Ann Dowd doesn’t care if you see her “Handmaid’s Tale” character, Aunt Lydia, as a wicked force of evil.

“I never thought of her as a villain — so I never thought to look elsewhere,” the Emmy winner tells The Post.

Viewers of the acclaimed Hulu show, which returns for season three Wednesday, will get a glimpse into the stern handmaid manager’s backstory for the first time, during episode eight.

Dowd hopes fans will feel “compassion” toward the head Aunt, she says.

“I found it heartbreaking, quite honestly, having known her now for three years, to see what could have happened in her life, what she just could not manage,” she says.

Unlike viewers, Dowd has sympathy for Lydia, and even sees similarities with her. “As I’ve said many times, I was educated by Catholic sisters, who are not villains, and were never cruel or nothing resembling that,” she says.

However, her church education instilled in her, “a strong sense of who was in charge, work ethic, looking at someone in the eye, no talking back, a relationship with God,” she explains. “You’re not in charge. You’re the child, your job is to follow the rules. So that’s something I’m very familiar with and I think that’s how Lydia operates.”

Though her character’s motives and actions are often questionable, Dowd sees a balanced view of the woman calling the shots: “She has extraordinary determination to get back on her feet. I think she does so way too soon, and there are consequences for that.”

This season, fans should expect to see Aunt Lydia’s strong hand at work.

“I think she’s got a job to do and come hell or high water she will do it,” Dowd says.

“She will regain her confidence and her ability to manage the handmaids and restore her position as the head aunt, highly-capable, confident and non-reactive force in Gilead. ”

“The Handmaid’s Tale” season 3 is now available to stream on Hulu.