On Tuesday, May 27,The Handmaid’s Taleconcluded its six-season run with an epic bittersweet finale that paved the way for the upcoming spin-offThe Testaments. In the final season,viewers ultimately got to know which side of history a particularly complex character wanted to be onafter multiple seasons of being morally ambiguous but also carrying immense guilt and regret for what Gilead became. That character is Commander Joseph Lawrence, who was introduced in Season 2 as the founder of the Colonies and one of the architects of Gilead’s economy.
Portraying the Commander inThe Handmaid’s TalewasBradley Whitford. For the role, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2019 and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2020 and 2021. With the show now over,Whitford had a few thoughts to air regarding his character,whose humanity he questioned and that of fellow Commanders, saying, “How can you do those things and remain redeemable?”
The West Wingicon mulled that over during Entertainment Weekly’s Awardist Drama Actors Roundtable, which also featured other Emmy contenders. Whitford then added of hisHandmaid’s Talecharacter:
“As a young actor, I felt like I was trying to narrow it down to what a character was. And with this guy, I got to kind of open up the aperture, which was interesting to me. Also, ethically,it was nerve-racking because he was disappointing often.”
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6 Twist for Commander Lawrence
BeforeCommander Lawrence’s eventual deathin the “Execution” episode ofThe Handmaid’s Tale, he got the shock of his life upon learning that New Bethlehem was a lie as the High Commanders intended to revert Gilead back to its original, anti-progressive state. On top of that, they planned on executing him.Reacting to that momentin Season 6, Episode 5 titled “Janine,” Whitford told Collider:
“I think it’s a very complicated moment because when I read [the script], honestly, I was like, ‘Hang on a second.’ I was like, ‘He’s not that naive to think that this might not happen.’ And then, I don’t know if it comes across, but I thought, ‘Oh,that actually is interesting that it’s a recurring disease of vanity.”
Meanwhile, speaking with EW, Whitford pointed out a part ofThe Handmaid’s Talethat interests him, which is “June (Elisabeth Moss)blowing on the spark of decency.” He shared:
“It’s a kind of hopeful message that I hope people are getting at this moment that comes from June’s character, which is despair is a luxury that our children cannot afford, andaction is the antidote to despair.And she is doing that with everybody."
After six seasons,The Handmaid’s Talewrapped up this month. Stay tuned to Collider for more news about the future of its spin-off.
The Handmaid’s Tale
