Read Margaret Atwood‘s The Testaments, a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, and you’ll find a very different Garth than the one viewers meet in Hulu’s adaptation of the novel. Brad Alexander plays the guardian, who in the book actually lives in Canada and not Gilead. In The Testaments TV show, Garth was born and raised in Gilead and has little to no memories of life before the regime took over the United States.
In both versions, Garth is involved with Mayday, the American rebel forces trying to bring down Gilead and restore the U.S. government. He works with Daisy in both versions as well, but Daisy has also undergone huge changes in Hulu’s The Testaments (we explain those changes with The Testaments creator here).
In the Q&A below, Alexander unpacks his character’s big book changes and what his new Gilead history says about him. Plus, Alexander explains how Garth is the Nick Blaine (Max Minghella) of The Handmaid’s Tale spinoff, and how a trait the characters share could put Garth’s life in danger.
Garth mainly stays in Canada in the book, but in this series, he’s an eye in Gilead, which is a big change. In your mind, what does Garth remember about life before Gilead?
Brad Alexander: Very little to nothing. I conceptualize him as a Gilead native. He’s grown up in this world, and, therefore, he’s been exposed to the propaganda his entire life.
And so how did he become involved with Mayday? What broke him open into this rebellion?
There was a lot of factors. Ultimately, he’s just had a moral realization about the truth of what’s happening to these girls, and that’s the central push for him. But then also, there’s issues with his dad. As you know, he’s infirm from his experiences holding the Boston line. And I think he’s resentful about the politics and the behind-the-scenes of Gilead. So yeah, principally, I think he’s just really had this moral realization, but there’s all sorts of elements that every day he’s exposed to new evidence that this is just a terrible regime.
Do you think there’s any part of him that supports Gilead because he grew up in it, and he’s like, “Maybe it can be better?” Or is he fully, “I don’t support Gilead?”
At this stage, he is fully, “I don’t support Gilead.” And I do think his motivations are sincere, but it’s complicated because this is his world, and the people he’s idolized growing up, including the patriarchal side, his dad and all these commanders, are representatives of this world. But yeah, I think he’s done with Gilead at this point.
Disney / Steve Wilkie
What backstory did you create for the character? Can you give a sense of what the inciting incident for his joining Mayday may have been?
It could have been a lot of things, but I think as he’s been tasked with the charge of being a guardian, protecting these young girls, and he takes that job very seriously. It’s something that allows him to wear the clothing of masculinity. He has this authority and this responsibility, and he has a gun. He takes that quite seriously, but as he’s been exposed to these girls, these two very chaotic influences in his life, he realized that as he’s growing up alongside them, that he’s experiencing an entirely different world and one of incredible privilege compared to what the girls are experiencing. And I just think he realizes that’s wrong.
I mean, good for Garth. It shows he’s a good guy, if he comes to that realization himself.
Yeah, right. Especially in that world, it is impressive. But like you say, it’s not easy for him. He’s constantly struggling and going back and forth. There’s a sequence in Episode 5 where he’s protecting Daisy from a commander. This is a moment where the influence of his authority begins to show a little bit, and now there’s a darker side of Garth that he may give into occasionally.
Did he ever expect to become a commander, and how does he feel about that promotion? I’m sure there’s layers to it.
He has idealized and idolized commanders his entire life, and his process was, “I’m 100 percent going to be a commander and a great one.” He’s hubristic and ambitious. But like we say, he’s having doubts and balancing the two forces of him being in Mayday as well as it becoming overwhelming and difficult for him.
Does he see being a commander as an opportunity to expand his influence in Mayday?
Most definitely. It’s hubristic, isn’t it? Because the further he gets up the chain of command, the more risk he’s taking. They kill people for way less in Gilead, but he sees it as his way to have his hero moment and help the girls.
Did you and Chase establish a backstory for Garth and Agnes’s relationship? I wonder how long they’ve known each other, how long he’s been a guardian at her house?
No, I think they were completely separate until he was tasked with the charge of being a guardian for them. It’s quite a lucrative and interesting position for him. She’s the jewel of Gilead. Commander MacKenzie [Nate Corddry] is this huge, powerful commander, so it’s something he would want, but these girls are entirely separated from boys and men their entire lives until they’re predated upon at the ball.
How long has he been with the MacKenzies?
I would probably put it less than a year, something like that. Something very fresh.
He’s definitely been with Mayday for longer than a year, though, right?
Yes, it seems that way.
Disney / Steve Wilkie
Can he tell that Agnes has feelings for him? What does he feel about her?
It’s really interesting, and I go back and forth on this. It does appear to be a puppy crush. It seems an infatuation, and I think he’s defensive against it, but they’re both in a situation with a lot of pressure and they’ve been excluded from each other’s gender for their entire lives. It’s interesting and it’s probably biologically very intense and the feelings aren’t there, but it’s not something that he recognizes as love because that conception to him doesn’t really exist in the romantic sense.
Just getting nitty-gritty with the feelings here: Do you mean that he can’t sense that she loves him or that he might have feelings for her, or is it both?
No, I think he’s recognizing that there’s interest on her behalf for Garth, but I don’t know if he wants to confront it and complicate things. It’s a risk being in his position. He’s taking a risk every single day just by being with Mayday, and here he is with the most valuable, the most prized possession in Gilead, and she’s suddenly affecting for him. It’s as scary as it is complimentary, I would say, for Garth.
When he found out he was being promoted, do you think he thought, “Oh, maybe I can marry Agnes?”
I don’t know that I would agree with that, actually. Like I said, his conception of romantic love is almost nonexistent. It’s a dynastic partnership. Every single marriage in Gilead is dynastic. It’s about economics and who can raise your profile more, so I’m not sure that he has a real conception of romantic love, but he knows that he’s feeling something and he definitely can verify and see that she’s feeling something too.
What are his opinions of Daisy?
Just chaos, just a wrecking ball in his life. He’s a guy who likes control and competency and focus and will. And this is a girl who’s from Toronto, has this rebellious spirit inside her, and someone who doesn’t seem to really recognize the seriousness of the situation that she’s in. He’s incredibly nervous and scared about what her consequences in his world will be.
They haven’t known each other very long. Does he feel strapped with her, like she’s overwhelming?
Definitely overwhelming, but it’s this interesting dyad because he’s subservient to Agnes. He works for her family. Whereas with Daisy, he’s sort of her handler. He’s an authority over her. And like in that sequence in [Season 1 Episode 5], he wants to demonstrate that [he’s] in control here, even if that’s in a real sense, not true.
Does he find her challenging because their dynamic is more like the real world, where a woman can assert her authority and independence, and he grew up in Gilead, so he’s not used to that? What does he think of her in that regard?
He finds her challenging, but I also think there’s a respect for her. He recognizes that this woman has been educated. She’s got a life and opinions and a personality, whereas the other girls are sort of stockbreed within Gilead. He recognizes that she’s more fully composed, but I wouldn’t say that translates into a real affection. He’s scared of what she represents.
Disney / Steve Wilkie
What does he know about June Osborne [Elisabeth Moss]?
Very little. Almost nothing. It seems the Mayday ranks are shrouded in secrecy and codes, which makes sense. But every time he’s confronted with the name June, he’s like, who?
It’s interesting because he’s a man. I just assume in this Gilead world, all the guys know a lot of information because only men can know information, but it’s also based on rank.
And he’s young. He’s 20, 21 years old. He’s not been ingratiated into … I mean, guardians are sort of low rank within the society of Gilead for men anyway. Eyes are one above, and then commanders, so he’s not high on the totem pole.
It’s not a direct comparison, but I feel like Garth is the Nick Blaine of The Testaments.
Most definitely.
What parallels do you see between those two characters, if any?
Functionally, they both provide a bridge to the world of masculinity and men. There’s this patriarchy, and it’s fairly cut and dry with the characters you see, especially commanders. It’s like they are evil people with wrong ideas. But Nick and Garth both represent men that are struggling with the world that they’ve been told about and figuring out how to integrate their goals when it comes to authority and rank and status in life with this new crushing moral realization that these girls are being diminished.
Can you give a sense of where Garth goes after he’s been promoted to commander and Agnes sees hope for a future with him?
He’s aligning his goals with the situation that’s occurring around him. He’s definitely happy to be promoted to a commander. He thinks it gives him more responsibility and more status in life, and I think he’s ready and keen to use that to aid Mayday’s goals secretly.
How deep do you think his hatred of Gilead is? Do you think he’s the kind of rebel who would die for Mayday, or would he protect himself?
He would always protect himself, I think. He’s self-serving, and part of his ambition when it comes to saving people is derived from ego. He wants to be seen as a hero. And it’s silly to think that you can play both sides and win both sides. One of them has to go.
That doesn’t bode well for him, does it?
It doesn’t bode well, but we shall see.
The Testaments, Wednesdays, Hulu
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