the media and social media – so it was lovely to have them agree
to work with me on a film, especially since it was so physically
demanding. In the lead up to filming, Kim said, ‘Look, as a woman
I want to fiercely protect you on set, but as a director I selfishly want
to get the best performance out of you. Are we going to be able to
do this?’” With a background in fight scenes and dance, and
having spent the first four months of her pregnancy filming The
Handmaid’s Tale, the actor says she had a strong sense of what she
could and couldn’t do and was confident she could tackle the film.
Strahovski describes life as a “bit of a travelling circus” since her
son was born. Evacuated from their home in Malibu during the
November 2018 fires just a few weeks after giving birth, then
heading to Canada with a six-week-old to resume playing Serena
Waterford for six months, the family had to hit the ground running.
Laughing, she tells endearing stories of her husband and baby
holed up every day in her trailer while she works on set,
communicating via walkie talkie when it’s time to feed on demand.
“I run to set and tune into Serena – a miserable, bitter character –
then I run back to the trailer to breastfeed as happy as can be
staring down at my son... The only way of managing is to stay
present and my baby has taught me that,” she says. It helps, of
course, to have “the most amazing husband on the planet” and
even though it’s pretty clear she’s a woman who would find a way
to cope, Strahovski insists there’s no way she could be doing this
without him. “He’s the most amazing dad. We’ve had to become a
strong team and I’m so grateful to have him and that I didn’t have to
hire someone I didn’t know to look after my baby. And he feels
grateful to have the time. It’s not that common
to have your partner be able to stay at
home. It’s been really special.”
In a world where the lines between fact
and fiction are being blurred, where the
handmaids’ iconic red capes and white
bonnets have become a political symbol of
resistance, worn to protest everything from
Trump’s existence to the Alabama abortion
laws, it’s perhaps most sobering to those
acting out the harrowing version of our
future. Has motherhood sharpened the
themes in The Handmaid’s Tale for
Strahovski, and in turn caused any concerns for her child? “There
are things happening now that directly reflect the themes of the
show. It’s a scary world we’re living in,” she says. “I’d be lying if I
said I wasn’t terrified just like every other parent is of [my child]
growing up in a country where gun culture is rampant and we have
mass shootings every day. Thinking about school, where children
are being affected, it’s a very scary position for a parent to be in.”
Of the current debate raging in the US over women’s reproductive
rights, she says, “No one and no law has the right to make a
decision on behalf of the woman.”
America, at least for the time being, is home, and after a long
winter in Toronto, Strahovski is craving returning to LA, shorts and
T-shirt weather and indulging her love of the outdoors. “I definitelycredit my parents for that. They’re from Poland and they migrated
[to Australia] when they were in their twenties and they’ve always
been adventurous. It was really from them that I learned to love the
outdoors and travelling and camping and all of that. I hope to
continue that with my kids as well,” she says.
Through her work with Sierra Club, a non-profit foundation that
promotes climate solutions and conservation, Strahovski helps give
a voice to environmental issues. “I think we’re at a critical point
where if we don’t make some hard decisions and if the people in
power don’t make a plan to move forward, we’re in danger. We
can do so much better. It’s still not at the forefront of people’s radars
so the more we can draw attention to that, the better off we’ll be.”
In general, Strahovski favours a natural approach, whether it’s in
the beauty products she uses or food her family consumes. “It started
when I gave up eating sugar eight years ago,” she says. “I had skin
problems and discovered that when I gave up sugar, dairy and
soy, then slowly reintroduced them back into my diet to find which
was impacting my skin, sugar was the culprit. Since then I’ve deep
dived into researching food. A lot of people look at the organic
choice as a bit pretentious but for me it’s just about simplicity, and
not putting chemicals in my body since I’m breastfeeding. That’s not
to say I’m not going to roll up to In-N-Out and grab a burger once
in a while. I’ll have a hotdog moment every so often too!”
The image of the austere Serena Waterford munching down on
a hotdog between takes is a hard one to reconcile, but it sums up
the dichotomy between Strahovski’s personas on-screen and off –
something Farrant says makes her a dream to work with. “She’s
easy-going, relaxed and approachable,
and very friendly with the crew. That says a
lot about an actor to me, when they’re so
comfortable in themselves that they can be
kind and loving rather than distant or
unavailable,” she says. “There’s no ego, no
vanity. In terms of what she can access in
herself, to have such a mix of fragility and
power, Yvonne is quite a force. I’m so
proud she’s a woman and Australian.”
Next up, Strahovski joins Cate Blanchett
in TV series Stateless, playing a character
who escapes a cult and is detained in a
detention centre in the Australian desert. A new challenge adding to
an impressive portfolio of meaty roles that some work a lifetime for.
The entertainment industry has long known what a rare gem it
has in Strahovski, now the world is noticing too. “It’s really a lovely
feeling,” says Strahovski. “I’ve had moments where I’m pinching
myself because I grew up in Australia, lying on the floor watching
the telly at my parents’ house dreaming of having an acting career,
just getting to do what I love.” Flash forward to 2019 and she’s
owning the TV... and laptop, tablet and smartphone screens, too.
“It’s been an exciting year, a hard one to top. Between getting
career recognition and having my first child – it’s pretty bananas.” E
Angel Of Mine debuts this month at the Melbourne Film Festival
and is in cinemas August 24COVER STORY
“NO ONE
and NO LAW
HAS THE RIGHT
TO MAKE a
DECISION ON
BEHALF of
the WOMAN”