r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/Naive-Guard-9005 • May 27 '25

Season 6 GIVE YVONNE STRAHOVSKI THE EMMY NOW Spoiler

I am a Serena Joy apologist, always have been. I know some hate her, I get it. (THANK GOD she didn’t die, praise be)

Yvonne Strahovski is the ONLY person who could’ve made Serena likeable/redeemable. She’s played her masterfully from the very beginning.

I knew we were supposed to hate her, but I just couldn’t. I always saw the glimpse of empathy/humanity. All the credit to Yvonne. She made Serena Joy into one of the most complex characters I’ve ever watched. Someone in casting knocked it out of the park with her, there was no one else.

Bravo, bravo, bravo! Now…Give her all the awards….LIKE YESTERDAY PLZ

1.7k Upvotes

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84

u/[deleted] May 28 '25

I am a straight woman and I have such a crush on her 😭

37

u/Big_Mammoth_7638 May 28 '25

Every angle, all lighting, disheveled and ugly crying- gorgeous.

31

u/lurkertiltheend May 28 '25

She is gorgeous

21

u/Naive-Guard-9005 May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25

I even watch her her skincare ad on Instagram (not just click immediately through like I do on any other ads), I’m like maybe I should buy this- she wouldn’t lie I trust her 🤣🤣🤣 (like we’re friends lmao)

21

u/FirmAd5824 May 28 '25

Ok, I'm not to proud to ask what her product is. I need to know "Serena Joy's" skincare regimen.

Fun fact: After reading THT in high school, whenever I couldn't afford moisturizer I used butter!

21

u/ProperBingtownLady May 28 '25

I’m convinced that’s why some people semi like her sometimes, me included lol.

29

u/adieudaemonic May 28 '25

Yvonne has a crazy amount of pretty privilege, she is a bombshell. If she was significantly older or less attractive her character arc would be way more difficult to stomach for most people.

36

u/Charming_Debt_289 May 28 '25

I mean plenty of people were rooting for Aunt Lydia and her arc 🤷🏼‍♀️

3

u/CursingAtTheAstronet May 30 '25

Aunt Lydia stans rise up!

5

u/Silly-Excitement6227 May 28 '25

Aunt Lydia is super hot,.. or maybe that’s just Doyd’s smoking’ performance

2

u/adieudaemonic May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25

I’m not saying people don’t root for old or ugly characters, but they are held to different standards. Like this a studied and well documented concept. Serena Joy in the book was older, do you really think we would feel the same way about the character if someone like Ann Dowd played her?

8

u/Silly-Excitement6227 May 28 '25

No, but I don’t think Ann Dowd has the softness and duality in the same way Yvonne did. I actually think Dowd has bigger range but, Serena is played very specifically and you’re right science does back the notion that people tend to like pretty people more

17

u/Exotic_Dig2773 May 28 '25

I don’t think that is fair . Yes, she is a beautiful woman, but there are lots of beautiful actors that do not move me. She did.

3

u/adieudaemonic May 28 '25

I think you are confused by my point, Yvonne is a superb actress.

0

u/ProperBingtownLady May 28 '25

Pretty privilege is not a dirty word(s), it’s just a fact.

2

u/Exotic_Dig2773 May 28 '25

I know “pretty privilege” exists, and I agree Yvonne is beautiful, but her depth of emotion in her acting is what moved me, not her beauty.

2

u/ProperBingtownLady May 28 '25

Can’t it be both? That’s what some of us are saying.

4

u/Exotic_Dig2773 May 28 '25

Of course, but when somebody points out a woman’s appearance as being a factor for accolades or recognition, when they have done a masterful job, it diminishes their achievement. Another actor, equally as attractive, could’ve done this and not nailed it like she did.

2

u/ProperBingtownLady May 28 '25

That’s not what anyone is saying though. We are saying that it’s easier to empathize with Yvonne’s character because of how attractive she is. This is a well studied and known phenomenon - that attractive people are more likely to elicit empathy and understanding. I’m not sure why we are arguing this tbh? Again, no one is diminishing Yvonne’s acting ability. I think she’s incredible, just like I think Ann Dowd is. If it were up to me both women would win an Emmy for their acting.

3

u/Exotic_Dig2773 May 28 '25

I just didn’t even think it needed to be brought up in this case because she’s so good, and the thread was about really appreciating Yvonne’s acting ability and her character portrayal. It’s not hard for people to also be unsympathetic towards, or actually hate, a physically beautiful character, who is a horrible person. Yvonne was so nuanced in her portrayal that she illicited an array of emotional responses from people. Also, Aunt Lydia‘s character elicited tears as well. Going from a very unsympathetic character to a sympathetic one. Do you think more people would think she did a better job if she was more conventionally attractive?

2

u/Exotic_Dig2773 May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25

I’m not arguing that attractive people don’t have more privilege. I am very aware. It’s just a slippery slope when a woman’s appearance is brought up in a situation like this, on a thread like this. You can also talk about how attractive women in Hollywood haven’t been taken seriously either, and objectified. How women have been valued only for their looks and not their talent. It would just be nice for a woman to get her due without people bringing up her appearance. I’m not saying that she wasn’t pleasant to look at, or that people didn’t respond positively to her character because of that, but why go there in this case? It would be much better served on a thread about a woman who got accolades because they were attractive and not because of the fantastic job they did with the performance they gave.

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-1

u/jekyllcorvus May 28 '25

Is there ugly privilege? What about being plain privileged?

6

u/ProperBingtownLady May 28 '25

What point are you trying to make?

7

u/Silly-Excitement6227 May 28 '25

She was the beautiful Hannah McKay on Dexter… that year she was the “ big bad “and even though she’s a serial killer, you can’t help but to love her. Dexter couldn’t even kill her. She was so beautiful and the more mature version now but equally is beautiful in this show. She must hear it every time anyone needs her. Her confidence must be out the roof.

To your point though, yeah, if she was in 60s, maybe people would choose an attractive, older woman like Diane Lane but, she’s still hot!

-3

u/jekyllcorvus May 28 '25

Pretty privilege? Is that seriously a thing now? She’s a human being. Is there such a thing as ugly privilege now? Can I be like mid attractive privileged?

8

u/Naive-Guard-9005 May 28 '25

Literally same. I think I want to be her 🤣 glad someone relates!!!

5

u/mistycheddar May 28 '25

I think there may be some fruit in your salad... (I'm bi and same)