*Warning: Spoilers ahead*
We’ve been following June’s (Elisabeth Moss) journey for five whole seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale. And we’re still full of questions. For example, how will season 5 end? And where is The Handmaid’s Tale filmed? Keep reading to learn more about the series.
Surprisingly, the hit series is filmed in different parts of Canada. The majority of the show is shot in Toronto. One of the main shooting locations is Toronto City Hall (you’ll recognize the building as the one blown up by the Handmaidens). According to iNews UK, the Church of St Aidan is used as The Red Centre, where the handmaids are trained, while a banquet scene in season one where the children of Gilead are paraded was filmed in the Fairmount Royal York Hotel.
Other portions are filmed in Hamilton, Ontario, including the house where Offred (Moss) is stationed with Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Serena (Yvonne Strahovski). Some of the most difficult scenes to watch, including where the bodies of dissidents hang on a brick wall, are shot in the neighboring towns of Cambridge and Galt.
Based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale is set in the dystopian world of Gilead where the U.S. government has been overthrown by religious Christian fundamentalists years after widespread infertility sweeps across the globe. The story follows June and the other handmaidens, who are kidnapped and forced to bear children by and for the ruling classes who are unable to have children of their own.
Fortunately, Gilead is fictional. However, the community is actually set in what used to be Boston, Massachusetts. And, as we found out while doing some research, there is actually a real place named Gilead—a mountainous region east of the Jordan River, situated in modern-day Jordan. Who knew?
The season 5 finale of The Handmaid's Tale is schedule to air on November 9. The show is exclusively available to watch on Hulu.
If you’re experiencing withdrawal, we recommend binging a few other series with similar themes (or that star Moss), including Black Mirror, the Leftovers, The Man in the High Castle, Mad Men, Dead to Me and The OA.