‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Star Genevieve Angelson On The ‘Devastating’ Fallout Between Alanis & Serena (Exclusive)

Alanis Wheeler erstwhile looked astatine Serena Joy arsenic her idol, but that adoration has dilatory been crumbling implicit the people of The Handmaid’s Tale play 5. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Genevieve Angelson astir her attack to Alanis and the disintegration of Alanis and Serena’s relationship.

“There’s a infinitesimal erstwhile I’m starring her into my husband’s bureau to marque a telephone call, and she asks if I would similar to enactment successful the room. I benignant of crook to her and say, ‘No, I’m a wife.’ I benignant of look astatine her and realize, wait, you’re expected to beryllium one, too. Why don’t these rules use to you? I deliberation that’s benignant of what I continued to observe implicit the people of the season. She’s not practicing what she preaches,” Genevieve said.

Genevieve Angelson astatine the HCA TV Awards. (DAVID SWANSON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

She continued, “Not lone is that highly disappointing, it’s highly unsafe due to the fact that I really deliberation that what she preaches is indispensable to the continuation of humanity is the extremity of that sentence. In play 5 of this show, radical sometimes look to hide that the grounding premise of it is that determination is simply a fertility situation that threatens to extinct our species. So erstwhile radical travel up with solutions similar Gilead, they’re redeeming the quality race. When they interruption those solutions, they could beryllium perchance threatening it. I deliberation that the viewers having amnesia astir that being what drives this communicative benignant of makes radical similar Alanis a batch little empathetic, adjacent though evidently she’s formed similar a villainous character.”

The greenhouse country betwixt Alanis and Serena successful occurrence 6 is the infinitesimal erstwhile things began to noticeably displacement betwixt them. Serena brings up being asked retired by her gynecologist and says she mightiness not adjacent take to get joined again. Alanis is shocked and stresses that her babe needs a mother and a father. In a large powerfulness move, Alanis yet orders Serena to spell to her room.

“What I deliberation is truthful important astir the mode that I chose to play Alanis which was inspired by the mode that everyone connected The Handmaid’s Tale chooses to play their quality is that perfectly nary 1 is playing a bully feline oregon a atrocious guy. People are playing people,” Genevieve noted. “I felt precise grounded erstwhile we played that scene. At 1 constituent I accidental thing like, ‘Your babe needs a parent and a father, and that’s much important than your feelings.’ My full statement to Serena Joy is turn up.”

The histrion added, “I truly shirk the characterization of Alanis arsenic similar villainous oregon creepy due to the fact that I deliberation she’s conscionable precise passionate astir precise dire circumstances. I deliberation that country that you’re referring to is benignant of the past accidental I’m giving her to not betray this representation I person of her. I’m saying, listen, you could inactive get unneurotic with this doc and settee down here. She proves to maine successful the people of that country that she’s susceptible of making destructive decisions with her baby, but besides the anticipation of humanity. So I can’t spot her, I’m giving her a chance, and she keeps conscionable devastating me.”

For Alanis, the saying has proved true: don’t conscionable your heroes. In Alanis’ eyes, Serena has go the eventual hypocrite of the nine and values she helped create.

“I deliberation that she’s discovering that the person of the question is not consenting to beryllium a subordinate of the movement. But also, however hypocritical is that? I deliberation Alanis’ full statement is, yes, I recognize that this violates your idiosyncratic liberties. Yes, I recognize that. Your idiosyncratic liberties are not much important than the collective, and I deliberation she’s valid,” Genevieve told HollywoodLife. “I conjecture what I’m saying is, I’m not crazy. Of course, I deliberation Alanis is simply a villain, but I couldn’t play her that way. I couldn’t aftermath up successful the greeting and beryllium like, ‘Okay, I’m going to enactment contiguous to play the baddie.’ I wouldn’t person fixed a bully performance. I had to beryllium truly circumstantial astir wherefore I attraction arsenic overmuch arsenic I do. That country was precise pivotal infinitesimal to infinitesimal dramatically laying retired a last opportunity.”

Yvonne Strahovski arsenic Serena Joy. (Hulu)

Genevieve hasn’t gotten a afloat rundown of Alanis’ backstory, but she was capable to soma retired her quality with her wardrobe. “Once I went into my costume fitting, Leslie Kavanagh, the costume designer, and I truly started benignant of getting originative astir who Alanis was and her backstory. So we were like, she’s pro-Gilead. She’s wholly into each of that, but she conscionable doesn’t recognize wherefore we person to bash it with each the dreadful uniforms,” the histrion quipped.

As for what’s up successful the last episodes of play 5, Genevieve teased, “Alanis has to reconcile with the information that her erstwhile idol and past analyzable houseguest who she besides wanted to support is present a murderer. She has to reconcile with the information that this idiosyncratic who was, astatine best, a hero, astatine medium, fertile, is present really homicidal. How does she marque consciousness of that and power that danger?” New episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale driblet Wednesdays connected Hulu.