Why Did Alexis Bledel Leave The Handmaid's Tale? Emotional Reason Behind Her 2022 Exit
Alexis Bledel, known for her roles in Gilmore Girls and The Handmaid's Tale, has finally shared the reason behind her quiet exit from the Hulu drama. The actress played Emily Malek, also known as Ofglen, from 2017 to 2021. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bledel revealed that the emotional weight of the role led her to step away from the series.
'It was deeply upsetting to even imagine Emily going through something like that, being captured, powerless, with no say over her body,' Bledel said. 'After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid's Tale at this time,' she previously told E! News in May 2022.
Here's Why Alexis Bledel Walked Away
In The Handmaid's Tale, Emily starts off as a university professor and mother before being arrested for being in a same-sex relationship, a crime in the fictional, theocratic world of Gilead.
She is forced into becoming a Handmaid, renamed 'Ofglen,' and endures some of the show's most painful scenes. Her character is subjected to genital mutilation and exile to the Colonies and later enacts revenge on Commander Waterford.
Bledel said she was drawn to the role from the beginning. 'I was actually offered the role and when I read the pilot script, I immediately said yes. Somehow, Bruce [Miller] just knew I had Ofglen in me.'
Alexis Bledel isn't the only cast member who felt the emotional weight of The Handmaid's Tale. Samira Wiley, who plays Moira, also found it challenging to stay immersed in the world of Gilead. In an interview with Parade during the Season 6 premiere in April, Wiley shared that she was finished with the show and the trauma that came with it.
She shared that she had to learn techniques like meditation and mindfulness to mentally separate herself from the intense storyline. Wiley also mentioned that she often advises people who binge-watch the show to take care of their mental health.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Oscar-winning Mikey Madison was almost confirmed for Shawn Levy-Ryan Gosling's Star Wars; here's everything to know
Fresh off her breakout performance in Anora, one of the year's most talked-about films, Mikey Madison is now being hailed as Hollywood's next big thing. With a BAFTA and an Independent Spirit Award, the 26 year old is suddenly at the top of every director's casting wish list. But what fans might not know is that she nearly boarded one of the most iconic franchises in cinema history: Star Wars. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Madison's carefully curated post-Anora career choices were put into focus. Since the film's debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Madison has been highly selective when it came to new work but she did set her sights on a few unexpected projects. One, according to the interview, was Reptilia, a love story about a dental hygienist who falls for a mermaid — directed by Alejandro Landes. The other? A galaxy far, far away. For months, there were hushed rumours circulating through industry circles that Madison had been considered for a role in the new Star Wars film — one that would be directed by Shawn Levy and features none other than Ryan Gosling. While Madison didn't go into detail about how far she got in the process, the buzz was very real. The Gosling-led project has been in development at Lucasfilm since 2022, with Levy working closely with the studio to create something distinct. The director himself hinted at the film's direction during a podcast appearance, saying: 'I'll say that the experience of crafting this story has forced me to think about that question. Because there's only so many times that Star Wars movies can revisit the same section of the timeline, and so it's really forced me, because I don't want to do a Star Wars movie that is redundant to others, nor am I interested in doing one that has to serve another movie."' That desire to break away from the franchise's well-worn territory might have been part of what attracted Madison — an actor now known for taking unconventional roles — to the project. And while the casting didn't ultimately come together, the near-miss has become a compelling 'what if' moment in her rising career. Before Anora thrust her into the spotlight, Madison had already been making waves in Hollywood. She played Manson follower Susan Atkins in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and took on a memorable role in Scream 5 (2022).cNow, with her phone ringing off the hook and scripts landing at her feet, Madison may have passed on the lightsaber for now, but you never know what the future might hold.
News18
10 hours ago
- News18
Nick Jonas To Play Paul Stanley In KISS Frontman's Biopic? Here's What We Know
Last Updated: The biopic will follow the first four years of KISS, before they reached superstardom. Nick Jonas has reportedly been lined up to play KISS frontman Paul Stanley in a new biopic. The pop star/actor is believed to have been tapped to portray the band's frontman in 'Shout It Out Loud', which will be directed by McG and will chart the rock band's rise to fame. The Hollywood Reporter reports Jonas is in 'final talks" to take on the role of Stanley, while movie bosses are still looking for an actor to play the singer's bassist bandmate Gene Simmons. The group is helping to develop the project while Stanley and Simmons are among the producers, along with McG. reports Jonas plans to take on singing duties in the film and needs time to train his voice to be able to emulate Stanley's signature vocals. Longtime KISS manager Doc McGhee previously revealed the movie would focus on the band's first four years together after forming in the 1970s. Speaking to Talking Metal in 2021, he explained, '[The script is] completely done … And the script is about the first four years of KISS. Basically, it's before they were famous – it was up to Cadillac High [KISS' famous gig in a high school gym in Cadillac, Michigan in 1975], that kind of thing…" He added, 'And I think it's a very interesting look at the formation of KISS, the mindset of how that came about, the social pressure that everybody was in in the '60s and '70s that brought something like KISS to the forefront, that it could actually happen. So it's a very interesting, and I think it's a well-written movie." Stanley has also previously spoken about the movie, telling broadcaster Kylie Olsson in 2021, '[The movie is] definitely happening. And that's gonna be really interesting. The script was really good. And we really waited until we felt comfortable." He also spoke about actors who could play him in the film and said, 'I will tell you this: for casting to be accurate in terms of age, we are looking at actors in their early 20s." He mentioned, 'Honestly, I don't know a whole lot of actors in their early 20s. When people get asked these kinds of questions, they'll say, 'Oh, Brad Pitt,' or this one or that one. Well, those guys are in their 50s or 60s, so you're talking about another generation of actors. And I'm the first to say I'm not up on a lot of them." 'But as the casting process goes on, I'll certainly be there and watching. It'll be interesting to see how someone else- be it the casting people or the director – how they view who I am and who they see doing that. I think I'll learn a lot about their perception of me by who they cast," he concluded. First Published:
NDTV
11 hours ago
- NDTV
How John Abraham Rescued Vidya Balan From Akshaye Khanna On The Sets Of Salaam-E-Ishq
New Delhi: Vidya Balan recently attended the Bollywood Hungama Style Icons Summit, where she recalled a funny incident from the sets of Salaam-E-Ishq. The actress had worked with John Abraham and Akshaye Khanna in the film, along with other A-listers such as Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Anil Kapoor, and Juhi Chawla to name a few. The Kahaani actress spoke about how she had to ask John Abraham for help, as she had to face Akshaye Khanna on set after rejecting a film with him. What's Happening Vidya Balan revealed a hilarious incident from the sets of Salaam-E-Ishq at the recent Bollywood Hungama Style Icons Summit. The actress spoke about what led to her fear of meeting Akshaye Khanna on the sets of the film. Vidya said, "There was a film offered to me opposite Akshaye Khanna, and for some reason, I didn't connect with the script. But I didn't pick up the phone and tell him that. I asked my manager to convey it to the director." She added, "And then I met Akshaye on the sets of Salaam-E-Ishq. And he fired me. He was like 'Why didn't you tell me you didn't want to do the film?' I went up to John [Abraham] and said, 'Can you please save me?' Because I was so new, I didn't want any confrontation. I didn't want to hurt anyone or make anyone feel bad, or just feel like I was refusing a film with them. But of course, he was only pulling my leg. I later realized." About Salaam-E-Ishq Nikkhil Advani's Salaam-E-Ishq is a romantic drama, which brings together six love stories and then follows the meandering relationships of the people within it. Work Vidya Balan was last seen in the blockbuster Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 with Kartik Aaryan, Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri. She also did Do Aur Do Pyaar with Pratik Gandhi, Ileana D'Cruz and Sendhil Ramamurthy. In A Nutshell Vidya Balan revealed how she was scared of confronting Akshaye Khanna on the sets of Salaam-E-Ishq, after rejecting a film with him before. She explained how she asked help from John Abraham.
