PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2018: THE HANDMAID'S TALE {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's 35th William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This PALEYFEST 2018 seminar honors "The Handmaid's Tale," the drama series based on the 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood, describing a dystopian future in which women are enslaved within Gilead, a totalitarian, religion-based society. Host Rene Reyes (executive in charge of production, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and welcomes Debra Birnbaum (executive editor, TV, Variety) to the stage.
Birnbaum introduces a series of clips, starting with a greeting from lead actor Elisabeth Moss (June Osborne/Offred), absent from the panel due to work commitments. After a recap of the events of season one, a preview scene from season two is shown in which the ruthless Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) punishes the Handmaids for their disobedience, only to learn, to her great joy, that Offred is pregnant. Emily/Ofglen (Alexis Bledel) is glimpsed toiling away in The Colonies, and June undergoes an uncomfortable ultrasound with Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and Serena Joy by her side – and then finds a mysterious key hidden in her boot.
After the clips, Birmbaum moderates the following panelists: executive producer Warren Littlefield; creator/showrunner/executive producer Bruce Miller; and cast members Yvonne Strahovski (Serena Joy Waterford), Samira Wiley (Moira Strand), Max Minghella (Nick Blaine), Madeline Brewer (Janine/Ofwarren), O-T Fagbenle (Luke Bankole), and Amanda Brugel (Rita Blue).
The panelists touch on such topics as: why Canadian native Brugel was initially "a little judgy" about the series, having grown up enjoying the original novel; their "very hopeful" ideas of the show's success after viewing the first dailies of the pilot; writing to the strengths of lead actress Moss; the characters' journeys in season two, including Nick's conflict over June's pregnancy and Luke and Moira's bond over their shared affection for June; Serena Joy's desperation for a child and her "uneasy peace" with faithless husband Fred; Rita's heightened "state of peril" as a Martha; how Emily and Janine will rebuild their lives in the punishing work camps of The Colonies; Aunt Lydia's sense of duty regarding June's pregnancy; the second season's theme of motherhood, including June's desperation to reunite with her stolen daughter Hannah; expanding on the book's smaller details, such America's transformation to Gilead and the fate of the free press; Atwood's role as an executive producer and her enthusiasm for additions and changes to her original work; Brewer's interest in exploring a new side of Janine, who is "happy to be alive" after her brushes with death; Wiley's desire to explore Moira's backstory and family apart from June and Luke; Fagbenle's interest in Luke's fateful divorce from his first wife, which invalidates his marriage to June; Strahovski's curiosity about Serena Joy's upbringing and pre-Gilead life; Brugel's interest in the ambiguity and duality of "good Rita" and "bad Rita"; hints about new cast members, including Cherry Jones as June's mother, Bradley Whitford as a commander and Clea DuVall as Emily's wife; the characters' many "small acts of resistance"; the "no-brainer" decision to employ many female writers and directors, including Emmy Award-winning pilot director Reed Morano, to craft the women-focused show; Moss' role as producer; straying from the book's "all-white world" to understand how race operates in Gilead; Wiley's interest in encouraging socially aware conversations among the show's viewers; the relevance of the "Me Too" movement and how Brewer and Wiley felt "bolstered" by their characters' experiences to speak out and engage in activism; Brugel's interest in representing the "voiceless" and unrecognized housewives of the world; depicting different kinds of personal strength, including how Janine's "insanity" helps her to survive; Fagbenle's praise for the talents of young actress Jordana Blake, who plays his daughter Hannah; and the surprisingly fun experience of shooting in the cold and muddy "Colonies."
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics, among others: shooting the challenging "punishment" scene, in which the Handmaids are forced to kneel in the wind and rain; where the cast and crew would fit in to a real-life Gilead, including Fagbenle's Janine-like "crazy optimism" and Brugel's desire for the comfortable life of a wife; explanation of Gilead's power structure, including the coup arranged by the "Sons of Jacob"; and Strahovski's views on how Serena Joy's "pure" intentions regarding a solution for the world's rising infertility rates were gradually warped into something dangerous.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999 2:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: N/A
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 132007
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rene Reyes … Host
- Debra Birnbaum … Moderator
- Bruce Miller … Panelist
- Warren Littlefield … Panelist
- Amanda Brugel … Panelist
- Yvonne Strahovski … Panelist
- O-T Fagbenle … Panelist
- Samira Wiley … Panelist
- Max Minghella … Panelist
- Madeline Brewer … Panelist
- Margaret Atwood
- Jordana Blake
- Alexis Bledel
- Ann Dowd
- Clea DuVall
- Cherry Jones
- Reed Morano
- Elisabeth Moss
- Bradley Whitford