The Handmaid's Tale has renewed resonance and a new audience

Margaret Atwood'sclassic dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale the one that's required reading in most Canadian schools and that has been banned in some American ones has given birth to its first television series, set to air in Canada April30 on Bravo.

"I see it as something that was more of a potential back in 1985," Atwoodtold CBC News in Los Angeles Tuesday, referring to the year the book was published.

"More of a potential has now become more of an actual. The heartening thing is that a lot of people have become much more active than they were even during the [U.S.] election."

Atwood, along withMad Men's Elisabeth Moss,Gilmore Girls' AlexisBledeland other stars of the series gathered in Hollywood on Tuesday for the L.A. premiere of the series that premiers in the U.S. Wednesday on Hulu.

The Handmaid's Taleenvisions a dark future wherein women's rights have been stripped and those who are fertile are forced to bear children for powerful men and their wives. Women's bodies are not their own and they are watched, controlled and harshly reprimanded for disobedience. The story is told from the perspective ofOffred, a forced surrogate played by Moss.

"The rise of the alt-right, the battle for women's rights in every possible form, the battle for funding of Planned Parenthood ... these are issues we can't run away from," said Warren Littlefield, one of the show's executive producers.

"It's a dramatic thriller. But it does resonate and remind us that theworld we're living in right now is shifting."

The F Word

Cast members havebeen reluctant to call it feminist.

"It's not a feminist story. It's really a tale of humanity and how close we are to the edge," said AmandaBrugel, the only Canadian cast member in the series.

The Handmaid's Tale cast discuss feminism

7 years ago

Duration 0:35

Series cast members Alexis Bledel, Amanda Brugel and Elisabeth Moss give their take on the story

At theTribeca Film Festival, where the series was screenedlast week, Moss said duringa panel discussion: "Honestly, for me, it's nota feminist story it's a human story, because women's rights are human rights."

Following backlash online, and a gentle tweet from Atwood herself suggesting a little clarification might help and a"human rights definition" of feminism,Moss has since changed her stance.

"It120 per cent is a feminist book and a feminist show," she told CBC News at the premiere.

Atwood's involvement

Atwood was a consultant producer for the series, "whichbasically means I have conversations with people and then they do what they were going to do anyway," she joked.

"But luckily I approved of what they were going to do anyway so we didn't have any fights."

The revered author, 77, also makes a cameo appearance. Hercharacter dishes out a vicious slap to Offred, played by Moss.

"We shot that several times because they said: 'You need to do it harder,'" said Atwood. "I gave her a little tap in the beginning and then they said:'Come on!' I didn't want to give my leading lady a concussion."

Filming in Toronto

The series was filmed in Toronto, which was meant to resemble asettingbased on Cambridge, Mass., outside Boston.

"It was strange to be doing something that was so American at a time that was so tumultuous in America and not be in America," said executive producer Bruce Miller.

Still, Canada plays a notablerole in the story heading north becomes the planfor those trying to flee persecution.

"Canada has been escaped to many times," said Atwood. "So let us hope we can keep Canada as a place you can escape to."