The Handmaid's Tale Cast: See the Hulu Show's Stars Then and Now (2024)

The Handmaid's Tale fans have watched the cast change on and off screen since the series first debuted.The hit Hulu series, which premiered in 2017, is based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name about a dystopian future. Due to low fertility rates, women were assigned to men for bearing children after a second American Civil War.Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O-T fa*gbenle, Max Minghella and Samira Wiley have starred on the show since its debut. Over the years, the show also became a critical success when it became the first show produced by Hulu to win a major award and the first series on a streaming network to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.Hulu confirmed that season 6, which is set to be released in 2025, is the show's last one. Before going into production, The Handmaid's Tale was in for a shakeup when showrunner Bruce Miller stepped down as showrunner after being with the series since the beginning. He is expected to remain a writer and executive producer but passed on his duties to executive producers Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang.Scroll down to see then-and-now photos of The Handmaid's Tale stars:

The actress already had an extensive resume before taking on the lead role of June on The Handmaid's Tale. While starring on the show, Moss kept busy with TV projects such as Shining Girls and The Veil. Her movie roles, meanwhile, include Her Smell, Us, Shirley, The Invisible Man and Shell.

Moss, who is a practicing Scientologist, was married to Fred Armisen from 2009 to 2011. She confirmed in January 2024 that she is pregnant with her first child.

In addition to playing Serena on The Handmaid's Tale, Strahovski appeared on Stateless and Peaco*ck's upcoming series Teacup. She has also scored projects on the big screen including He's Out There, The Predator, Angel of Mine, The Tomorrow War and Scrambled.

Strahovski shares three sons with husband Tim Loden, whom she married in 2017.

Brewer's performance as Janine on The Handmaid's Tale, which scored her an Emmy nomination, was just the beginning as she has since appeared in Acting for a Cause, Shining Girls and the upcoming season of Netflix's You. Brewer also appeared in movies Cam, Hustlers, Separation, Space Oddity and Anniversary.

She was previously linked to Calum Worthy and Spencer Neville.

For her role as Aunt Lydia, Dowd won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She has also appeared on Search Party, The Other Two and Terminator Zero. On the big screen, Dowd starred in Hereditary, The Exorcist: Believer and The Friend.

Dowd has been married to Lawrence Arancio since 1984 and they share three kids.

Since joining The Handmaid's Tale, fa*gbenle hasn't only played Luke. He starred on The First Lady, WeCrashed, Secret Invasion, Loot, Presumed Innocent and the upcoming series No Good Deed. fa*gbenle is part of the Marvel universe as Rick Mason — a role he originated in 2021's Black Widow.

Minghella stole the screen while playing Nick on The Handmaid's Tale, which earned him an Emmy nomination. He subsequently pivoted to the big screen by booking projects such as Teen Spirit, Spiral, Babylon and Shell.

The actor dated Leigh Lezark, Kate Mara and Eve Hewson in the past. Minghella was in a relationship with Elle Fanning since 2018 but they called it quits in 2023.

There's no one else who could bring Moira to life in The Handmaid's Tale quite like Wiley has been able to. Wiley has continued to appear on the small screen with roles in Will & Grace and Blade Runner: Black Lotus. Wiley hasn't limited herself just to TV and has starred in movies such as Social Animals, Vault and Breaking News in Yuba County as well.

Wiley has been married to writer Lauren Morelli since 2017 after they originally met on the set of Orange Is the New Black. Morelli welcomed the couple's first child, a daughter, in 2021.

Many fans know Brugel for her portrayal of Rita on The Handmaid's Tale but she has also appeared on Workin' Moms, Dare Me, Snowpiercer, Pretty Hard Cases, Sort Of, Parish and Dark Matter. On the big screen, Brugel booked Becky, Flashback, Sugar Daddy, Ashgrove and Infinity Pool.

She has two children from her previous marriage to Marcel Lewis.

Bledel received four Emmy nominations — winning one — for her role as Emily on The Handmaid's Tale. After five seasons on the show, Bledel announced her exit ahead of season 5 and hasn't starred in any TV shows or movies since then.

The Gilmore Girls alum was married to Vincent Kartheiser from 2014 to 2022. Kartheiser, who shares a son with Bledel filed for divorce in 2022 and it was finalized later that year.

Whitford has played Commander Joseph Lawrence on The Handmaid's Tale since 2018. He has also booked roles on Perfect Harmony and Death by Lightning. On the big screen, Whitford starred in Get Out, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Rosaline and I'll Be Right There.

Whitford married Jane Kaczmarek in 1992 and they expanded their family with three children. The pair announced their split in 2009 after more than 15 years of marriage and their divorce was finalized in 2010. He started dating Amy Landecker in 2015 and they have been married since 2019.

After taking on the role of Mark on The Handmaid's Tale, Jaeger has booked opportunities on Tell Me a Story, Why Women Kill, The Politician and Devil in Ohio. He has also appeared in The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Wolf Man.

He shares four children with wife Amber Jaeger.

Fiennes' performance as Commander Fred Waterford on The Handmaid's Tale earned him an Emmy nomination one year after the show debuted. He has since appeared on Sherwood, Royal Kill List, Dear England and Young Sherlock. The only movies Fiennes has filmed since starring on the hit Hulu series have been The Mother and The Way of the Wind.

Fiennes shares two daughters with wife María Dolores Diéguez, whom he has been married to since 2009.

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