The final season of The Handmaid's Tale started airing on Neon last week, and actress Yvonne Strahovski is looking back on her creative journey after six seasons.
Strahovski co-stars as Serena Joy Waterford - an architect and prisoner of the show's dystopian regime.
She says it's been an 'extraordinary' journey taking on the role of Serena.
"This has been such an amazing opportunity for me to be so challenged and grow and work on my craft, my artistry - everything I want to do as a performer."
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB Brace Yourself.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
The rebellion Gilliad is finally igniting as The Handmaid's Tale
returns for its sixth and final season. For years, we've
been afraid of them. Now it's time for them to
be afraid of us. This is the beginning of the end.
(00:34):
What's happening?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Rebellion, whip and fight for your freedom? Where is Joe Osborn?
You use all of our friends, everyone and anyone who
hates Giliad to finally declare enough.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Oh well, it's as good as it sounds. Australian actress
Evon Strahowski's plays Serena Joey Waterford, one of the most
contentious characters on television. The cruel and calculating wife of
the hig ranking commander, Serena is both an architect and
prisoner of Gilliad's unsettling futuristic dystopia. The new season premiered
this week, and of von Strohowski is with me now, Good.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Morning, Hi, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Oh look, there's that Ossie accent, that glorious Ossie accent.
You have perfected the American accent so well that I
tend to forget that you're in Australian. I imagine that
the Americans have claimed you now, have they? I don't know, No,
maybe not.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
I mean, well, who knows. I don't know, but I'm
sure people don't realize that I'm Australian. But also I
don't sound at Australian anymore. I've spent my adult, entire
adult life two decades almost in the States, And you know,
when you pretend to be an American for your entire
last two decades and you live there, it's part of
the course that your whole accent changes.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
There's still a little bit of a little bit of
Ossie there, I think now a little bit a little
bit this series. What has it been like to act
in The Handmaid's Tales? Some of the scenes are difficult,
they're dark, some of the storylines are very difficult. How
has it been. It's been.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Like the most extraordinary journey ever. I just feel so
lucky that I got to be Serena. I just you know,
this is like a This has been such an amazing
opportunity for me to be so challenged and grow and
(02:46):
work on my craft, my artistry, everything that I want
to do as a performer. It's just been so great.
I keep saying this, but I never once died a
creative death here on this show. Like it was never boring.
There was always something incredible that I got to do,
and right until the very end. And I think I
(03:12):
didn't really even realize how invested I was. I mean,
I knew I was invested, but I just didn't even
really realize how much I just love Serena Joy because
it's so easy to hate her and we've all judged her.
I have had to judge her the least out of
everybody because I have to play her. But I just
didn't really even realize just how meaningful she was to me,
(03:36):
and really has hit hard now that we're at the end.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
You bring so much to her. She is, there are
so many layers, and she is so complex. She can
be cruel, but you bring a human side to her
as well. I suppose the question is you know, you've
just said, you've just sort of explained how much you
loved being in her shoes. I wonder what is she
(04:05):
as you step away? What remains with you? What impact
has she had going forward on you?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
I mean, I.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Think just.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
You know, it's been a it's been such there's been
so much trauma and emotion and intensity as part of
this character, and it's sort of I mean, it's twofold.
I think there's there's this sort of great appreciation that
I have for having a role like this that really
(04:38):
explores the gray areas of humanity, the nuances of each
of each emotion known to mankind and unknown to mankind.
Like I've really got to sort of explore this the
humanity and the and the non humanity also of a person.
And while also you know, having to do it at
(05:01):
a pace This is sort of a more practical answer
to your question, but the pace of a TV and
the volume of work that we that we produce really
in one hit takes sort of almost like I guess,
half a year when when you're doing the acting and stuff.
So it just really has allowed me to really hone
my skills as an actor too. You know, there's there's
(05:25):
that side of it as well, And to really sit
with something that the character for this long and and
really sort of understand them so well is is kind
of rare.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
I think I find it so intriguing. Your performance is
so fabulous. One minute, I begin to trust her. One
minute I think to myself, you know what, she understands
the consequences of very extent. She's she's sort of you know,
she's apologetic for the thing she's done. And the next
Ti'm like, no, she is. You'll say something, She'll slip,
and she'll say something and you go, no, she is
(05:59):
still she still holds onto these ideals and she is
so cunning and manipula. I just I just I love
it because you just keep me on my toes every episode.
Did you learn more about her and her and the
origins of her beliefs in this season? Yes, things aren't there.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Yeah, yeah, you definitely do learn You do see kind
of there's there are some flashbacks actually that provide a
little more insight into into her. But yeah, yeah, she's
so she is just so complicated. I think one of
the one thing that came to mind when you were
just talking was she it feels like she flip flops
(06:45):
a lot sometimes, I mean to me anyway, because I
think sometimes she realizes how great, like how impactful her
actions have been and how awful the consequences have been.
And then and sometimes I think she's ready to see that,
but I think so often she is not ready to
(07:08):
see or understand that, and she purposefully it's a self
protection mechanism almost to just go right back into the
narrow minded, narcissistic viewpoint to defend herself and her original
belief system that she believes was originally formed with good intention.
And she kind of protects herself in that way because
(07:30):
to admit her, to admit that she was wrong, would
be to see very widely the impact of her actions
and then have to face the shame and regret and
grief of what she's done. And I think, you know,
(07:55):
you can only be ready for so much, and in
her journey, she's only ready and very small increments to
see these kinds of things. So that's part, I think
part of If I can articulate the sort of push
and Paul, that would be one way to articulate it.
I don't think I've ever phrased it that way, which
just sort of occurred to me to articulate it that way.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
For a show with these difficult and often dark themes,
and for the intensity and as you say, the speed
of it all and everything was it the fun show
to be on set for.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Oh my gosh. Yeah, this set was so fun. It's
so fun. It's not you know. I mean there's been
times in the earlier seasons where we had a rough
time with certain scenes, for sure, and it was just
kind of a dark day. But no, everyone is so
fun and funny and wants to have a good time.
I mean there are scenes where we can't, oh my gosh,
(08:52):
especially in this last season, where we couldn't. I couldn't
even get through this one particular scene. I was dying
of laughter and I was terrible. I just kept laughing.
And one of the it was actually Brads. Brad had
this line where he says rebellion at the end, which
ended up in the trailer. I don't know how he
(09:12):
kept a straight face because I was on the other
side laugh. I just couldn't keep a straight face, and
I was the most unprofessional I've ever been in my
entire life. But but it was it was funny. But
the whole problem was I had said, we came to set,
Brad and I and ever Keronan who's also in the
scene which you'll see eventually, and I said, why don't
(09:33):
we read this in why don't we read this in
British accents and and uh and do it as a
melodrama and that was enough that set us off for
the rest of the day and that and it was
terrible and we just couldn't couldn't get it together by us,
(09:53):
I mean mainly me.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
For some reason, that just makes me feel better that
you enjoyed the whole process of Elizabeth Moss. Of course
is June and you know, since to the story but
also steps behind the scenes and directs. Was that interesting
watching her do that process?
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah, I mean that's been really inspiring, and in watching
her juggle the two worlds with with with grace, you know,
like she's really and she's got an amazing knack for
the directing and it's very smooth sailing when she's doing it,
you know, because we are just so it's like a
(10:35):
well oiled machine, because we're so invested in these characters
and we have such a shorthand that it makes it
really easy for us to just kind of jump in
and go and we understand each other really well, we
understand how we all perform, I guess. And yeah, it's
(10:58):
been I mean, it's been just lovely.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Yeah. The show The Handmaid's Tail and Gilliard have become
so symbolic. Do you think that the show has become
more than entertainment. Do you think that it really sort
of stands for something.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
Oh, Michael, one hundred percent. I think the show has
become way more than entertainment. I mean, this is one
of the things that's been so kind of like the
wow factor, I think for for us. I don't think
anyone really ever imagines that it would be so impactful glo,
you know, globally. I mean, it's also an incredible testament
(11:35):
credit to Margaret Outwood in her book and the relevance
of it, and you know it was released in I
think eighty four eighty five and how powerful it was
then and then the following years after that, and now
we know, here we are. We've made a TV show
out of it, and it's just really been incredibly meaningful
(11:57):
and become, you know, this symbol of resistance and a
voice for women, and the colors of the Outfits have
really taken on a whole new meaning and persona out
in the real world. So yeah, it's it's kind of
extraordinary to be part of something that's had this kind
(12:18):
of an impact.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
One of the main themes in the show, of course,
his motherhood, it's you know, this is a story of
a woman June and Serena who will do anything they
possibly can to raise their children. Becoming a mum yourself,
did that kind of heighten those themes for you while
you were shooting?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
I mean, yeah, I think ultimately, inevitably, I think becoming
a mom sort of does influence you because you don't
you know, you don't understand that feeling of that love
that you feel for your child until you've got one,
So it's it's definitely there. I think one of the
(13:04):
interesting things about motherhood is how it kind of forces
you to self reflect on who you are as a
person and how people see you, because inevitably you think, well,
how is my child going to see me? What's going
to be their takeaway? And I think on a personal
(13:25):
level that's definitely been part of my journey, but also
it's I think it's part of Serena's journey as well, like,
how is this little person going to see me through
what lends and and all my actions? How will they
judge me? And how how will I be able to
(13:47):
justify you know, my actions in front of this baby
and maybe I can't. So it's time, you know, it's
time to have some serious self reflection, to make some changes.
So I think if there's any if there was ever
a time for Serena to make some changes, it's this season.
I think it's sort of the question is how far
will she take it?
Speaker 2 (14:04):
And we can't wait to find Yvon. Thank you so
much for your time, and thank you for the amazing performance.
It's been a pleasure to watch you over six seasons.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Thank you very much. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
And The Handmaid's Taylor is streaming now on Neon.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB Brace Yourself.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
The rebellion Gilliad is finally igniting as The Handmaid's Tale
returns for its sixth and final season. For years, we've
been afraid of them. Now it's time for them to
be afraid of us. This is the beginning of the end.
(00:34):
What's happening?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Rebellion, whip and fight for your freedom? Where is Joe Osborn?
You use all of our friends, everyone and anyone who
hates Giliad to finally declare enough.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Oh well, it's as good as it sounds. Australian actress
Evon Strahowski's plays Serena Joey Waterford, one of the most
contentious characters on television. The cruel and calculating wife of
the hig ranking commander, Serena is both an architect and
prisoner of Gilliad's unsettling futuristic dystopia. The new season premiered
this week, and of von Strohowski is with me now, Good.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Morning, Hi, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Oh look, there's that Ossie accent, that glorious Ossie accent.
You have perfected the American accent so well that I
tend to forget that you're in Australian. I imagine that
the Americans have claimed you now, have they? I don't know, No,
maybe not.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
I mean, well, who knows. I don't know, but I'm
sure people don't realize that I'm Australian. But also I
don't sound at Australian anymore. I've spent my adult, entire
adult life two decades almost in the States, And you know,
when you pretend to be an American for your entire
last two decades and you live there, it's part of
the course that your whole accent changes.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
There's still a little bit of a little bit of
Ossie there, I think now a little bit a little
bit this series. What has it been like to act
in The Handmaid's Tales? Some of the scenes are difficult,
they're dark, some of the storylines are very difficult. How
has it been. It's been.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Like the most extraordinary journey ever. I just feel so
lucky that I got to be Serena. I just you know,
this is like a This has been such an amazing
opportunity for me to be so challenged and grow and
(02:46):
work on my craft, my artistry, everything that I want
to do as a performer. It's just been so great.
I keep saying this, but I never once died a
creative death here on this show. Like it was never boring.
There was always something incredible that I got to do,
and right until the very end. And I think I
(03:12):
didn't really even realize how invested I was. I mean,
I knew I was invested, but I just didn't even
really realize how much I just love Serena Joy because
it's so easy to hate her and we've all judged her.
I have had to judge her the least out of
everybody because I have to play her. But I just
didn't really even realize just how meaningful she was to me,
(03:36):
and really has hit hard now that we're at the end.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
You bring so much to her. She is, there are
so many layers, and she is so complex. She can
be cruel, but you bring a human side to her
as well. I suppose the question is you know, you've
just said, you've just sort of explained how much you
loved being in her shoes. I wonder what is she
(04:05):
as you step away? What remains with you? What impact
has she had going forward on you?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
I mean, I.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Think just.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
You know, it's been a it's been such there's been
so much trauma and emotion and intensity as part of
this character, and it's sort of I mean, it's twofold.
I think there's there's this sort of great appreciation that
I have for having a role like this that really
(04:38):
explores the gray areas of humanity, the nuances of each
of each emotion known to mankind and unknown to mankind.
Like I've really got to sort of explore this the
humanity and the and the non humanity also of a person.
And while also you know, having to do it at
(05:01):
a pace This is sort of a more practical answer
to your question, but the pace of a TV and
the volume of work that we that we produce really
in one hit takes sort of almost like I guess,
half a year when when you're doing the acting and stuff.
So it just really has allowed me to really hone
my skills as an actor too. You know, there's there's
(05:25):
that side of it as well, And to really sit
with something that the character for this long and and
really sort of understand them so well is is kind
of rare.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
I think I find it so intriguing. Your performance is
so fabulous. One minute, I begin to trust her. One
minute I think to myself, you know what, she understands
the consequences of very extent. She's she's sort of you know,
she's apologetic for the thing she's done. And the next
Ti'm like, no, she is. You'll say something, She'll slip,
and she'll say something and you go, no, she is
(05:59):
still she still holds onto these ideals and she is
so cunning and manipula. I just I just I love
it because you just keep me on my toes every episode.
Did you learn more about her and her and the
origins of her beliefs in this season? Yes, things aren't there.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Yeah, yeah, you definitely do learn You do see kind
of there's there are some flashbacks actually that provide a
little more insight into into her. But yeah, yeah, she's
so she is just so complicated. I think one of
the one thing that came to mind when you were
just talking was she it feels like she flip flops
(06:45):
a lot sometimes, I mean to me anyway, because I
think sometimes she realizes how great, like how impactful her
actions have been and how awful the consequences have been.
And then and sometimes I think she's ready to see that,
but I think so often she is not ready to
(07:08):
see or understand that, and she purposefully it's a self
protection mechanism almost to just go right back into the
narrow minded, narcissistic viewpoint to defend herself and her original
belief system that she believes was originally formed with good intention.
And she kind of protects herself in that way because
(07:30):
to admit her, to admit that she was wrong, would
be to see very widely the impact of her actions
and then have to face the shame and regret and
grief of what she's done. And I think, you know,
(07:55):
you can only be ready for so much, and in
her journey, she's only ready and very small increments to
see these kinds of things. So that's part, I think
part of If I can articulate the sort of push
and Paul, that would be one way to articulate it.
I don't think I've ever phrased it that way, which
just sort of occurred to me to articulate it that way.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
For a show with these difficult and often dark themes,
and for the intensity and as you say, the speed
of it all and everything was it the fun show
to be on set for.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Oh my gosh. Yeah, this set was so fun. It's
so fun. It's not you know. I mean there's been
times in the earlier seasons where we had a rough
time with certain scenes, for sure, and it was just
kind of a dark day. But no, everyone is so
fun and funny and wants to have a good time.
I mean there are scenes where we can't, oh my gosh,
(08:52):
especially in this last season, where we couldn't. I couldn't
even get through this one particular scene. I was dying
of laughter and I was terrible. I just kept laughing.
And one of the it was actually Brads. Brad had
this line where he says rebellion at the end, which
ended up in the trailer. I don't know how he
(09:12):
kept a straight face because I was on the other
side laugh. I just couldn't keep a straight face, and
I was the most unprofessional I've ever been in my
entire life. But but it was it was funny. But
the whole problem was I had said, we came to set,
Brad and I and ever Keronan who's also in the
scene which you'll see eventually, and I said, why don't
(09:33):
we read this in why don't we read this in
British accents and and uh and do it as a
melodrama and that was enough that set us off for
the rest of the day and that and it was
terrible and we just couldn't couldn't get it together by us,
(09:53):
I mean mainly me.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
For some reason, that just makes me feel better that
you enjoyed the whole process of Elizabeth Moss. Of course
is June and you know, since to the story but
also steps behind the scenes and directs. Was that interesting
watching her do that process?
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah, I mean that's been really inspiring, and in watching
her juggle the two worlds with with with grace, you know,
like she's really and she's got an amazing knack for
the directing and it's very smooth sailing when she's doing it,
you know, because we are just so it's like a
(10:35):
well oiled machine, because we're so invested in these characters
and we have such a shorthand that it makes it
really easy for us to just kind of jump in
and go and we understand each other really well, we
understand how we all perform, I guess. And yeah, it's
(10:58):
been I mean, it's been just lovely.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Yeah. The show The Handmaid's Tail and Gilliard have become
so symbolic. Do you think that the show has become
more than entertainment. Do you think that it really sort
of stands for something.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
Oh, Michael, one hundred percent. I think the show has
become way more than entertainment. I mean, this is one
of the things that's been so kind of like the
wow factor, I think for for us. I don't think
anyone really ever imagines that it would be so impactful glo,
you know, globally. I mean, it's also an incredible testament
(11:35):
credit to Margaret Outwood in her book and the relevance
of it, and you know it was released in I
think eighty four eighty five and how powerful it was
then and then the following years after that, and now
we know, here we are. We've made a TV show
out of it, and it's just really been incredibly meaningful
(11:57):
and become, you know, this symbol of resistance and a
voice for women, and the colors of the Outfits have
really taken on a whole new meaning and persona out
in the real world. So yeah, it's it's kind of
extraordinary to be part of something that's had this kind
(12:18):
of an impact.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
One of the main themes in the show, of course,
his motherhood, it's you know, this is a story of
a woman June and Serena who will do anything they
possibly can to raise their children. Becoming a mum yourself,
did that kind of heighten those themes for you while
you were shooting?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
I mean, yeah, I think ultimately, inevitably, I think becoming
a mom sort of does influence you because you don't
you know, you don't understand that feeling of that love
that you feel for your child until you've got one,
So it's it's definitely there. I think one of the
(13:04):
interesting things about motherhood is how it kind of forces
you to self reflect on who you are as a
person and how people see you, because inevitably you think, well,
how is my child going to see me? What's going
to be their takeaway? And I think on a personal
(13:25):
level that's definitely been part of my journey, but also
it's I think it's part of Serena's journey as well, like,
how is this little person going to see me through
what lends and and all my actions? How will they
judge me? And how how will I be able to
(13:47):
justify you know, my actions in front of this baby
and maybe I can't. So it's time, you know, it's
time to have some serious self reflection, to make some changes.
So I think if there's any if there was ever
a time for Serena to make some changes, it's this season.
I think it's sort of the question is how far
will she take it?
Speaker 2 (14:04):
And we can't wait to find Yvon. Thank you so
much for your time, and thank you for the amazing performance.
It's been a pleasure to watch you over six seasons.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Thank you very much. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
And The Handmaid's Taylor is streaming now on Neon.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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