Ann Dowd's Memories Of The Exorcist Made Her Second-Guess Saying 'Yes' To Hereditary

Ann Dowd has played her fair share of dark roles. Whether it is the ruthless, complicated Aunt Lydia who indoctrinates women into a system of injustice in Hulu's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" or Joan, the demon-worshipping cult member in Ari Aster's horror tale "Hereditary," Dowd plays her darkest, most unforgiving characters with a flair that is both elegant and chilling to the bone. The prolific actress has a resume teeming with some pretty hardcore characters, like when she portrayed an abusive mother in "Freaks and Geeks," an easily manipulated manager in "Compliance," an apocalypse cult leader in "The Leftovers," and countless other roles that many would dare never tackle. Her performance in every project is quite something to behold.

Of all her roles, the one in Aster's "Hereditary" is easily one of the most frightening ones. Dowd hasn't been afraid to tackle challenging roles, but she almost did not take on "Hereditary," which on the page seemed almost too sinister for her to be a part of. The script reminded her a bit too much of another infamous horror film, William Friedkin's masterful nightmare, "The Exorcist."

In Ari Aster's "Hereditary," the Emmy-winning actress plays a woman named Joan, the second-in-command of a sinister cult that worships the demon King Paimon. She manipulates her family to recite chants that enable the demon and orchestrates hauntings and murders as a means to summon the dark god she prays to. It's deep, dark, and terrifying — and Ann Dowd almost turned down the part.

In an interview with Mashable, the actress shared her initial reaction to reading the "Hereditary" script. Aside from reading it "with one eye shut," the story transported her back in time to when she first saw "The Exorcist" in high school, as a young girl who was raised Catholic. Demon possession is scary stuff, and Dowd almost couldn't bear to be a part of it. It's a shocking revelation considering she'd eventually play Joan with ease, a woman who has no problem organizing nude, decapitated adults in a treehouse if it means providing a demon with a mortal vessel. 

Ari Aster's story was endlessly scary to Ann Dowd, and she didn't want to be involved with the film. Despite playing some tricky roles, Dowd doesn't judge her characters until the very end, and while reading "Hereditary," she didn't hold Joan responsible for her crimes until she read the film's last act ... which is where things get very messy. Here's what she told Mashable:

"I literally thought, 'Oh, I can't be part of this. This is terrifying.' I remember as a young Catholic girl in high school seeing 'The Exorcist' and it scared the wits out of me. And I thought, 'Oh no, I don't want to get involved in this arena. It's a little too nerve-wracking.'"

Eventually, the actress was persuaded, and she signed on — Dowd appears to have been convinced something was intriguing about the role. The interview mentioned that she did, however, say prayers between takes during the film's final takes ... and sang her character's concluding lines in a Gregorian chant.

Back in the day, "The Exorcist" may have scared the wits out of Dowd, but not enough to make her step away from the world. The actress will be next seen in an untitled "The Exorcist" film by David Gordon Green which is part of the franchise based on William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel of the same name. Dowd stars alongside Tony award-winner Leslie Odom Jr., and Oscar-winner Ellen Burstyn, who starred in the original film adaptation.