Bruce 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

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