There's nothing joyful about Serena Joy, Yvonne Strahovski's The Handmaid's Tale character. In the fourth episode Hulu's drama, viewers learn Serena Joy has banished Offred (Elisabeth Moss) to her room for just about two weeks after learning Offred was not pregnant with the Commander's child after all.
"I spent a lot of my time trying to figure out why this woman—how this woman could behave the way that she does to other people," Strahovski told E! News at The Handmaid's Tale's Tribeca premiere . "And it was difficult to get there…I think what was so difficult also was the fact that I had to shut off a lot of my empathy in this role. So when I'm in the scene with Lizzie Moss and I'm not being pleasant and it's affecting her in such a deep way, it was very hard to keep the façade and keep her brutality."
Strahovski said she started to dream about the world of Gilead while working on the show. "This was…probably the biggest weight on my shoulders was this project. I don't remember another time where I have not been able to drop what I'm doing on the set and not take it home with me…There's so much brutality in this show amidst the beauty of how it's been shot and done that it was hard to wrap my head around. It felt like a constant puzzle."
The episode also featured flashbacks to Offred and Moira (Samira Wiley) at the Red Center, training to become Handmaids. The two friends stage a daring escape, taking an Aunt hostage and using her clothes and pass to get to the train. In the end, Offred is stopped, but gives Moira the go ahead to escape on the train to Boston. However, in the first episode Offred asks Janine (Madeline Brewer) about Moira and Janine says she's dead, sent to the Colonies. Hmm…
The Handmaid's Tale has been renewed for a second season set to debut in 2018. The premiere episode was the most watched premiere on Hulu's platform—ever.
"The response we've seen to The Handmaid's Tale in just one week since its premiere has been absolutely incredible," Craig Erwich, Hulu's head of content, said in a statement. "It has been an honor to work with this talented team of cast and creators to develop a series that has struck such a chord with audiences across the country. As we continue to expand our strong slate of original programming, The Handmaid's Tale is exactly the type of gripping and thought-provoking storytelling we want to bring to viewers. We can't wait to explore the world of Gilead and continue Margaret's vision with another season on Hulu."
Click play on the video for more from Strahovski on The Handmaid's Tale and a Chuck revival.