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Alexis Bledel opened up about playing Ofglen/Emily in the first four seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale in a rare interview about the show
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Bledel explained that “it was deeply upsetting” to portray what her character was going through before her 2022 exit
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The Handmaid’s Tale‘s series finale airs Tuesday, May 27, on Hulu
Alexis Bledel is reflecting on her time on The Handmaid’s Tale.
Ahead of the drama’s highly anticipated series finale on May 27, the actress, 43, offered rare insight into what it was like to play Ofglen/Emily. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bledel, who left the hit Hulu show in 2022 after four seasons, discussed how she fell into the role with creator Bruce Miller.
“It was deeply upsetting to even imagine Emily going through something like that — being captured, powerless, with no say over her body,” the Gilmore Girls alum said.
Sophie Giraud/Hulu
Alexis Bledel in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Miller then revealed: “Every time I thought Hulu would balk at a controversial storyline, they didn’t. It’s a story of a society that’s built on rape. You’re going to show sexual assault because that’s what it’s built on. I’m trying to minimize what we see and maximize what we feel. You don’t need to be there to see what happened to poor Emily, but when we show the impact, that should be real. So real that you think you saw it.”
Bledel noted that the opportunity felt like it was meant to be from the beginning.
“I was actually offered the role and when I read the pilot script, I immediately said yes,” she said. “Somehow, Bruce just knew I had Ofglen in me.”
In May 2022, Bledel announced that she would not be returning for season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale, which is based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel by the same name.
“After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid’s Tale at this time,” she said in a statement to Variety. “I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support.”
The season 5 premiere ultimately attributed her exit to her character returning to the totalitarian regime of Gilead to “fight” her captors, but the news remained hard to process for her fans and castmates alike.
Amanda Brugel, who appeared in all six seasons as Rita, shared her reaction with THR. “It was incredibly difficult saying goodbye to cast members who had been there since day one,” she said. “It was shocking and sad when Alexis left after season four.”
Shortly after learning the news in 2022, Elisabeth Moss, who has starred as June throughout the show’s entire run, also mourned the absence of her on and off-screen friend.
“I love Alexis. I’ve known Alexis for years, back from our Mad Men days. So, I love her very much,” she told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “We were very sad that she couldn’t join us this year, but I think she’s spectacular.”
She later noted: “It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to handle, I’ll be honest with you, because she’s such a great, fantastic part of the show.”
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The series finale of The Handmaid’s Tale airs Tuesday, May 27, on Hulu.
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