Most of us probably know her as Rory Gilmore from “Gilmore Girls.”
We are, of course, talking about actress Alexis Bledel.
More recently, she’s enjoyed another career-defining role as Ofglen/Emily in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
In 2017, she even won her firstEmmyfor her performance.
Despite her meteoric fame, Bledel has managed to keep her personal life very quiet.
Curious to find out more about Bledel’s journey?
Here is the stunning transformation of Alexis Bledel.
As a child, she was pretty normal.
As she toldSeventeen, “I was right in the middle of my class.”
Perhaps the most exceptional thing about the young Bledel was her cultural upbringing.
“When I went to school I had to learn English there …
I really was in a Latino bubble.”
For Bledel, this upbringing left her, as she put it, “in between.”
Perhaps because English was her second language, Bledel was quite shy as a child.
As Bledel explained, she “had to get over it.”
Luckily, her experiences in community theater helped after she got over her stage fright!
Even though getting in front of the camera had never been her ambition, she gave it a try.
She proved to be very successful as a model.
For Bledel, working as a model helped her to continue coming out of her shell.
Of course, her modeling career could have had a very different effect.
For one thing, as she told Elle Girl, it could have damaged her self-esteem.
Luckily, Bledel had plenty of job offers and could ignore these requests.
As she toldCosmopolitan, “I didn’t really have a plan.”
In her final year of school, she decided that she was interested in studying film.
Initially, however, she thought she would be better suited to working behind the camera.
It sounds like Bledel’s childhood shyness was still somewhat influencing her decisions.
Plus, she said, “It’s just more comfortable, a more relaxed way to work.”
And, of course, soon enough, she was back in front of the camera.
“She moved to L.A. and quickly shot to fame.
As she toldElle Girl, the job certainly wasn’t easy at first.
“I was completely overwhelmed.
I was working 18-hour days, and weekends too,” she recalled.
A lot of the time, she felt unsure about how to even act in certain scenes.
Soon enough, however, she hit her stride and learned the ropes.
She also had to deal with the pressures of fame.
As she told theKitsap Sunin 2005, being famous “slightly skews everything a bit.”
As she later toldE!
As Bledel toldCrosswalkat the time, the character also presented some new challenges.
It was also her first period film.
Before making the movie, she had assumed that filmmaking was a little easier.
Years later, the four costars have remained in touch.
In fact, they seem to have formed a sort of actor support system.
There is a ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ text thread.
I go to them for everything” (viaUPI).
Another costar, Amber Tamblyn, also spoke about their friendship in an interview with MTV.
She revealed that the foursome sometimes chat “every single day” (viaAccess).
As she toldEntertainment Weeklyat the time, she was initially eager to move away from the world of television.
Instead, the actress turned her focus to film.
For Bledel, all of these various roles were important.
Well, it definitely worked!
In her Broadway debut, Bledel played Chryssie, a sex worker.
“It has been a goal for a while.
Once Bledel got on stage, she rediscovered her love of acting.
As she put it toInterview Magazine, “It feels like being a kid again.
I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
She also explained that she hoped to do more theater in the future.
We hope she gets another chance soon!
It turns out, the pair had real chemistry.
In fact, they actually started dating in real life.
They first appeared in public later that year (viaE!
By March 2013, they were engaged (viaE!
News), and by 2014, they had tied the knot (viaE!
The pair have kept their relationship incredibly private over the years.
However, in 2014, Kartheiser gaveVulturea few details.
He explained that the pair only started dating a few months after working together.
“We were completely professional,” he said.
“We never saw each other out.”
Several of their “Mad Men” colleagues, however, saw it coming.
And they’ve been acting since before they can remember, which makes for a very special personality.”
Sounds like these two really were meant to be.
This means Bledel’s son was likely born in the fall of 2015.
In 2017, she toldEntertainment Tonightit had made her more picky about choosing roles.
She had, of course, changed a lot since the first time around.
As her costar Scott Patterson toldGlamour, “She’s really blossomed as a woman.”
Her feelings towards the show itself had also changed over time.
“She’s delighted by throwing everyone a curveball.
I knew that’s what she wanted and I trusted her.”
As Ofglen (or Emily), Bledel played a woman resisting an authoritarian regime.
For Bledel, the role brought new challenges and new rewards.
“I love the challenge of the role.
Bledel ended up winning anEmmyfor her performance.
As it turns out, she even surprised herself with the role.
It’s been really fulfilling in a way I didn’t know this job could be.
It’s really been incredible.”
We already know that she’s been pretty picky about her roles since becoming a mother.
In fact, she and her fellow cast mates even pitched an idea for the movie!
“I hope it comes together, it would be so great,” she said.
