“It sets up season 5 wonderfully, in a powerful, complex way,” the actor adds.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the season 4 finale ofThe Handmaid’s Tale.
“Blessed be the experience.”
Joseph Fiennes on ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.Sophie Giraud/Hulu
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When you read the script for the finale, what was your gut reaction?
JOSEPH FIENNES:I was super-excited.
And it felt right for Fred.
I thought it was brilliant.
I think it sets up season 5 wonderfully, in a powerful, complex way.
I was super-psyched, and it seems like it paid off.
And I thought, well great.
It was in the book and is inevitable.
And that was a pretty concrete kind of suggestion, there was not much else to interpret off ofthatconversation.
And he has to be shown that same route, and has to grasp the full meaning of fear.
Earlier in the episode, there’s a brilliant scene between June and Fred where he apologizes to her.
She’s seeking to kind of unravel some form of justice in her mind.
And Fred is seeking nothing from her, I think he’s surprised to see her.
But I don’t think it comes at a real understanding of her pain.
He doesn’t gain anything from it.
So he feels good.
I think it’s a terrible sort of predatory fashion of dealing with transgressions.
There has to be a moment.
And she gets it in that moment.
And we played it over quite a few hours in many different ways.
In that last scene, you’re being beaten to death in the woods at night.
What was filming that like?
That experience was freezing and fearful.
And it was minus, I don’t know, several degrees.
And I made my way into the thick of the wood in the middle of the Canadian wilderness.
There were all these flashlights and stuntwomen playing handmaids who could outrun me in a second.
I knew that they were just champing at the bit.
So when action was called, boy, I had to run and my heart was in my mouth.
And it was a pretty tough terrain to run on.
It was muddy and slippery, and cold and dark.
Luckily I only had to do that a few times.
I can’t complain.
The other handmaids had to do it several times with another stunt guy.
And so kudos to them, but it was good.
I imagine it would be bittersweet.
It wasn’t [the last], I think that might have been the penultimate.
The last thing we shot was Fred being given by Tuello to Nick and Commander Lawrence on the bridge.
It was bittersweet, and it was kind of epicthis crossover and the transition from Canada back to Gilead.
That was the last scene.
And I feel very blessed.
Blessed be the experience.
How do you feel about that?
Wouldn’t that be lovely?
Any excuse to see all those wonderful people that I love so dearly.
So yeah, next time you speak with him, push him for that.
I felt like I’ve come to the end of the road with Fred.
I won’t miss him so much.
You know, I made a decision with Fred that he would toe a particular line.
That there may be glimpses of opportunity to redeem himself, but he would never take them.
I think he’s too attached to power and the protection that the regime offers.
So in that regard, there wasn’t much change for Fred.
But even then, I’m not sure, I think Fred would use it for political gain.
So I think I made a decision with him.
