‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 4: Actor Nina Kiri Was ‘Excited’ to Film Alma’s Death
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 has officially begun, and fans can’t wait to see what becomes of June Osborne and the other handmaids. The season starts with a bang as June, Janine, Alma, and other handmaids find refuge on a far. But later, disaster strikes for Alma. Here’s what actor Nina Kiri had to say about filming her character’s death.
[Spoiler alert: Spoilers ahead for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 Episodes 1-3.]
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 4 features the handmaids attempting escape
The first episode of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 starts with a bang. At the end of season 3, fans saw June get shot by a member of Gilead — and the handmaids are working hard to save her in season 4. Thankfully, they’re able to stop her bleeding and suture the wound well enough for her to continue on her mission to crossing the border and getting out of Gilead for good.
Finally, the handmaids arrive on a New England farm seemingly owned by Commander Keyes and run by his young, teen wife, Esther Keyes. They’re told they’re safe on the farm, but a new threat is present in Esther. Esther is full of rage due to the atrocities done to her, and ultimately, June encourages her to kill one of the men who hurt her in the recent past.
The episode also shows the handmaids enjoying their freedom. While June focuses on finding true freedom, Janine and the others laugh and dance in a barn on the property. And Alma continues to be a good ally with June, though she puts June in her place when necessary. While June asks Alma why she doesn’t keep closer tabs on Esther, Alma retorts by saying she was too busy making sure June lived to see the border.
What happened to Alma in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’?
The peace doesn’t last long in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4. Gilead eventually capture and tortures June to get her to tell Aunt Lydia and the guards where the other handmaids ran.
Gilead physically hurts and waterboards June prior to June giving away the handmaids’ locations. But it’s seeing her daughter, Hannah, that sends her over the edge. June gives away the locations of the handmaids once she sees her daughter in person and has Hannah’s safety threatened.
Eventually, the evil nation captures the handmaids, and they’re in a van along with June and Aunt Lydia awaiting the next atrocity to come their way. But June thinks quickly and chokes Aunt Lydia with a cattle prod, sending the handmaids running for their lives out of the vehicle. Unfortunately, a train strikes Brianna and Alma as they cross the tracks.
Nina Kiri was excited to film Alma’s death
Actor Nina Kiri talked to Steve Varley about playing Alma. When she was first introduced to the handmaid’s character, she didn’t expect the role to last as long as it did. And she had plenty of thoughts about being a main character in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4.
Kiri noted the actors and crew started having Zoom meetings during the pandemic — and that’s when Kiri learned of her character’s fate. “We were on a meeting in the summer before we went back in September and Bruce [Miller] is so awesome. He really gives everyone such individual attention … and privately messaged me in the Zoom meeting. And I was like, ‘Oh, well, time to go back to work and die.'”
She then noted she knew her character had to go out with a bang. While she was “really sad” initially to hear Alma would die, talking to Elisabeth Moss (June) helped her get excited for it, as Moss was directing.
“She was telling me what she was thinking for the scene, and she was so excited about it, and it got me really excited,” Kiri continued. “And then I became excited about this whole moment that Alma has.”
We’re anxious to see what awaits the remaining handmaids in future episodes of season 4!
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