By I adore The Handmaid’s Tale, but as soon as I sat down to season 2, I realized I’d forgotten how hellishly stressful watching it is. (If you are someone who binged this show—how? Did you have a transfusion of cold blood?) In any case, after just one episode, I needed some tea with honey, and a honey sheet mask, and just generally a lot of honey. Which got me thinking: If I’m this wrinkled-up and tense after just watching it, how do the women who make this show stay sane? To that end, I asked the cast how they practiced self-care while shooting the acclaimed show's second season.
Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia)
Which part of the process of shooting The Handmaid's Tale this season made your stress spike?
The first scene of season 2 [Editor’s note—we won’t spoil it here, you’ll see soon enough]. We shot that in the middle of the night. It was 5 A.M., raining and freezing cold, when I was saying all those things.
The role of Aunt Lydia, who so often terrorizes the girls, must be incredibly taxing to play. How do you recover from all that shouting? How do you practice self-care to combat the lasting effects of Lydia?
Well, I’m trained, vocally, for this. But I’ve had to be good about doing proper warmups, proper breathing, or else I’m not able to sustain the voice. I’m a good person to ask about self-care, because I realise now I didn’t do the things I should have done, and I know the things I’m going to do in the future. I wish I had done some yoga in the morning, and I’m getting back into meditation. What I did do was get as much sleep as possible. Sleep is the cure-all.
How do you take care of your skin on set?
The wonderful women in the makeup trailer just hand me the products and say 'Use this,' and I do. My hair has been coloured a great deal for roles, so I use Kérastase. For my skin, I use Joanna Vargas products. The thing that was comforting was getting into the routine—waking in the morning, cleansing and moisturising. I like routine.
What’s an object you keep with you on set that gives you comfort?
Well, I love to look at crystal rocks. I don’t mean the expensive crystals, I mean ones from the earth. Wherever I am, I collect them from that area, so [on Handmaid’s] I collected some from Toronto. I loved having them present. They fascinate me for whatever reason. When I went to the airport with them in my carry-on, the attendant said, 'What do you have in there, rocks?' And I said, 'Yeah, actually. I do.'
What do you find yourself reflecting on in order to stay centered?
Something I’ve learned to do that’s extremely helpful is: I don’t look ahead. When I look ahead, that’s when the anxiety happens. For example, we finished Handmaid’s, shot the big last episode, and then I left for Los Angeles the very next day to do a film. I just got home from that yesterday, and this week is full of things, and next week I have to leave for Australia. When I allowed myself to think of all of that at once, I shut down, period. I had lines to learn and couldn’t learn them. So I said to myself, 'What’s the rule? One day at a time. Stay present. Stay right here.'
Samira Wiley (Moira)
Which part of the process of shooting Handmaid’s makes your stress spike?
The time between the point when I first read the scene to when I film it. You want to be able to match what you envision in your head.
I’ve read that you really had to wrap your head around the writers’ decision to have Moira leave June on the train platform in season 1. How did you manage the stress around that?
It was talking to Elisabeth that got me through that moment. She’s a real resource for me when I have questions and concerns about my character.
What do you like to eat and drink on set to stay balanced?
I’m a big sparkling water person—I’m always drinking it. And I like to eat popcorn.
How do you take care of your skin on set?
I make sure I wash my face every day—I make that a priority. And I just got hip to this new face mask called Aztec Healing Clay. It’s a powder—you mix it with warm water and apple cider vinegar. It’s amazing.
What’s your mantra?
'Everything happens for a reason.'
What do you do to unwind and clear your head?
Exercise helps me clear my head—I like to run. I listen to D’Angelo when I need to relax.
What’s an object you keep with you on set that gives you comfort?
My wedding ring.
Madeline Brewer (Janine)
Which part of the process of shooting Handmaid’s really makes your stress spike?
The process of making the show is all very enjoyable for me, actually. But watching the show can be really stressful. I didn’t breathe for the first twenty minutes of episode 1 [of season 2]. My blood pressure was really high during that scene.
You’ve been at the center of some of the show’s most intense scenes—in season one, Ofwarren gave birth and jumped off a bridge. How do you recover from scenes like that?
I’m definitely a homebody, so when I have an emotional day on set, I have to go home, take a bath, and go to bed. When you’re on set, you’re constantly surrounded by people—talking to people, being touched by people. So I like to just spend time with myself. I sit in the tub and reflect on the day—and then, like any typical actor, I start thinking, 'Oh, shit, I could have done this or that better.'
How has your time on the show changed your idea of what self-care is?
I’ve started to pay a lot more attention to it. I used to think self-care was just throwing on a face mask and having a glass of wine—and sometimes it is. But recently, I’m more into recognising toxic patterns in friendships and relationships and within myself, and doing some soul-searching. I try to take my emotional pulse more now, to recognise when I need to go scream and cry for 20 minutes and then come back to centre. Allowing yourself that time, it’s a gift.
How do you take care of your skin on set?
I have to have a freaking eye patch, and you have to put it on with alcohol, so it’s very drying. I put Lucas' Papaw Ointment around my eyes to keep them moisturised. Burton [LeBlanc], our makeup artist, uses Tatcha products on me. I use Garnier’s micellar water to take off my makeup. I love the Mario Badescu Aloe and Rosewater spray. And I’m one of those people who’s a sucker for a hot towel.
What do you find yourself reflecting on in order to stay centered?
I was talking to my mom recently and asked her, 'When am I going to be okay?' She was like, 'Mad, I’m 58, and I’m still a work in progress.' And I realised: It’s okay to constantly be a work in progress. Sometimes you’re gonna feel powerful and like it’s a great skin and hair day, and the next day shit goes sour again, and on and on. You figure it out.
Yvonne Strahovski (Serena Joy)
Which part of the process of shooting Handmaid’s makes your stress spike?
One of the biggest points of anticipation for me is seeing the final edit. I always hope things come out as good as they felt on that day, as impactful. But sometimes things are different in the final product—it’s just the nature of the camera and editing.
Your character is extremely restrained—she’s so tense. Just a guess: Does playing her make your jaw sore?
Actually, yes—my jaw is sore. I have TMJ as it is, but when I play Serena Joy—man, oh man, does it get way worse. I try to do some quick at-home stretches and get a massage occasionally, but I could be way more diligent about this.
What do you do to unwind and clear your head on set?
It’s more important than anything for me to get outside. Nature is medicine for me.
What’s an object you keep with you on set that gives you comfort?
I’m pretty minimal on set. But if I’m working crazy-ass hours, I’ll make sure I have a pillow to lay my head on at lunch.
What do you try to avoid on set in order to practice self-care?
I make sure I have significant pockets of time without my cell phone or social media. It’s important for me to have some stillness. I also don’t eat refined sugar—it’s a decision I made seven years ago. Staying away from it keeps my energy consistent.
Amanda Brugel (Rita)
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Which part of the process of shooting Handmaid’s makes your stress spike?
Rita doesn’t have a lot of dialogue, which I love—but it can be stressful trying to pay homage to a person without being able to speak very much. There’s only so much you can do with your face. I don’t want to become this strange mime who rolls through the house.
How do you work around that, and keep it from affecting your mental state?
I lean on music a lot. I like gangster rap, classical, strange indie electronica stuff. In between takes I have it constantly going in the background, and it changes my physicality. It helps me with the walk I’ve given Rita. She has a bit of a limp. I have a bit of gravel outside my trailer, and I put some stones in my shoes to help shape her walk, and to keep the ground of Canada with me. I’m the only Canadian in the cast.
What’s an object you keep with you on set that gives you comfort?
I always have a picture of my mother tucked into Rita’s apron. My mother was a stay-at-home mom, and I think about her a lot because Rita, really, is the ultimate housewife.
What do you like to eat and drink on set to stay balanced?
Yvonne has this special sandwich that I’ve stolen—it’s basically a bunch of veggies all stuck into a sandwich. I do a lot of shakes, just like I do at home—I have two young kids who won’t eat at a fistful of spinach, but will drink it in a shake. And wine. Shakes and wine—that’s self-care to me.
What do you do to unwind and clear your head?
I run. I also meditate every night. I use guided meditation books. And all of us in the cast are huge into The Bachelor. It’s a thing. We had watching parties and talked about it constantly—I mean, The Bachelor is the opposite of Gilead. We spend so much time in Gilead—sometimes we just have to step away and bitch about Arie.
