The Handmaid’s Tale star Yvonne Strahovski has opened up about being pregnant on set and the joys of playing a villain in a show unabashedly tackling women's rights issues.
The Aussie actress who plays Serena Joy in the hit TV series based on Margaret Atwood's critically acclaimed novel, says she initially hid her pregnancy from the cast.
Despite filming season two in the first stages of her pregnancy, her symptoms made it impossible to hide her condition.
"This is really gross, but I had a lot of excessive saliva and I had to carry a spitoon with me at all times which is just horrendous and I've just admitted that!" she said in an interview with Channel Ten's The Project on Wednesday.
“In the end I was over hiding it so I just sort of said, ‘you know what I’m pregnant!’” Strahovski said.
Earlier this month the star announced on Instagram she was expecting her first child with husband Tim Loden.
“So very exciting to watch & feel this little Peanut growing every day!” Strahovski captioned the photo.
The irony of falling pregnancy in a show about surrogacy, fertility and fundamentalism was not lost on Strahovski, the cast and crew.
“Of course there is a lot of 'blessed be the fruit' jokes,” Strahovski said laughing.
The actress who has previously starred in the Australian film I Love You Too and TV series Chuck and Dexter said playing the role of villainous Serena Joy, who is unable to have children, was one of the best characters she's ever played in her life.
"I was just telling my husband the other day, when I have to play normal it’s kind of boring now after Serena," she said.
Strahovski said she was proud of being part of the show tackling feminist themes in the era of #TimesUp and #MeToo.
"I’m really proud to be part of this show....It really feels like we played a small role in inspiring women, very brave women to speak out about the issues and experiences they’ve had that are negative that need to be addressed in the industry," she said.
The Handmaid’s Tale 2 airs on SBS and SBS On Demand 8.30pm on Thursday. Catch up on The Handmaid’s Tale on SBS On Demand now. #HandmaidsTale
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