Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 24

Dale Dickey Lands First Emmy Nomination at 64 for 'Widow's Bay' After 150 Acting Credits

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 24

Dale Dickey Lands First Emmy Nomination at 64 for 'Widow's Bay' After 150 Acting Credits

Q: After 40 years of rejection, what secret theater technique helped Dale Dickey nail a massive 12-page monologue and secure her first Emmy nod?

The technique was simple but demanding: Dale Dickey relied on her theater training and drilled the monologue through repetition until it was fully locked in. Dickey said the 10-to-12-page genealogy speech in “Widow’s Bay” was the biggest chunk of on-camera dialogue she had ever faced. Although production offered her a teleprompter, she turned it down because she had never used one and did not want it to interfere with the performance. Instead, she used the method she learned in theater, repeating the lines over and over until they stuck. That approach proved crucial because the scene had added complications, including charts, slides and a malfunctioning projector setup that limited visual help on set. Creator Katie Dippold later noted that Dickey had to rely almost entirely on memory. The monologue became one of the show’s standout moments and is widely seen as the scene most responsible for helping Dickey secure her first Emmy nomination after a four-decade career.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 24

Dale Dickey, 64, secured her first Emmy nomination for playing Rosemary in Apple TV’s horror-comedy “Widow’s Bay,” her first series-regular role after nearly 150 screen credits.
That nod follows decades of struggling work in New York and Los Angeles, when Dickey waited tables, parked cars, drove delivery trucks and performed in a Barney suit while trying to break into acting.
Her career turned with Sean Penn’s 2001 film “The Pledge,” then recurring and standout parts in “My Name Is Earl,” “True Blood” and “Breaking Bad,” plus a 2011 Spirit Award for “Winter’s Bone.”
“Widow’s Bay” has emerged as a major Emmy contender with 19 nominations, including best comedy and an acting nod for co-star Matthew Rhys, ahead of the Sept. 14 ceremony on NBC.