Who plays Janine Lindo in The Handmaid's Tale? Everything to know about the actress behind the role
The Handmaid's Tale is currently in its sixth and final season on Hulu, bringing some of the show's familiar faces, including Janine Lindo, a Handmaid played by Madeline Brewer. She has been one of the main characters since the dystopian sci-fi epic premiered in April 2017 and has had her fair share of struggles, triumphs, and near-death experiences throughout the show's 6-season run.
Outside of the Hulu series, Madeline Brewer can be seen in various TV shows and movies. She famously starred in the recently released fifth and final season of You, a Netflix series about a serial killer played by Penn Badgley. She was also in the movies Space Oddity, Hustlers, and Hedgehog, among many others.
Read on to find out more about actress Madeline Brewer and her other works on television and in movies.
Madeline Brewer plays Janine Lindo in the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale
Madeline Brewer's character as Janine Lindo in The Handmaid's Tale is easily recognizable for her signature eye patch, a reminder of one of the many harrowing stories she experienced.
Hulu describes Janine Lindo's character as follows:
"A deeply emotional and at times erratic Handmaid, Janine faces unthinkable abuse and trauma for her defiance. Despite her suffering, she remains compassionate and never loses her childlike wonder—a quality the Commanders' wives view as a threat."
Janine is known as Handmaid Ofwarren early in the series and has endured all sorts of traumas ranging from physical to s*xual abuse. She lost one of her eyes due to a punishment at the training facility for Handmaids called the Red Center. She's also a survivor, and the bombing in Chicago in season 4 is just one of the many instances where she survived.
Though every season in the series proved to be turbulent for Janine, The Handmaid's Tale season 5 has been especially dire for one of the fan-favorite characters in the series. She was separated from her daughter with Commander Warren Putnam (Stephen Kunken), Angela, despite Aunt Lydia's (Ann Dowd) efforts to keep her in the same house as her daughter.
The baby was given to Commander Putnam and his wife, and Janine was left with no place to go. Early in season 5, she also had a near-death experience after Esther poisoned her with chocolate. In the season 5 finale, her fate was uncertain after she was taken away by Gilead authorities in a van.
However, The Handmaid's Tale season 6 episode 3 confirmed that she's alive, although Janine Lindo doesn't appear at her new posting at Jezebel's until episode 4.
Madeline Brewer is a Primetime Emmy-nominated actress and a producer
Outside of playing Janine Lindo in The Handmaid's Tale, Madeline Brewer has portrayed various characters in several TV shows since her acting debut in 2013. She started as a supporting character in Orange Is the New Black, playing Tricia Miller, one of the youngest inmates at Litchfield Penitentiary. She was only in the series during the first season after her character died of an OxyContin overdose.
Brewer also guest-starred in the CBS show Stalker before starring in the supernatural horror series Hemlock Grove. Her other TV appearances include Grimm, Black Mirror, The Deleted, and Shining Girls. More recently, Brewer starred as Louise Flannery, aka Bronte, in Netflix's You season 5. She plays the latest muse of the show's serial killer, played by Penn Badgley,
In movies, fans can see Madeline Brewer in Hedgehog, which was her movie debut, as well as Braid, Flesh and Blood, Captive State, The One, and Space Oddity. Besides acting, she was also an executive producer for Hedgehog. However, it was her portrayal of Janine Lindo in The Handmaid's Tale that earned her a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress at the 2021 Primetime Emmy.
Catch Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo in The Handmaid's Tale. The show is currently in its sixth and final season, which is streaming on Hulu, with new episodes dropping every Tuesday at midnight ET.
