Alexis Bledel quits The Handmaid’s Tale before season 5

The actress, who plays Emily Malek, has said that she wants to "step away" from the show.

Alexis Bledel has announced her departure from The Handmaid's Tale ahead of season 5. The actress, who plays Emily Malek, or Ofglen, has been part of the Hulu series since it debuted in 2017. Bledel told Variety that she has decided to "step away" from the series, which is based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name. In a statement given to the publication, she said: "After much thought, I felt I had to step away from ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ at this time. I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support." For her performance as Emily, a college professor who later became enslaved as a handmaid, Bledel won critical acclaim. Between 2017 and 2021, she was nominated for four Primetime Emmys for her work on the show, and she won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest in a Drama Series in 2017. Along with the rest of the cast, Bledel was honoured with four Screen Actors Guild nominations for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Drama Series. In the series, Bledel's character Emily forms part of the underground resistance movement alongside June (Elizabeth Moss). Together, they are intent on removing the children of Gilead to safety in Canada, where Emily's wife Sylvia (Clea DuVall) and son Oliver (Charlie Zeltzer) are. In the most recent season, Emily worked to help resettle the children of Gilead in Canada. We also see her trying to process the trauma of life in Gilead, as well as the violence she had been subjected to. Season four of The Handmaid's Tale aired in April last year, and in December 2020 it was announced that it been renewed for a fifth season.