The dystopian drama A Handmaid’s Tale, adapted from Margaret Atwood’s (Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography, Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella) 1985 novel, focuses on a woman living in the Dark Ages named Elizabeth Moss June, who finds herself facing the loss of her family and former self after her family is attacked. When her quest for justice endangers her, another leader Naomi, played by Ever Carradine (Women’s Murder Club, Eureka), joins her ready to defend her cause. Via Deadline, Carradine spoke to the entertainment news outlet today on her views and experience in playing the fierce Naomi Putnam. 

Carradine began her talk with Deadline stating how much she enjoyed the script and pilot, explaining that she pleaded with her manager that she would do anything to be apart of the script. Starting from just the novel itself, Carradine discussed how she felt that the show had progressed in immersive ways, and seeing the show come together produced illicit memories for her. Mentioning her previous work as a series regular on Marvel’s Runaways on Hulu, she was asked if being in both shows added more pressure to her new role in The Handmaid’s Tale. She further stated that it actually took the pressure off of her more than it did on her. 

She said via Deadline,“No. That took the pressure off. When I began the show, I was a series regular on Marvel’s Runaways, which was also on Hulu. Everyone got along, and since we shot on opposite schedules, I was able to do both shows. And then, as a show progressed, they found, I thought that when Stephen Kunken (The Wolf of Wall Street, Before/During/After), the late great Warren Putnam, was shot in the head that that was maybe the last we had seen of Naomi.”

Deadline then went on to ask Carradine about Commander Joesph, citing that her and Bradley Whitford (Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote) worked well with each other. Carradine elaborated on her relationship with Whitford, stating Bradley was “lovely” and “smart”. 

“We don’t sit and rehearse and rehearse,” she stated via Deadline. “Bradley is so lovely and smart, and I think he will tell you, and a lot of people on this show will tell you, that we take the work seriously, but not ourselves. You’ll do more honest work if your ego is removed from it. When playing off him, Bradley is always making me laugh. He finds humor and everything. And a lot of filming season six over loud with the presidential election pre-and post. So there were some extraordinarily stressful days. It also coincided with the Palisades fires, which we were all on set for, and many people were being evacuated, and homes were burning down; it was extremely stressful. So Bradley’s humor was welcome.” 

Deadline continued to interview Carradine, asking her what her most challenging scene was to film this season, to which Carradine stated “I have two answers.” Both her answers stemmed from outside affairs, stating the stress from the Palisades fire, and the election results from the 2024 Presidential Election, Carradine summarized that her most challenging scenes to film came from personal matters outside her control, but the directors and crew made everything much better to work through. 

At the end of the interview between Deadline and Carradine, the news outlet asks her one final question, which asks, “What would you like people to take away from Season 6 as the series ends?” To which Carradine surmised that she wants everyone to remember that June is just a person, not a superhero. The series message of hope and resistance coincided well with what the cast and crew were experiencing as they filmed through stressors which were unavoidable. Carradine tells Deadline that she wants fans and viewers of the series to adapt to the message of hope, and praised the writers for nailing the landing with the final message. 

“And I just want to make sure that everybody’s listening and paying attention because it’s extraordinarily important, especially right now, and go rewatch the pilot.” 

The full interview with Carradine can be read and viewed on Deadline’s website, while The Handmaid’s Tale previous and final episodes are currently available to stream on Hulu.