. Throughout the day. The anxiety would be so profound. And I realized I can't go on. So I had to end it. And I say had to because I was at my wood's end. Wow. Before it ended. And Rob was nothing but kind and gracious about all of it. But I've not done a play since.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So you had almost like an extended panic attack. Yeah.

[Ann Dowd]

And so now the idea of going into on the theater back on the stairs scares you. Terrifies me. And it's something that I love so deeply. So deeply. And Ms. So I'm not shutting the door.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You need to do an ensemble. You need to not do a 4% show.

[Ann Dowd]

That's right.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It needs to be an ensemble.

[Ann Dowd]

I need to be in the Greek chorus. But that was an extraordinary experience and it really affected me. I don't know how to say it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I have a few friends who have had similar experiences on stage and it's. One of them definitely went back and conquered that fear.

[Ann Dowd]

That's beautiful.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But other people haven't. I. I've heard this from other people. I relate very much to that. I just having done this, this one person show.

[Ann Dowd]

That's amazing. What did you do?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's called True. Well, I did the play True with Truman Capote. That's true. And then the other play I did was called Fully Committed.

[Ann Dowd]

Beautiful reviews. It was very well thought of. I remember hearing about it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yes, yes, yes. They were very kind. But I played about 40 different characters and it was all very rapid fire. What scared me about it is I would have to learn text. So I had to have it so deeply ingrained in my head that I would be able to. My mouth would be able to do the text and I'd be able to be thinking about what's that person in the audience doing? What's this person doing? What am I gonna have for dinner afterwards. And that scared me.

[Ann Dowd]

Yeah, no shit. Well, how did you handle that?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I would have to pull myself out of it. But it started happening more and more as the end.

[Ann Dowd]

Where your brain would go elsewhere.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

My brain would go elsewhere and my mouth would keep going.

[Ann Dowd]

That's what I experienced. I found that terrifying. Like, you go into your head somewhere where you're not present.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's like when you're running downstairs, if you start thinking about running down the stairs, you're gonna fall.

[Ann Dowd]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You know what I mean?

[Ann Dowd]

That's what it felt like. Yes. Yes. That's a good example.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

When you look at your career so far, because there's more to come.

[Ann Dowd]

Thank you.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Whether or not you say so or not, I appreciate that very much.

[Ann Dowd]

Thank you.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Is there something that you sort of look at is like something that you're most proud of or that you feel like embodies what you do best, or do you look at your work that way?

[Ann Dowd]

No. What I would say if I were to look back and find something positive to say about it, is that just what we talked about, keeping the love story alive? Joy, the presence of joy in the work. To me, that's just a way in. And I've been able to keep that. So it's very interesting that anxiety is knocking on the door a little. I'm like, no, no, I prefer the joy, thank you very much. But it's that no matter what the role, each experience, I'm sure there were a few that were not. But by and large, I felt very fortunate with the people I worked with, the roles I got to play, the variety of them, the people I worked with, I just.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Oh, yeah, yeah, I know.

[Ann Dowd]

Does that make sense?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It does make sense. I also want to ask, you know, it's a very unusual thing that you get to play a character, take a little hiatus from that character, come back to that character, and then sort of continue on. And, I mean, do you ever find that Aunt Lydia affects you in ways that are negative? I mean, just because of the. How heavy it can be sometimes. I know. You know, there's. You know, you don't. You aren't meant to judge these characters.

[Ann Dowd]

Of course you do. Yeah, of course.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But, like, I think that there is awareness of, like. I know it's tricky. I'm interested in just knowing if she ever infiltrates you.

[Ann Dowd]

That's really interesting. I used to be asked that question, you know, how do you go there? Right. And is it difficult?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Well, that part's fine.

[Ann Dowd]

Right.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I find.

[Ann Dowd]

Yeah. I love going there well, in the beginning, I thought, is it hard to, you know, find your way back? And I'd be like. And then I thought, well, I'll just be quiet about that.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Right.

[Ann Dowd]

After a while, I finally said, I can't get there fast enough.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah, I agree with that. It's fun.

[Ann Dowd]

That's the fun part. It's. It's. That's exactly.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Be horrible or, you know, whatever. Whatever version of horrible is to other people, but to.

[Ann Dowd]

So that it affected me negatively. I don't think so.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Ann Dowd]

I learned things from her. I learned things that I should have known already about a work ethic, that you're not special. You're there to do a job, do it to its completion. Don't for a moment think you are special and not going to do the job you have to the best of your ability. It's keeping that framework, which I like, that frame of mind. I appreciate. And she's very strong, I would say, as a person. And so I appreciate that when I'm scared, because I have that to go back to, to speak to. Like, come on. I've had conversations with her. Help me out here a little bit. That's if that. I always feel people would make fun of me for saying that, but I really mean that, you know, having the conversations with. And then when mass. We were talking about Mass and the generosity of character. It's such a pleasure talking to you. Such a pleasure reminds me of those things. And I. I want to thank you for that.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Thank you, Anne.

[Ann Dowd]

Because that doesn't happen all the time. And now I have goosebumps talking to you. And I mean it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Thank you. That was a little more from my conversation with Ann Dowd. If you haven't heard our full conversation yet, make sure to check it out on Dinners On Me. This episode of Dinners On Me was recorded at the Peninsula in Beverly Hills. Next week on Dinners On Me. You know him from Netflix's Queer Eye. And next in fashion, it's Tan France. We'll get into what it was like to become a queer public figure overnight, how he handles being married to a type B personality and his secret to his beautiful youthful glow. Spoiler alert, it involves yogurt. Dinners on Me is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Our associate producer is Alyssa Midcalf. Sam Baer engineered this episode. Hans Dale. She composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Tameka Balance Kolasny and Justin Makita. I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week.

[Commercial Narrator]

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