IMPACT IT WOULD HAVE. WE SAT DOWN TO DISCUSS HER BOOK
AND HOW IT HAS BECOME A SYMBOL
OF POLITICAL PROTEST.
>> YOU WROTE ""THE HANDMAID’S
TALE" OVER THREE DECADES AGO AND
PEOPLE ARE CALLING A FORTUNE
TELLER AND WE WILL GET TO THAT
IN A BIT.
IN A BIT. NOW WE HAVE THE TESTAMENT SO WE
GET TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO
SOME OF THE CHARACTERS WE HAVE
BEEN SO INVESTED IN.
WHY NOW?
WHY NOW? WHY PICK UP THIS STORY SO MANY
YEARS LATER?
YEARS LATER? >> FOR YEARS THEY SAID, WRITE A
SEQUEL AND I SAID NO, BECAUSE I
THOUGHT THEY MEANT AND THEY DID
MEAN AND I MEANT CONTINUE THE
STORE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS.
>> PICK IT UP FROM WHERE YOU
LEFT OFF?
LEFT OFF? >> YES, WHICH I COULD NOT HAVE
DONE.
DONE. >> WHY NOT?
>> WELL, YOU JUST CAN’T DO IT
AGAIN.
AGAIN. YOU JUST CAN’T RECREATE THAT.
ALSO, WE SEEM TO BE MOVING AWAY
FROM THE STRUCTURE OF GILEAD,
THE COLD WAR ENDED IN 1989 AND
THEN FOR A DECADE EVERYBODY
SAID, LET’S GO SHOPPING, END OF
HISTORY.
HISTORY. IT TURNED OUT NOT TO BE TRUE.
THEN THERE WAS 9/11 WHICH, OF
COURSE, FRIGHTENED PEOPLE.
WHEN PEOPLE ARE FRIGHTENED THEY
START GETTING READY TO TRADE IN
SOME CIVIL LIBERTIES FOR
SOMEBODY WHO WILL MAKE THE
TRAINS RUN ON TIME.
>> Reporter: OF COURSE, THE
HANDMADE’S TALE, THE BOOK, GOT A
NEW LIFE WITH THE TV SERIES.
>> ""THE HANDMAID’S TALE" GOT A
NEW LIFE IN THE TWO OBAMA
ELECTIONS BECAUSE OF THE THINGS
THAT REPUBLICANS WERE SAYING.
SO IN EACH ONE OF THOSE
ELECTIONS YOU SAW AN OUTTICK AND
YOU ALSO SAW QUITE A FEW ONLINE
MEMES.
MEMES. >> Reporter: IT IS ALMOST A
BAROMETER OF PEOPLE’S FEARS AND
CONCERNS.
CONCERNS. >> YES, AS ARE THE TALES OF
1984.
1984. SO WHAT DID THEY HAVE?
THEY’RE BOTH ABOUT
TOTALITARIANS, BOTH ABOUT
AUTOCRATIC RULE, BOTH ABOUT
CONTROLLING FREE SPEECH.
SO, YES.
SO, YES. THEN WE HAVE NOVEMBER 9th, 2016
WHEN EVERYONE IN "THE HANDMAID’S
TALE" TV SERIES WHICH WE HAD
STARTED FILMING WOKE UP IN THE
MORNING AND SAID, "WE’RE IN A
DIFFERENT SHOW."
DIFFERENT SHOW." NOT BECAUSE THE SHOW CHANGED BUT
BECAUSE THE FRAME AROUND THE
SHOW HAD CHANGED.
INSTEAD OF LOOK WHAT WE AVOIDED,
IT WAS THIS MIGHT ACTUALLY BE
COMING OUR WAY, MINUS THE
OUTFITS.
OUTFITS. BUT NONETHELESS.
BUT NONETHELESS. >> Reporter: ALTHOUGH WE’RE
SEEING THE OUTFITS, TOO.
>> WE’RE SEEING THE OUTFITS A
LOT, BUT AS A PROTEST SYMBOL.
THEY’RE BRILLIANT PROTEST
SYMBOLS FOR THE TELEVISION AGE
OR A VIDEO AGE BECAUSE YOU CAN
BE PROTESTING INSIDE THE
LEGISLATIVE CHAMBER AND NOBODY
CAN THROW YOU OUT BECAUSE YOU’RE
NOT SAYING ANYTHING.
NOBODY CAN THROW YOU OUT BECAUSE
YOU’RE DRESSED IMMODESTLY, BUT
YOU ARE THERE, YOU ARE VISIBLE
AND EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT YOU
MEAN.
MEAN. >> Reporter: I DO THINK ONE OF
THE MORE FRIGHTENING THINGS TO
AUDIENCES -- AND THIS IS WHAT
STICKS WITH ME -- IS THE BOILING
FROG METAPHOR THAT SORT OF IS
WOVEN THROUGHOUT THE BOOK.
>> SO IF YOU PUT THE FROG IN A
GRADUALLY HEATING BATHTUB, IT
DOESN’T NOTICE AT FIRST THAT
THINGS ARE GETTING HOTTER.
THE CLIMATE CRISIS --
>> QUITE LITERALLY.
>> -- WE MAY BE LITERALLY IN THE
GRADUALLY HEATING BATHTUB THOUGH
IT SEEMS TO BE HEATING MORE
RAPIDLY THAN PEOPLE SAID A
LITTLE WHILE AGO THAT IT WOULD.
SO THINGS -- THINGS CAN CHANGE
GRADUALLY UNTIL YOU HIT THAT
POINT WHEN THEY TIP SUDDENLY,
YOU HIT THE TIPPING POINT.
AND IF YOU STUDY THE BUILDUP TO
VARIOUS OVERTHROWS, REVOLUTIONS,
ADVENT OF DICTATORSHIPS, ET
CETERA, YOU CAN TRACE THAT.
>> THIS BOOK, THIS STORY, THIS
UNIVERSE, IS NOT JUST A
DYSTOPIAN FICTION.
DYSTOPIAN FICTION. EVERYTHING IN IT IS BASED IN
REAL-WORLD EVENTS, IN REAL
ATROCITIES THAT PEOPLE HAVE
WNKSED.
WNKSED. CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW YOU --
>> WHY I DID THAT.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> I DID IT BECAUSE I DIDN’T
WANT PEOPLE SAYING, MY GOODNESS,
YOU HAVE A WEIRD, TWISTED
IMAGINATION
IMAGINATION IMAGINATION, WHERE DO YOU COME
UP WITH THIS STUFF?
SO I DIDN’T WANT TO INVENT NO
DRAGONS.
DRAGONS. >> UH-HUH.
>> UH-HUH. >> AND EVERYTHING IN THE BOOK
HAS REFERENCE FROM REAL LIFE.
REAL HISTORY.
REAL HISTORY. REAL THINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE
DONE.
DONE. REAL THINGS THAT PEOPLE ARE
DOING NOW.
DOING NOW. AND IT’S NOT THE MICE DOING IT.
IT’S PEOPLE DOING IT TO OTHER
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> I MEAN, IT IS PRETTY
REMARKABLE THAT THIS SERIES GAME
AT THIS PARTICULAR MOMENT.
WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE FOR YOU TO
EXPERIENCE THAT ON THE ONE HAND
SEEING THE SHOW AND THE STORY
NOW, AND BOOK SALES HAVE
INCREASED AS WELL.
SEEING THE STORY REACH SO MANY
MORE PEOPLE.
MORE PEOPLE. THE SAME TIME KNOWING THAT THE
REASON THAT STORY IS REACHING SO
MANY MORE PEOPLE, THE REASON
PEOPLE -- IT’S RESONATING SO
MUCH, IS NOT NECESSARILY A
POSITIVE ONE.
POSITIVE ONE. >> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. IT’S A STRANGE POSITION TO BE
IN.
IN. SO WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME THAT
QUESTION, WHICH THEY DO, THEY
SAY, WELL, IF I COULD TRADE IT,
I WOULD.
I WOULD. BUT THAT IS NOT THE CHOICE THAT
HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME.
I CAN’T CANCEL REALITY.
SO, GIVEN THAT REALITY IS WHAT
IT IS, IT’S A GOOD THING THAT
THEY’VE DONE SUCH A TERRIFIC JOB
ON THIS SHOW.
>> NOW, "THE HANDMAID’S TALE"
FOR SOME PEOPLE HAS COME TOO
REAL.
REAL. >> IT’S NOT REAL YET OR YOU AND
I WOULDN’T BE SITTING HERE
HAVING THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE
YOU WOULDN’T HAVE A JOB.
>> I THINK YOU NOW HAVE THIS
BURDEN, THOUGH, PEOPLE ASK YOU,
HOW DO WE AVOID BECOMING "THE
HANDMAID’S TALE"?
HANDMAID’S TALE"? >> WELL, THIS IS, AFTER ALL, THE
UNITED STATES, WITH A LONG
HISTORY OF DEMOCRACY AND CIVIL
ACTIONS.
ACTIONS. I THINK PEOPLE ARE -- HAVE
BECOME MOTIVATED TO BE
POLITICALLY ACTIVE AND MAYBE
VOTE NEXT TIME.
VOTE WHILE YOU CAN.