Hulu hosted a screening of the Season 5 finale of “The Handmaid’s Tale” on Monday night.
I asked the cast and creatives on the carpet if producers or the streamer intentionally planned the event to coincide with Election Day.
“We’re weirdly aligned with what’s happening, aren’t we?” Yvonne Strahovski said.
The series adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s bestselling novel immediately attracted comparisons to the U.S. political landscape when it premiered in 2017 during the first few weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency.
“Sadly, we’re still relevant,” producer Warren Littlefield said. He pointed out that the reversal of Roe v. Wade struck a particular chord with viewers. “Since it was overturned by the Supreme Court, a million new viewers that had never seen ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ came and found the program. You would have thought people would have run but they didn’t,” he said. “They were seeking it out.”
Star Elisabeth Moss said she was unaware of the new viewers in the wake of Roe v. Wade, but opined, “I could see that people would want to watch and feel like they’re not alone.”
I asked Moss if she believed the election results could move the U.S. into becoming more of a Gilead-like country. “I’m an optimistic person but I also don’t have a crystal ball,” she said. “But I do think if people could get out there and have their voices heard — and there are a lot of good people out there… I’m just hoping they get out there,” she said.
“Handmaid’s Tale” will end with its upcoming sixth season, but if it were up to Max Minghella, “I would probably do this show for another 20 years.”
