29 - Bruce Miller (The Handmaid's Tale)

Bruce Miller, showrunner of THE HANDMAID’S TALE joins Jenny
Curtis in a “Stuck at Home” special of Hollywood Unscripted to
discuss the show, his career, and the nature of the industry.
Through the conversation they discuss: 


0:37 - Bruce’s experience during quarantine. 


1:10 - His early connection to the industry through his Dad, when
he realized he was a writer and his first screenplay. 


3:03 - His path before success, getting fired several times and
when he did and did not think about quitting. 


5:09 - Being drawn to stories about strong women, the strong
women in his life, and being guided in how to properly tell those
stories. 


6:26 - A time when the women thoroughly dissected an idea before
it making it into the show. 


7:32 - The atmosphere of the writers room (and set) contrasting
with the heaviness of the show. 


9:11 - How THE HANDMAID’S TALE series came to be, how Bruce got
involved, and how long he’d been thinking about the
project. 


11:24 - Meeting Margaret Atwood and working with her to make sure
THE HANDMAID’S TALE series and the book THE TESTAMENTS fit
together. 


15:17 - Navigating the characters survival in the danger set in
the world of Gilead. 


17:13 - Elizabeth Moss; the effect she’s had on the character of
June, her professionalism, and being an EP. 


19:05 - Creating a slower pace for the story and June/Offred’s
internal conflict. 


22:09 - June’s mental state in season 3, favorite moments from
the season and how pieces of dialogue can be very
effective. 


23:07 - The character of Emily and the subtlety of Alexis
Bledel. 


24:37 - The possible influence of society on the story and not
inventing cruelties. 


26:27 - The absence of people of color in the book and why Bruce
decided against using that story point in the show. 


28:49 - Creating the look of the show and how all departments
work together in the development of it. 


30:20 - The purposeful detail in the art design and not
explaining decisions to the audience. 


33:10 - Bradley Whitford coming on the show and the development
of his character,  Commander Lawrence. 


34:43 - The character of Nick and Jenny’s misunderstanding of his
story. 


36:36 - Taking the mystery out of an anticipated confrontation
scene. 


37:32 - The status of season 4 and how quarantine has changed the
writing process for the better. 


38:23 - The difficulty in scheduling and the benefit to having
table reads. 


40:24 - Sharing some insights into the coming season


42:12 - Two things in Bruce’s past that he would revisit to
change and the part of the industry that shouldn’t be
indulged. 


44:55 - The job of a showrunner.  


Learn more: Hollywood Unscripted


Hosted By: Jenny Curtis


Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin


Producer: Jenny Curtis


Theme Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick


A CurtCo Media Production


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