Hollywood UnscriptedBruce Miller, showrunner of THE HANDMAID’S TALE joins Jenny Curtis in a “Stuck at Home” special of Hollywood Unscripted to discuss the show, his career, and the nature of the industry. Through the conversation they discuss:
0:37 - Bruce’s experience during quarantine.
1:10 - His early connection to the industry through his Dad, when he realized he was a writer and his first screenplay.
3:03 - His path before success, getting fired several times and when he did and did not think about quitting.
5:09 - Being drawn to stories about strong women, the strong women in his life, and being guided in how to properly tell those stories.
6:26 - A time when the women thoroughly dissected an idea before it making it into the show.
7:32 - The atmosphere of the writers room (and set) contrasting with the heaviness of the show.
9:11 - How THE HANDMAID’S TALE series came to be, how Bruce got involved, and how long he’d been thinking about the project.
11:24 - Meeting Margaret Atwood and working with her to make sure THE HANDMAID’S TALE series and the book THE TESTAMENTS fit together.
15:17 - Navigating the characters survival in the danger set in the world of Gilead.
17:13 - Elizabeth Moss; the effect she’s had on the character of June, her professionalism, and being an EP.
19:05 - Creating a slower pace for the story and June/Offred’s internal conflict.
22:09 - June’s mental state in season 3, favorite moments from the season and how pieces of dialogue can be very effective.
23:07 - The character of Emily and the subtlety of Alexis Bledel.
24:37 - The possible influence of society on the story and not inventing cruelties.
26:27 - The absence of people of color in the book and why Bruce decided against using that story point in the show.
28:49 - Creating the look of the show and how all departments work together in the development of it.
30:20 - The purposeful detail in the art design and not explaining decisions to the audience.
33:10 - Bradley Whitford coming on the show and the development of his character, Commander Lawrence.
34:43 - The character of Nick and Jenny’s misunderstanding of his story.
36:36 - Taking the mystery out of an anticipated confrontation scene.
37:32 - The status of season 4 and how quarantine has changed the writing process for the better.
38:23 - The difficulty in scheduling and the benefit to having table reads.
40:24 - Sharing some insights into the coming season
42:12 - Two things in Bruce’s past that he would revisit to change and the part of the industry that shouldn’t be indulged.
44:55 - The job of a showrunner.
Learn more: Hollywood Unscripted
Hosted By: Jenny Curtis
Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin
Producer: Jenny Curtis
Theme Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick
A CurtCo Media Production
