Who plays Nick in The Handmaid's Tale? Everything to know about the actor behind the role

 The Handmaid
The Handmaid's Tale (Edited image via Sportskeeda; original image via Hulu)

Max Minghella stars as Nick Blaine in The Handmaid's Tale. Based on the television show's dystopian fictional background of Gilead, in which women's rights have been drastically curtailed, The Handmaid's Tale revolves around June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) and how she manages to survive in the oppressive regime.

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At first, Nick appeared to be a secondary character, a fair Guardian for the Waterfords, but later in the series, he plays an important role in June's revolt against the dictatorial regime of Gilead.

The Handmaid's Tale, adapted from Margaret Atwood's 1985 eponymous novel, explores survival, resistance, and power in a society where women's agency has been completely stripped away. Harsh realities of living in Gilead lead characters such as Nick to take unpalatable choices.

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Exploring in detail about Max Minghella who portrays Nick in The Handmaid's Tale

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Max Minghella stars as Nick Blaine in The Handmaid's Tale, blending a quiet but potent emotional impact. While the overall concept of the show remains June and her path, Nick's interactions with her ground the show's examinations of resistance, power, and love in a repressive regime.

As the series carries on, Nick becomes increasingly vital to the storyline, and his intra-psychic struggle with obligations to Gilead versus his passion for June become all the more essential.

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Max Minghella was born in London in 1985. His late father, Anthony Minghella, was a director of films such as The English Patient and Cold Mountain. His mother, Carolyn Choa, is a choreographer and dancer.

Brought up in an artistic household, Minghella was introduced to tales and the movie industry from a young age. Minghella first pursued a history degree at Columbia University before deciding to pursue his ambition to be an actor.

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Early in life, Minghella played supporting parts in movies such as Syriana (2005) and The Social Network (2010). He received his first major break in The Handmaid's Tale when his acting as Nick Blaine earned him popular recognition.

Although Minghella is primarily known as a television actor, he is also a film director. He directed Teen Spirit (2018) in 2017, which is a movie about a teenage girl who competes in a singing competition.


Who is Nick in The Handmaid's Tale?

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Nick Blaine, portrayed by Max Minghella, is a series character whose moral ambiguity and messy relationships are responsible for much of the show's emotional impact. At first introduction, Nick appears to be just another piece of machinery in the oppressive regime of Gilead.

He is a Guardian, tasked with serving the Waterford family, but his true role in the narrative becomes clearer over time. Nick's interactions with the other characters, particularly June, slowly take a more pivotal role in the narrative, exposing a man torn between his position in a regime taking away his independence and the liberties of the people surrounding him.

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Nick's initial personality in the series is more of compliance, simply conforming to the oppressive regime of Gilead. But as the series unfolds, it turns out that Nick is less committed to the regime than he initially portrays himself as.

He becomes involved with the resistance, working behind the scenes to aid June and other members of the same.

This covert participation makes him one of the few characters to exist in shades of gray, torn between his allegiance to the Waterfords and his new love for June, and his need to leave the oppressive regime.

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Nick's relationship with June is based on the common experience of existing in a totalitarian society where their feelings and desires are bound to be suppressed. Their relationship becomes more profound over time, growing from being just a partnership to an intertwined love affair.

Beyond his angst, Nick's story is also one of survival and morality in a totalitarian regime. As much as some of the characters in The Handmaid's Tale are clearly resistant or compliant with the regime, Nick exists somewhere in the middle, grappling with his own moral compass and the hazardous decisions he has to make to maintain his loved ones' lives.

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Interested viewers can watch The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu.

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Edited by Arunava Dutta
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