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“The Handmaid’s Tale” star Yvonne Strahovski jumps from the dystopian confines of Gilead to a modern-day detention center in “Stateless.” The Netflix drama follows flight attendant Sofie Werner (Strahovski), who gets swept up in a New Age-y cult run by a cheerful couple played by Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”) and Dominic West (“The Affair”). When …
“The Handmaid’s Tale” star Yvonne Strahovski jumps from the dystopian confines of Gilead to a modern-day detention center in “Stateless.”
The Netflix drama follows flight attendant Sofie Werner (Strahovski), who gets swept up in a New Age-y cult run by a cheerful couple played by Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”) and Dominic West (“The Affair”). When Sofie’s time with them goes south, she’s exiled — disoriented and traumatized — and lands in an immigration detention center in her native Australia.
“Aside from this being a really timely and important story to tell, I thought the story [of Sofie Werner] was very unique,” Strahovski, 37, tells The Post. “One of the things I like about her is that she was such a bright light, as opposed to coming off ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ with Serena Joy … who’s got a darker soul. Sofie to me was the complete opposite.
“Having that springboard into this character was a treat for me.”
“Stateless,” which premiered on Australia’s ABC network, was inspired by the true story of Cornelia Rau who, in 2004, was unlawfully detained for 10 months in Australia.
“Even though [the show] was based on true events, we kind of did our own thing with Sofie. She’s her own person, really,” says the Australian-born Strahovski, who grew up in New South Wales. “The biggest takeaway for me out of that whole true-life element is that it took an Australian white woman being caught up in a detention center to draw the amount of attention that it did on what was going on, and what still is going on today.”
Sofie’s story soon intersects with Cam (Jai Courtney, “Spartacus”), who takes a job as a guard at the camp to support his family; Ameer (Faysaal Bazzie, “The Commons”), an Afghan refugee seeking educational opportunities for his young daughters; and Clare (Asher Keddie, “The Cry”), who oversees the center’s operations and tries to manage its bad press.
“I was attracted to all the different components of the show,” Strahovski says. “The cult component, the fact that [Sofie] struggled with mental health, and then, of course, the main storyline with the detention center and how her story tied in … to several other stories.
“It gives us an insight into what the detention center process is like in Australia and how it failed Sofie — and everybody else, for that matter.”
This is likely the first time that many American viewers are hearing Strahovski use her natural accent, which she disguised for her roles in shows including “Dexter,” “Chuck” and “The Astronaut Wives Club.”
“In the 14 years I’ve lived in the States and been working here, it’s pretty rare that I get to use my Australian accent,” she says. “It’s a strange thing for me to be more comfortable on-camera in an American accent. My [natural] accent has altered so much, that when I have to go back to an Australian accent, it’s almost like I have to concentrate a little more.
“It doesn’t sound as naturally authentic as it used to.”
