Alexis Bledel will not return for “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 5, Variety has learned exclusively.

Bledel, who has played the key character of Emily/Ofglen on the Hulu drama since its first season debuted in 2017, said in a statement Friday: “After much thought, I felt I had to step away from ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ at this time. I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support.”

During her four-year run on “The Handmaid’s Tale”, Bledel received four Emmy nominations and one win for her performance in the Bruce Miller-created TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s iconic novel.

Nominations for the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards, highlighting acting work in film in television, were announced Wednesday.
The ceremony will be presented on February 27, 2022 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California and it will be broadcast live on both TNT and TBS 8:00 p.m. EST / 5:00 p.m. PST.

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu) – Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Ann Dowd, O. T. Fagbenle, Joseph Fiennes, Sam Jaeger, Max Minghella, Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Bradley Whitford, and Samira Wiley
The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Succession (HBO)
Yellowstone (Paramount Network)

Check out the full list of SAG 2022 nominations here.

Alexis Bledel just earned a fourth Emmy nomination for her turn as Emily Malek on Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which scooped up a total of 21 Emmy citations for its fourth season this year. Bledel competes in the Best Drama Guest Actress category, in which she took home her first victory, for “Handmaid’s’” debut installment in 2017. “To be singled out by the Television Academy means a lot because I’ve spent many years working in television,” the actor, who is also known for her starring role as Rory Gilmore on “Gilmore Girls,” says in response to her fourth career nom. In our exclusive video interview (watch above), Bledel elaborates on Emily’s newfound occupation in Canada, on Emily’s friendship with Moira (Samira Wiley), and on the two events that dramatically trigger Emily in season 4.

Read more.

The nominees are out! And Alexis picked up another Emmy nomination for best guest actress.
The 73rd Emmy Awards ceremony will be held on September 19, Sunday, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, and will be hosted by Cedric the Entertainer of ‘The Neighborhood.’
Unlike the 2020 Emmy Awards, which was mostly virtual, this year’s ceremony will have limited audience consisting of the nominees and their guests.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Alexis Bledel – “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Claire Foy – “The Crown”
Mckenna Grace – “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Sophie Okonedo – “Ratched”
Phylicia Rashad – “This Is Us”

Alexis has never missed a nomination for the series, after her win in 2017, she competed in supporting in 2018 before dropping back to guest in 2019 and 2020. This year she has another killer submission, “Testimony”, in which Emily has to confront someone from her Gilead past. Bledel is in first place in the odds and would become the seventh woman to win the drama guest actress twice, the category record.

Find the all nominees here.

Stars Elisabeth Moss and Alexis Bledel exclusively dish on what fans can expect for the hit Hulu series’ fourth season on E! News’ Daily Pop. After a shocking premiere that introduced a new (and possibly deadly) wife last night, viewers can’t wait to see how Handmaid’s will conclude.

Co-star Bledel teased that June’s plight is a new pace for the whole cast. “This season also overall is really edging into an action-adventure place. It’s very exciting to see June as public enemy number one of Gilead,” Bledel added.

Source: E! Online