Alexis Bledel Says The Handmaid's Tale "Raises The Bar" For Her Future Roles

The first three episodes of The Handmaid's Tale are now streaming on Hulu, and they're definitely worth a watch. The streaming service's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel is chilling. And even though it's set in a dystopian future, in some ways, it doesn't feel too far off. Atwood herself recently said that she doesn't hear claims about the book being unrealistic as much these days.

And while the series' stars may not all agree that the show is feminist, they definitely have a ton of respect for their roles in this important story. In an interview with Bustle, Alexis Bledel, who plays Ofglen, said the role has inspired her to take on more intricate characters in the future.

"It was imperative to do this storyline justice," Bledel told Bustle. "Gilmore Girls was a great training ground for me for this. And now this certainly raises the bar in terms of what I look for in a character. I hope I get to play similarly complex characters moving forward. It's fulfilling."

And as far as the modern-day relevance of the show goes, Bledel explained that she didn't fully make the connection between the book and reality when she first took on the role.

"It felt like an adaptation of a book, so we had that road map to follow... And then more recently, I've become aware of what it was bringing up for people when they watch it," Bledel told Bustle. "Reading some of the reviews have really made me understand better what it might bring up for people. I think it's going to shock some people at how hard it is to imagine people living in such a world like this one, because as Margaret Atwood has said, she didn't make anything up. Everything that happens in the book has happened somewhere. Some of it can seem frighteningly real, which makes it scarier."

The actress also praised Atwood for making her work relevant in any decade. "When Margaret published the book in 1985, many reviews said that it was very relevant then, so I think that's just a testament to her brilliant writing," she told Bustle. "She has the ability to comment on human nature in a very real way that is probably always timely. And now there are some eerie parallels people have been drawing today."