Entertainment
The Handmaid’s Tale star Alexis Bledel announces exit ahead of season 5: ‘I had to step away’Charlotte ManningEntertainment – Metro
Season 5 was confirmed last year.
Alexis has appeared in the previous four seasons (Picture: Hulu/Getty)
Alexis Bledel has confirmed she won’t be returning to The Handmaid’s Tale when season 5 lands in the coming months.
The TV adaptation of Margaret Attwood’s novel landed in 2017 and has won a stream of Emmy Awards and more ever since.
However, one major character who appears in the drama, starring Elizabeth Moss in the main role of June Osborne, won’t be present in the upcoming fifth season, which began filming earlier this year.
Alexis, who has starred as Emily Malek aka Ofglen for the past four seasons, confirmed she’d exited the dystopian series.
‘After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid’s Tale at this time,’ she shared in a recent interview.
Fans saw her Emily expanded to a regular role for the second season, as she came more to the forefront of the show.
The star won her first-ever Emmy for the role (Picture: Getty)
She added to Variety: ’I am forever grateful to [showrunner] Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support.’
However, she did not explain the reason why she had decided to exit after four season seasons.
For her role in The Handmaid’s Tale, she has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations winning Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
She has also received three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Drama Series.
Fans will know Alexis from her role as main character Rory Gilmore in the long-running American series, Gilmore Girls.
Alexis played Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls (Picture: Netflix)
The actress reprised her role in the A Year in the Life spin-off, which came to Netflix back in 2016.
Streaming service Hulu renewed the series back in December 2020, ahead of the season four premiere.
Speaking out on the future of The Handmaid’s Tale, showrunner Bruce Miller previously said he ‘doesn’t know’ if season five will be its final outing.
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‘We talked about it, and [Elisabeth Moss] and I have talked about it, and the writing staff and I have talked about it extensively, about where we’re going precisely,
‘But I do feel like after this year, it’s a good time to reassess,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Handmaid’s Tale airs on Channel 4 and can be streamed in full on All 4.
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