How Widow's Bay Star Dale Dickey Perfected Rosemary's Deadpan
As a graduate of Columbia University in New York City, Tatiana studied theater and comparative literature. She has been passionate about all manner of storytelling from Jane Austen adaptations to anime. Aside from writing for Screen Rant, she co-hosts podcasts: The Flash Podcast and Ladies With Gumption.
The cast of Widow's Bay has been riding high after a stellar first season, and Dale Dickey is no exception. The veteran actor has been a crucial part of countless television shows and movies, but the role of Rosemary marks her first time receiving an Emmy nomination for her incredible work.
Created by Katie Dippold, Widow's Bay is a horror-comedy that follows Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), the mayor of a cursed island town who is doggedly insistent on turning the location into a tourist hotspot. The ensemble cast of locals, including Dickey's Rosemary, know all too well that it's a lost cause — and the season's increasingly concerning events prove them right many times over. Despite the horrors that ensue, however, the series never loses its humorous charm.
ScreenRant interviewed Dickey about the secret behind the success of Widow's Bay, and the process by which she landed on the perfect recipe for Rosemary's nonchalance about the curse. The actor also shared her hopes for season 2 of the hit series, as well as her upcoming guest appearances on two other iconic programs: Fallout and The Hunting Wives.
The Strength Of Widow’s Bay Lies In Its Character Work
ScreenRant: You received a very well-deserved Emmy nomination for Rosemary, and the show as a whole has been raking in the accolades. How surreal has it felt for Widow's Bay to receive praise from even horror icons like Guillermo del Toro and Stephen King?
Dale Dickey: Great, but it's hard for it to sink in! I'm a huge fan of Guillermo Del Toro. Love his movies and also, of course, Stephen King. I think his movie that scared me the most was probably The Shining. It was one of the first things that I saw that really terrified me.
Oh, I think it's wonderful. I didn't realize how perfect a blend the show was going to be until I saw it. I saw the whole thing unfold, particularly Loftis's journey through season 1 and how you could see him become more and more and more shocked about, "This s--t is real!" But I think it's cool to be a horror classic.
I had a friend who went, "Oh, that nutty show?" at the start of the season. And I went, "Yeah, it is kind of nutty. You've got to stick with it." But with that unique blend of humor and horror, I knew right away when I read the script for my audition. I was laughing out loud, which doesn't usually happen.
ScreenRant: Obviously, the genealogy presentation is your most iconic scene, but Rosemary has so many great deadpan comedic beats. How did you perfect her fabulous nonchalance?
Dale Dickey: With a lot of help and guidance. It's a wonderfully written character, and I think I found that during the filming. I'm with such incredible comedians who are very witty people. I'm not so witty. I'm funny, I've got good comic timing, but wit sometimes eludes me.
But Hiro Murai and Katie Dippold were both ever-present and really good at reminding me in the moment just to let it go, toss it off, throw it off the shoulder. Sometimes it's the simplest lines that will trip me up, because you want to make more of them than needs to be made of them. So, I'm always learning, and particularly on this set. I can't wait to get back next year and learn some more. Go to school again; Widow's Bay School.
ScreenRant: The show really balances the horror, comedy, and mystery elements so well in season 1. Did Katie and Hiro make that vision really clear from the start, or did you find that as you went along?
Dale Dickey: I think a little of both. I did two self-tapes, and then I had a Zoom interview with both Katie and Hiro, and at that point we were talking about the show and how funny it was. And Katie said, "Well, yes, but it's going to be quite scary." There are some things at the end of episode 1 that point to that, but she explained a little more of how it was going to unfold.
I love a good ghost story, but to be honest, we filmed out of sequence. You can read what happens, but until you actually see it off the page, it can be different. So, when I watched all the episodes and saw everything come to fruition, I was scared! I was there for a lot of it, and I would go to set and watch - particularly when I wasn't working - but it was still different.
I was on set the day that they filmed the Scary Clown sequence, and I was screaming in video village. Which is not allowed, but it happened.
ScreenRant: Is there an aspect of Rosemary's character that you want to dig into that you haven't seen yet?
Dale Dickey: Well, I want to know where she lives. Ideally, I'd like her to be on a houseboat somewhere, but I don't think that's going to happen.
When they presented me with the genealogy monologue, I was overwhelmed because Rosemary had been in and out with a few quips here and there. It was a challenge to learn, but it was much fun to do. I love the fact that not only is she set up to be the busybody who knows everything and grew up on the island, but we learn this is actually something she enjoys doing. She's really delving into the history of things.
I'm excited to learn more about a lot of the smaller characters [in season 2], like what my relationship is with Patricia. I obviously have seen her grow up on the island, and I'm aware of the difficulties she's had. I hope to spend time with Jeff Hiller, who plays Dale, just exploring how they all interact together and how we deal with this unfolding of the curse.
Katie Dippold told me early on, just to try to ground me, that Rosemary knows about the curse. She's not dramatic about it or worries about it like Wyck, nor does she deny it and stick her head in the sand as Loftis does. It's just going to happen. It is what it is. If you should spend the night in the crawl space, you'll get it, Loftis. And he does!
So, I don't know. There's a lot more, and I'm sure I'll find out, but I look forward to doing that and seeing how Rosemary interacts with all the other characters.
Dale Dickey Looks Back Before Looking Ahead
Robert Clark /©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett CollectionScreenRant: You've obviously had a long and storied career, and you've done all kinds of roles in all kinds of genres. Is there a role you've had prior to Widow's Bay that changed your perspective most about the industry, or about yourself as an actor, and that really stayed with you?
Dale Dickey: There have been a lot of little ones, but it was probably when I did Winter's Bone. Even though it was a small independent film, it had a lot of good people behind it. There were so many people being considered for some of those roles, and I had just switched with a new agent at that point. My agents kept retiring or dying, and I was a character actress in my mid-40s, so I was like, "Now what? Nobody's going to take me."
When I got the audition, I was nervous, but I knew I fit into that world. I wasn't sure Merab was going to be the role, but I figured I'd be right for one of them. I loved working on that, seeing how Hollywood works once that project was embraced at Sundance, and watching beautiful Jennifer Lawrence just go up and up, knowing she was going to be just fine because she's so grounded and so wonderful.
It was a whole new peek into the industry. I became a member of Film Independent, and I worked as a juror for them for a couple of years, and I loved it. It opened me up to new filmmakers; lots of independent filmmakers came out of the woodwork, and I was able to work for them. That was an area I'd wanted to move into. That was just the kind of exposure that I wasn't used to. I'd done a lot of co-stars and guest stars on TV, but my first recurring role was My Name is Earl as Patty, the daytime hooker. That was great fun. I have a new skill now. I can always go back to daytime hooking, except I'm awfully old now. So, that was a bit more exposure for me at the time.
ScreenRant: Of course, you have even more exposure now, and hopefully more doors are opening for you.
Dale Dickey: Oh, it's crazy. I love it, because people used to mainly recognize me from Breaking Bad as [Spooge's Lady]. It's a horrific episode, which is why they remember me, I guess. But now they're like, "Widow's Bay! We love Rosemary," in the grocery store aisle, or walking down the street. It's wonderful. It's a joyful show, in a way. It's scary, but it makes you feel good for some reason. You like the people, so that's fun to be a part of.
I have found that throughout this whole Emmy campaign, which I'm still in shock over. I'm grateful and thrilled that this came through. I'm really happy for the show that we got so recognized, but I'm always happiest when I'm with the rest of the cast. We're getting ready to do a bunch of things, and everybody's in town, so it feels like family.
ScreenRant: I also love your moments as Ma June on Fallout. Are we seeing her again in season 3? What's she doing?
Dale Dickey: I think people assume she'll be back, and yes, I'm actually going to work on it next week. Ma June's been in one episode each season, so I think it's right to keep her going. People love the character.
And it's the best wig ever! I wish you could see. There used to be things in the wig, like forks and bones and doll's heads and stuff. And Barv, my wonderful assistant, would come in for that. I'm looking forward to being back on that.
I never get to see the whole cast. They're all filming somewhere else. I'm not even sure where we're filming yet! Everything's a secret. But I'll get to see Walton and Ella and Aaron when the season premieres, and then we'll hug and all that good fun.
ScreenRant: You've got iconic TV shows coming out the wazoo. I know you're going to be on The Hunting Wives season 2. What can you tell us about Zelda? What's it like stepping into that world?
Dale Dickey: I probably am not supposed to talk much about this, but just the name Zelda implies darkness and, I think, mystery. I might be someone from Margo's past.
I was thrilled when they asked me! I watched the show, and I told my agent, "That's a lot of sex! I was on True Blood, and that's more than True Blood." But it was a guilty pleasure that you couldn't stop watching.
Everybody's so great. I met with Rebecca Cutter and Erwin Stoff, the writers and producers, while they were still writing it. They told me they had me in mind for this character and what the arc was going to be, and I said, "Hell yes, I'm in."
It's gritty, it's something I can really sink my teeth into, and I get to work a lot with Malin Ackerman, Brittany Snow, and Dermot Mulroney. So, that was great fun, and I look forward to seeing them whenever we have a premiere for season 2 sometime this Fall. Zelda's another classic, I think. They threw me some great writing. I had a lot of fun.
ScreenRant: What have you not yet done? Whether it's a genre or a category of character, or whether there's a franchise you want to step into?
Dale Dickey: I'm not really sure. I've been so frigging lucky and blessed with a lot of work, with some pretty roles over the years. It was hard, and it was slow-building, but the past few years have been great.
I love period pieces. I think they harken back to my theater days in college, wearing the bodice and the corset and the bustle, all of that and doing accents. I used to be quite adept at the British Isles, and I would like a stab at playing someone from a different country.
But right now, I just hope I make it to the [Emmys] party in my dress!
All episodes of Widow's Bay season 1 are streaming on Apple TV.