"It was deeply upsetting" - Alexis Bledel reflects on her experience playing her character in The Handmaid’s Tale

Alexis Bledel is reflecting on the emotional toll The Handmaid’s Tale took on her.

The Gilmore Girls actress, who played Emily/Ofglen in The Handmaid’s Tale, is reflecting on the role almost three years after she left. Ahead of the Season 6 finale, which debuts this May 27, Bledel said:

“It was deeply upsetting to even imagine Emily going through something like that—being captured, powerless, with no say over her body. The 43-year-old actress further told The Hollywood Reporter in a May 22 interview, “I was actually offered the role and when I read the pilot script, I immediately said yes. Somehow, Bruce just knew I had Ofglen in me.”

What has Alexis Bledel been up to in the years since quitting The Handmaid's Tale? Here's what we know

To provide context, The Handmaid’s Tale is an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name, published in 1985. Alexis Bledel worked on the show for four seasons before she quit. In May 2022, she announced her departure to Variety in a statement:

“After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid’s Tale at this time,” she said at the time. “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.”

Prior to her stint on the show, Bledel was most renowned for having starred as Rory Gilmore from 2000 to 2007 in Gilmore Girls, which she landed just after dropping out of New York University. Over the years, she has also starred in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and TV series like Mad Men and Us & Them.

Notably, her last episode of The Handmaid’s Tale remains her final acting credit to date. As reported by Us Weekly, in the past, Miller—who created the show—reflected on whether Alexis Bledel would return for the forthcoming sixth and final season:

“There are so many people who I wish came back. We’ve had such good luck with our guest stars just as people and how wonderful they are. But I don’t want to blow anything,” he told Usin April 2025. “There are people who return and the same thing in the Testaments [spinoff]. We’re gonna bring characters from The Handmaid’s Tale to that world as well. So there are people who show up — but to tell you who they are will take away all the fun.” Jokingly referring to Bledel’s character Emily, he said, “I don’t know who that is. … I’m just kidding.”

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Alexis Bledel has seemingly stepped away from Hollywood altogether, though she recently signed on as the narrator of the audiobook for Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting, ahead of its 50th anniversary edition.

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