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Offred
Played by: Natasha Richardson
The main protagonist of the film.
- Baby Factory: What she is reduced to in her role as the Handmaid.
- Dub Name Change: Called "Defred" in France and Spain, "Difred" in Italy, "Desfred" in Germany, and "Podfreda" (Underfred) in Russia.
- Happily Married: To her husband Luke before Gilead took over and she was separated from him.
- Named by the Adaptation: In the film, her name was Kate.
- "Ray of Hope" Ending: Escapes Gilead and lives in Canada in the middle of nowhere with a child, hoping that someday she will be reunited with her daughter.
The Commander
Played by: Robert Duvall
The head of the household for whom Offred serves as their breeding slave.
- Death by Adaptation: Is killed by Offred in the film.
- Evil Is Sterile: The reason for shooting Congress, shredding the Constitution, and taking women into sexual slavery.
- Meaningful Name: "Frederick" is German for "victorious."
- Pet the Dog: His treatment of Offred during the times he isn't performing the Ceremony with her.
- Sexless Marriage: Suggested between himself and his wife Serena due to their inability to have a child. It's also suggested that the Commander may be sterile, though Gileadean doctrine forbids men to be mentioned as sterile and instead puts the blame on the woman.
Serena Joy
Played by: Faye Dunaway
A former televangelist, she becomes the wife of the Commander due to the new laws of Gilead preventing women from having self-sustaining employable work.
- Abled in the Adaptation: She does not require a cane to walk like her book counterpart.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Not to the same extent as the television series, but Faye Dunaway still portrays Serena Joy as a good deal younger and more glamorous than she appeared in the book.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: She wanted a society where women's place was in the home. Now that's been achieved, she's going crazy for lack of anything to do; she's not allowed to read or write and there's nothing to occupy her time besides desperately hoping and preparing for a baby that may never come.
- Female Misogynist: Given her treatment of Offred and her religious view of women in general.
- Ironic Name: Given how she handles her forced retirement as the wife of the Commander.
- Pet the Dog: Her only moment of doing so with Offred was revealing that her daughter is alive and relatively unharmed in Gilead.
- Sexless Marriage: Suggested between herself and her husband due to their inability to have a child.
- Stay in the Kitchen: What she believes women were meant to do, besides also being stay-at-home mothers.
- White-Dwarf Starlet: Implied when Serena longingly watches an old video recording of herself singing "Amazing Grace" at a televangelist tv broadcast before the rise of Gilead.
Ofglen
Played by: Blanche Baker
A fellow Handmaid whom Offred associates with. She's also the second of three women to carry this title.
- Ambiguous Situation: Her fate is unclear at the end of the film.
- Baby Factory: Same situation as Offred.
- Replacement Goldfish: The second Ofglen.
Nick
Played by: Aidan Quinn
A driver who works for The Commander and Serena Joy.
- Badass Driver: In addition to driving for the Commander, Nick is also a spy. It is left ambiguous whether he is an Eye or part of Mayday.
- Cool Car: Nick lovingly polishes the Behemoth, while Offred notes that "the way men caress good cars" hasn't changed.
- Friends with Benefits: In the novel, both Offred and Nick promise each other "no strings," but it doesn't work out like that.
Janine/Ofwarren
Played by: Traci Lind
A fellow Handmaid whom Offred associates with.
- Baby Factory: Same situation as Offred.
- Rape as Backstory: Was gang-raped at 14, became pregnant and had an abortion.
Moira
Played by: Elizabeth McGovern
A lesbian and friend of Offred.
- Broken Pedestal: What she becomes when Offred meets her at Jezebel's.
- Bury Your Gays: While Offred is hopeful she escapes Jezebel's, it's more likely Moira doesn't make it, although her story is left open-ended.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: Moira prefers her life at Jezebel's because alcohol is available and lesbian sex is rather encouraged, whereas in the rest of Gilead, it's a hanging offense.
- Sex Slave: Her role in Jezebel's.
Aunt Lydia
Played by: Victoria Tennant
The brown-garbed head of the Red Centre. There are several Aunts who train the Handmaids, but Aunt Lydia is one of the worst.- Adaptational Attractiveness: While the book doesn't go into a lot of detail about Aunt Lydia's looks, it's safe to say that Margaret Atwood did not picture her looking like
◊ Victoria Tennant◊. - Composite Character: In the film, Aunt Lydia is combined with another aunt that is ambushed in the bathroom by Offred and Moira in order to steal her clothing so that Moira can escape in her guise.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: She carries a cattle prod, and seems to take delight in torturing her charges.
- Slut-Shaming: Does this to both Janine and Offred as part of their "training."
Luke
