Viewers Will Be "Shocked" By "The Handmaid's Tale" Season 2
The plot details of the highly-anticipated second season of "The Handmaid's Tale" on Hulu were so carefully crafted, even the actors didn't see them coming, said Amanda Brugel, whose character Rita was promoted to series regular for the new season.
"Everyone is fighting for their own safety and their own lives, so everything is very unpredictable," said Brugel in an interview Wednesday on Cheddar.
Her character Rita is an infertile woman who was forced to become a slave for the wealthy rulers of the fictional Republic of Gilead. But little else is known about Rita's backstory.
"I found in season one you sort of didn't know where her allegiances lied, like, you didn't know if she was really drinking the Kool-Aid and a part of Gilead or whether or not she was really someone who was just trying to make a low profile and would be somebody who would fight for humanity," said Brugel. "So season two you really find that out ー and it's shocking!"
Brugel didn't give much away about the second season, which has remained tightly under wraps before the trailer was released earlier this year. But the actress did say she found the script "shocking," when she read it.
"We're going there," she said
Brugel, 40, also said that the new season, which returns to Hulu on April 25, will focus more on the relationship between Rita and Offred, played by Elisabeth Moss.
Set in a dystopian future, "The Handmaid's Tale" follows the story of a woman who is forced to procreate by the fundamentalist rulers of a theocratic regime that takes over the United States. The series has been lauded by critics and won the Emmy award for outstanding drama series, among other honors.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/amanda-brugel-heads-back-to-gilead-in-season-2-of-the-handmaids-tale).
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