Yvonne Strahovski (‘The Handmaid’s Tale’): ‘The last thing [Serena] expects is that Fred’s dead’ [Complete Interview Transcript]

Latasha Ford and Marcus James Dixon
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During a recent Gold Derby video interview, contributing editor Luca Giliberti spoke in-depth with Yvonne Strahovski (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) about Season 5 of her Hulu dystopian drama, which is eligible at the 2023 Emmys. Watch the full video above and read the complete interview transcript below.

In the most recent season of the Emmy-winning show, which aired last fall, Strahovski’s character Serena Joy Waterford learns that her husband, Fred (Joseph Fiennes), has been murdered by a group of former handmaids, including June (Elisabeth Moss). The pregnant widow then must team up with the person she hates the most, as Serena and June find they have more in common than they ever would have guessed.

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“The last thing she expects is that Fred’s dead,” the actress said in our webchat about Serena’s mindset at the start of Season 5. “I always think that survival is kind of the key thing that’s driving her, no matter what or where she is,” Strahovski continued on. “And I think in this past season, that seems to be the most heightened form of survival because she now has lost Fred.”

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Luca Giliberti: I’m Luca Giliberti, contributing writer for Gold Derby, and I’m joined today by Yvonne Strahovski to talk about the fifth season of The Handmaids Tale. So Yvonne, it’s safe to say that Serena goes through the motions this season, but there is one brief moment in the premiere in which she doesn’t know yet that Fred has been killed. So to kick things off, I’d be very curious to hear from you what you think is going through her head before they break the big news to her.

Yvonne Strahovski: I think the last thing she expects is that Fred’s dead. Either I think she’s concerned that maybe he got held up or he’s in some worst case scenario, some other form of detention somewhere else, or he’s in trouble. He is being held. I think those things are probably going through her mind, but I don’t think Fred being dead is one of them at all.

LG: Yeah, I mean, I would imagine that it’s not, or I would hope that it’s not. But she and Fred had such a complicated relationship. I mean, he’s betrayed her. He’s abused her emotionally and physically and so much more, but he’s ripped away from her at a time when their pregnancy had brought them a bit back together and when her power is already within limits. So now that she is very powerless and completely alone, but still has a child on her way, would you say that vengeance kind of becomes her own, her main coping mechanism or her main lifeline going forward?

YS: No, I don’t know. I mean, I always think that survival is kind of the key thing that’s driving her, no matter what or where she is. And I think in this past season, that seems to be the most heightened form of survival because she now has lost Fred. I mean, even though they have a complicated relationship, I think she does rely on him heavily. And in fact, in that moment when we go back into season five, I think she’s… Well, he’s certainly given into supporting her and he’s given into his fate that he’s not getting out of there or he doesn’t think he is at some point. And so I think she’s going to utilize that. So the fact that he’s lost and she kind of really seems to lose everybody in the season. Mark Tuello kind of pieces out. Fred’s dad, everyone kind of pieces out and she’s really left to her own devices, which is really ironic and kind of delicious to watch as a viewer when everything peels away from her. But yet, she gets the one thing that she’s always wanted this entire time, which is the baby. So it’s really kind of incredible juxtaposition going on.

LG: Yeah, absolutely. And it’s sort of both gratifying and devastating for viewers to see this arc that Serena goes on, because of course, she is a horrible person, but at the same time, we’ve been watching her for so long now that you have to feel some kind of, not necessarily sympathy, but you do feel at least some empathy for her. So that’s why this arc throughout this season is so fascinating to watch. And one of the scenes that I particularly love in the first episode is when she goes to the morgue and learns that June will not not be arrested or that she will not face any consequences for killing Fred. And what we see then is that she kind of lashes out. And you’ve talked about how lashing out has become her go-to reaction in moments of extreme turmoil. So do you think lashing out is how she kind of a copes with extreme emotions? And if so, where do you think that tendency comes from?

YS: Yeah, I do think lashing out is for sure one of her go-tos. Her tendency, where does it come from? I mean, repression oppression, all the essions, depression, I guess there’s many. Yeah, I think it’s from… I think now what feels like a lifetime to her of not being prioritized or heard, having come from a world where she was prioritized by Fred. So that anger just builds up in her. And when justice isn’t going to be served in the way that she sees fit, she’s definitely going to lash out. That was definitely one of my favorite scenes to shoot because a kind of lash out, I felt like, we hadn’t seen from Serena yet, and I wanted to make it so that it was perhaps the most vulnerable lash out that we’ve seen, really seeing her just really teeter on the edge of a mental health crisis and a breakdown. So yeah, I really loved that scene.

LG: Just that raw pain and that raw fear that you hear in her voice. I feel like that’s something we hadn’t seen before. I mean, we’ve seen her in vulnerable states, but I would agree with you that this is maybe the most vulnerable that we had seen her until that point, at least. Yeah, I absolutely love that scene and what you’ve also said is that after that, she kind of becomes a whole different kind of unhinged after Fred’s death. And I think we really see that when she insists on this big showy funeral for Fred. And what’s really interesting about that funeral is that she’s at the same time, saying goodbye to her husband and putting on this big performance to, in a way, display her power. So as an actor, when it came to your own performance, how did you go about merging that genuine grief that she feels, with that performative grief in that whole scene?

YS: It’s funny you ask that. I’m not sure that I paid too much attention about how to go about that because it feels like it was pretty natural, I guess, because I’ve been with Serena for so long that it’s such a natural state of being for her. If she has to do that, she will. I do think there is a genuine overcoming of emotion. I mean, let’s just say, okay, if I were to dissect it, I would say that now that you’re asking me, I’d say that there is the performance element is probably the biggest one. It’s the overriding factor of the day. It’s the one she’s prepared for. It’s the one she’s rehearsed for. She knows that Hannah moment is coming up. She knows she’s going to rub it in June’s face and somewhere in the world, June is going to see it. She knows all of that. So I would say that the emotions are sort of secondary and infuse themselves perhaps uninvited into these moments where she really just wants to keep it together. So I do think that there’s a private moment is genuine. And then I think the commander walks in on her Brad Whitford’s character right before they’re about to pick the coffin up and walk away. So I think that’s a genuine grief moment. But whatever’s in the procession, that sort of…

LG: Exactly.

YS: I think that’s partly performance, part genuine, but more so she knows she’s putting on a show because she’s surviving now. This is her getting in and this is her attempt to get some people on her side.

LG: Yeah, that’s an interesting way of putting, I hadn’t even thought about it that way of getting people on her side. But I also think at the beginning, we do see her at the casket. She does have that moment where she breaks down in tears. So it’s almost like she’s having this personal moment, first, this outpouring of genuine emotion, and then she goes on to put on this big show. So I think that’s also kind of interesting, that trajectory in a way. And I have to assume that there must have been an enormous preparation for that scene, right? Because it seems so heavily choreographed. So what was the preparation like for that entire sequence?

YS: Us actors really didn’t do much preparation. It was more about the director and the DP and everybody organizing themselves to make sure that everything ran super smooth that day. And it did. They did an incredible job making sure that everything was choreographed, all the cameras were working as many at once as they could have in one shot. It was super smooth. Then we did shoot it over the course of a few days, I feel like two or three. So that was a lot of preparation for them, not necessarily for us.

LG: That’s interesting. It’s such an incredible sequence. It turned out so well. I just talked to Wendy Hallam Martin, who edited the episode yesterday, and she said how much footage there was and just how it was sort of a dance to put it together because it’s also intercut with the ballet performance. So it’s just such an incredible sequence to watch. And then a few episodes later, Serena is taken in by the wheelers, and what we kind of see is that she becomes the quasi handmaid. So at what point do you think she realizes that she’s a prisoner in their home? Do you think she realizes at the moment Mrs. Wheeler kneels down and touches her belly? Or do you think it’s more of a gradual realization?

YS: I think the thought comes into her mind early, especially when Mrs. Wheeler kneels down. I think the real true confirmation is when she tries to leave and go talk to the lady who’s outside with the flowers, and Ezra stops her from leaving. I think that’s the moment where she realizes all my fears have come true. What am I going to do now? But I mean, there’s obviously a lot of clues, a lot of stuff that is indicative of the fact that she is a prisoner. I’m just not sure how much she wants to actually believe that she truly cannot leave. So that moment where it’s literal, she cannot leave, slaps her in the face pretty hard, I think.

LG: Oh, yeah. And do you think that there is any point, and I feel like this is a question that a lot of fans have asked themselves, but do you think there’s any point where she feels any shred of remorse, any shred of guilt for her own actions considering she’s or believes that she’s stuck in this home? Or do you think at that point she’s still such a believer in Gilead’s ways that she doesn’t really acknowledge that she is kind of getting the taste of her own medicine in some way?

YS: I think she does feel like she’s getting a taste of her own medicine, but I think she’s very clouded with the high stakes of the moment, which are, she has her own child, and although that is a clear reminder of things she has done in the past to other people, especially June, I think that mama bear instinct kicks in and it is really all about, how am I going to get out of this? And then I can think about all of the things later.

LG: That makes complete sense. And that’s a perfect segue because we obviously have to talk about the seventh episode in which Serena gives birth. And I know that episode kind of hit close to home for you because in that, you had given birth to your second child not long before that, but what were some of the conversations like between you and the director and Natalia Leite and between you and Elizabeth Moss when it came to how you wanted that birth scene to really play out?

YS: For me, it was really important to infuse a sense of reality in the birth, not have it be just a typical sort of unrealistic movie, TV birth. And given that I’d just done it actually at home, not a barn, but at home.

LG: One would hope.

YS: With my second, I had my first in a hospital, I had my second at home. So it was really important to me to infuse certain elements from that. So I spoke a lot to Elizabeth about our physicality between each other and what we could do. And I remember sharing with her how in the final moments, I was with my husband and we were facing each other, I had my arms wrapped around him, and I thought, wouldn’t it be so cool if we saw June and Serena with Serena with her arms over June and really physically leaning on her and just thought, what an interesting dynamic that we may not have ever seen them in actually. So we talked a lot about that. We talked a lot about the sort of language between the two women of what June would be saying, having done it and her character having done it twice. And then I was the character that had never done it before. So I wanted to make sure that it represented the scenario as well. So even though my personal birth story is quite calm and I was quite centered during my second one, but in this particular instance, the chaos, the anxiety, and not knowing and being literally in the middle of freezing nowhere with your worst enemy, it was just such an interesting mix of things to play. But yet, you are doing something so beautiful. I mean, you can’t help but be so taken by the moment, the birth, a baby, just everything melts away when you see a precious little baby and you’re going through this. So there’s just really so much to play with, in all of it. We just had a blast doing it.

LG: Yeah, I can imagine. And I love what you said about the dynamic between June and Serena, because what I really love about this episode is that both June and Serena’s raw emotions are on full display. I mean, obviously, these two have had a very toxic, dysfunctional relationship, but at the end of the day, I would argue that Serena, in a way, exchanged more honesty and more raw emotions with June than she may have done with other people in Gilead, especially even more so than with some of the other wives. So don’t you think that’s part of the reason why she is able to be this vulnerable and able to be this frank about her feelings in that very moment?

YS: Yes, a hundred percent. I think that’s what draws her to June is that despite their past, I think she still wants June to be her best friend in some weird way. Yeah, I think that’s partly to do with the fact that she’s super lonely and has been for a really long time, and she doesn’t trust anyone. I mean, of all people, she shouldn’t really trust June. But I do think they do have such a rich history, and with Serena being in the power position, for the most part, I think she still has this twisted view that they can come together and be friends in some weird way. I don’t think she fully understands that what she has done is really truly unforgivable. So I think she does live in this sort of idealistic fantasy land that they can really lean on each other, which, I think, is hard for her. I mean, it’s hard because they do, in a lot of moments. They do end up relying on each other, but it’s all circumstantial because of survival. I mean, there’s so many elements because June had to, for so many reasons, just to survive on her own part. So yeah, it’s just really kind of twisted. It’s very twisted.

LG: It absolutely is. And then there’s that one moment in which she tells June to take the baby since she has no future left, basically. So how do you think she’s even able to arrive at a place where she is willing to give up the single thing she has wanted for basically her entire life?

YS: Yeah, I think this is probably the most vulnerable ever. That was a really hard one. I remember reading that and thinking, wow, that’s a leap. This is a big, big, big leap. How am I going to do this one? So yeah, I mean, it was really about sort of arriving. I mean, there’s that whole speech in front of it. It’s almost like she’s trying to talk herself out of it, but not really, because really, what’s coming out of her mouth is the fact that I have nothing and no one and nowhere to go. And I think the actual, in the moment, everything sort of had to play out from in my mind in the moment of her saying the words and realizing the truth of them for the first time, along with the audience, along with June, along with everybody, not everybody, this is just June in the moment, but it is sort of landing in that precise moment. And so it’s kind of like she’s really thinking out loud and it’s good point. And it’s just falling out of her mouth because it really does seem like it’s the only thing to do. It’s crushing. I remember trying to get through that speech and it’s just, because I play her, it felt really crushing at the part where we do feel sympathy for her. I think this was the moment for me even that I felt like she’d lost everything and it was heartbreaking to say the words even for me.

LG: Yeah, I mean, like I said earlier, I mean, sometimes it’s just impossible not to feel some sympathy for her or some empathy at least. And I think this was one of those moments, it’s just impossible not to feel for her in that scene.

YS: That’s the fun part of playing her is that, you’re constantly teetering on the edge of, are you going to win the audience over? Are you going to change? Is she going to change? Is she going to realize the difference between good and bad? And then crash bang, and here she goes again. And it’s that rollercoaster that is for me, so much fun to play. So fun.

LG: Yeah, I can absolutely imagine. I could completely agree that that rollercoaster is one of the reasons why it’s so fun to watch. And just briefly on a final note, I’d be very curious after all of this, do you think she would ever be able to fully return to her usual ways? I mean, we see in the eighth episode that her inner manipulator kind of comes out again and that she mistakes June’s hospitality for forgiveness or for truce in a way. But how do you think this whole experience of being kind of a prisoner, like we said in the wheeler household and of giving birth with June in this situation, how does all of that change her?

YS: I’m not sure that it does, sadly, to be honest, because here’s why. Because moving forward, I’m not sure that her circumstances are going to get any better. I mean, I don’t know. I don’t know. I mean, I kind of know, because I did actually talk to the writers the other day before the strike, before the strike, so I do know. But just in terms of, she had so much and she’s just so vulnerable and she’s really at risk of being in prison really, or dying or getting captured. There’s just so many high stakes for her at this stage in her life, and I’m just not sure that I see her ever making a morally balanced decision that’s full of integrity because again, that survival thing, I just feel like everyone connected to Gilead is in survival mode, and she is going to put that first no matter what. I don’t think she’s ever going to put sort of the greater good first ever.

LG: I love that you said that because when I was thinking about that question, I was like, is she ever going to change? Is that really going to change her? I was like, maybe it’s not. So I think it’s really interesting that you said that. But I feel we’re out of time now. But thank you so, so much for your time today and for talking through Serena’s arc. It’s always so fascinating to listen to. So thank you so much.

YS: Thank you. Thanks for your time and your thoughtful questions. Thank you.

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