The Handmaid’s Tale features many troubling characters, and among them is Yvonne Strahovski’s Serena Joy, a character who is nothing like Strahovski’s role in Chuck. Well, just because Strahovski plays Serena, that does not mean that she is exempt from having some blunt thoughts about her character.
At the end of Season 3, Serena was finally arrested for her actions and crimes. A reckoning that has been a long time coming on The Handmaid’s Tale. Despite that, a backlash has lingered against the latest installment. In the midst of all of the show’s dark drama is Yvonne Strahovski’s Serena. When it comes to how she feels about her, Strahovski told Gold Derby:
I don’t feel sorry for her. If I remove myself from being so attached to the insides of Serena Joy as the person who plays her, I think she has it coming and it’s exactly where she should be actually.
Serena had been a big believer in Gilead and helped stir sentiments supporting it with a book she authored. In one of The Handmaid’s Tale’s many brutal scenes, Serena even helped Fred sexually assault June. So, it makes total sense that Yvonne Strahovski lacks sympathy for her. In fact, Strahovski says that Serena actually got her comeuppance.
Progress on the fourth season has not been tremendous, according to an update from Yvonne Strahovski’s co-star, Elisabeth Moss. So, fans of The Handmaid’s Tale are left to wonder what will become of Serena when the show returns. For Strahovski, it is about separating her personal feelings from that of her character, and it sounds like she has a pretty definitive line on that.
If The Handmaid’s Tale continues on the track it left off with, then Serena is in hot water. She is also facing being permanently kept from the one thing she wants most – baby Nichole, whose biological parents are June and Nick Blaine. Between being charged with crimes and facing permanent separation from Nichole, Serena is finally facing justice.
On a show where explosive twists are frequent, it would not be entirely surprising to see Serena navigate her way out of the seemingly tight corner she was backed into. The Handmaid’s Tale’s return is still quite a bit into the future, so fans will have to stay tuned to see what occurs. Yvonne Strahovski is evidently not rooting for Serena to get out of trouble.
I think actors probably have to be faced with that constant push-and-pull when it comes to playing a character, especially one who does wicked things. They may want to play the most dramatic story, and sometimes that does not mean that their character behaves in the best way. Either way, Yvonne Strahovski is looking at a very intriguing tale when The Handmaid’s Tale returns.
You can watch Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy during the first three seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale, which are all currently streaming on Hulu. A premiere date for Season 4 is pending due to the delay in filming. While you wait for Season 4 to bow, you can check out this summer’s schedule.
