The Handmaid’s Tale is about to dive into parenthood. Max Minghella’s Nick is expecting a baby with Elisabeth Moss’ Offred when the Hulu original series returns for its second season next month.
Season 2 is “just bigger,” Minghella, 32, told Us Weekly before the show’s Paley Center panel in L.A. on Sunday, March 18. “The stakes are so high that it really makes the first season feel almost quaint. I guess that has to do with the characters, but also because [showrunner] Bruce [Miller] and all the writers have taken a story and lifted it so far beyond what was established in the first season. Nick’s got this baby coming, carried by the woman he loves, in a world where everything is against them.”
As for becoming a new father and living in the world with Offred, Nick try to do the best he can. “He doesn’t always get it right. There’s a lot against him with these people,” he explained. “But I think what’s really honorable about him, and Luke (O.T. Fagbenie) too, they’re really doing their best to navigate very difficult circumstances.”
The Social Network star also spoke about working on such a strong show for women during such a prominent time in the world – which was actually part of the reason he wanted to do it. Before joining the Hulu series, he landed a small role on The Mindy Project. From there, he became extremely inspired. Minghella is the son of the late Anthony Minghella who wrote many female-centric films such as Nine and Cold Mountain.
“It really made me excited to kind of keep telling those stories. There’s nothing noble about it, it’s just those are the stories I watch personally. I mean, if you look at my Netflix queue or whatever, it’s dramas with a strong female, lead, comedies with a strong female lead,” he explained. “For whatever reason, I’m more interested in seeing stories by women, so as an actor selfishly, I like to be in what I watch.”
Season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale debuts on Hulu Wednesday, April 25. Season 1 is currently streaming.
With reporting by Emily Marcus
