Ann Dowd follows her own path to success in 'The Handmaid's Tale'

When Ann Dowd is walking toward you, the impulse is not to make eye contact.

The veteran actress has played, with chilling effect, some of television's most recent fearsome, scene-stealing archvillains: cult leader Patti Levin in HBO's "The Leftovers" and, currently, the domineering oppressor Aunt Lydia in Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale."

But Dowd is far more friendly than intimidating during a recent sit-down. Unlike her alter egos, she's not stingy with a laugh.

And there's much to be happy about. In addition to Season 2 of "The Handmaid's Tale," which is available to stream, Dowd has a string of films opening next month, including horror film "Hereditary" and "A Kid Like Jake."

But it's Dowd's dark character on "The Handmaid's Tale" - for which she won an Emmy last year - that has everyone talking these days. And not just because of her performance. A few weeks from