Bringing Alexis Bledel back as Emily in The Handmaid’s Tale series finale wasn’t easy due to her schedule and “complicated” life.
Creator Bruce Miller broke down the effort it took behind the scenes to secure her return, telling TV Insider on Tuesday, May 27, “Alexis has a complicated schedule and a complicated life, and it didn’t work out that it was a good time to do it until the end.”
Miller noted that it was never a question of whether it made sense to revisit Emily’s story in the finale. The concern was more about whether Bledel, 43, had the ability to return after stepping away from acting in recent years.
“[Alexis] moved heaven and earth to get up to us, and so there were a lot more practical concerns than character and emotional concerns,” he explained. “I always wanted to know what happened to the character that she was playing, Emily, but also she was so central to June for so long.”
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He continued: “There was something about bringing [Emily] back at the end that if June was going to re-experience that part of her life, it felt like it was impossible to do without that person. Because without knowing that both of them had made it out, you couldn’t believe in the impossible being possible. But the two of them together, both being alive and free really, I think was the one thing that June and the audience really did not expect to occur. I hope.”
The Tuesday series finale showed June (Elisabeth Moss) reuniting with Emily after the rebellion in Gilead. The finale featured a parallel to the show’s first episode where June and Emily walked along the water.
Fans were thrilled by Bledel’s surprise appearance after she previously left the show ahead of season 5.
“After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid’s Tale at this time,” she told Variety in a 2022 statement. “I am forever grateful to [executive producer] Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support.”
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Following Bledel’s exit, Us Weekly broke the news that Bledel and husband Vincent Kartheiser split after eight years of marriage. They originally started dating after meeting on the set of Mad Men. Bledel and Kartheiser, 46, got married in 2014 and welcomed their son one year later. Kartheiser filed for divorce in August 2022 and the split was finalized later that month.
Bledel has since taken a step back from Hollywood. While her last billed role was on The Handmaid’s Tale, Bledel has since slowly returned to the spotlight. Earlier this month, Bledel signed on to narrate the audiobook for the 50th anniversary edition of Natalie Babbit’s novel Tuck Everlasting.
“It has been an amazing experience to revisit this world,” Bledel said in a statement. “Tuck Everlasting holds a special place in my heart, having played Winnie Foster in the film many years ago. Narrating this beloved story for its 50th anniversary edition is a wonderful journey back into a tale that challenges us to think about what it truly means to live a meaningful life.”
The Handmaid’s Tale is streaming on Hulu.
