Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
A bright spot in the extremely dark The Handmaid’s Tale is the hope and suggestion of what appears to be a romance, or a flirtation, or at the very least an intrigue shared between two characters. The main character Offred (Elisabeth Moss), responsible for giving the Commander and his wife a baby and basically otherwise useless, lets her eyes linger just a fraction of a second longer on the driver, who can be found outside in the driveway, frequently tending to chores, which mostly includes washing off the car. Nick, played by Max Minghella, is an obvious babe and brings a hint of romance in a decidedly unromantic story.
The first time we meet Nick, he’s shoveling rocks in a short sleeved shirt that you have to imagine the wardrobe department fussed over until it revealed the perfect amount of glistening arm muscles — and that it does. Offred and Nick do the definition of steal glances: each looking just a bit too long, realize it, and then quickly look away. While she wonders what his deal is and if he could be a spy, one thing is for sure: something is simmering between them.
And it’s about damn time! Minghella has rarely found himself in a leading male love interest role throughout his career, and what better choice than this intellectually stimulating drama for a brainy bro (he graduated from Columbia University in 2009). He fought Oscar Isaac for Rachel Weisz’s affection in Agora and romanced a resurrected Blake Lively in Elvis and Anabelle, but he’s largely avoided romances as a whole.
Instead, Minghella has taken interesting roles, both large and small, in many ensemble casts. He’s popped up in Syriana as George Clooney’s son, the highly underrated How to Lose Friends & Alienate People as a douchey actor, and a campaign staffer in The Ides of March.
He stepped into meatier roles for Art School Confidential, The Social Network, and even the Owen Wilson-Vince Vaughn Google-goofball comedy, The Internship, but returned to roles in groups of pals for 10 Years, The Darkest Hour, and About Alex. Not only does he not seem to be particularly interested in pursuing love interest roles, but is in fact quite comfortable stepping into the unlikeable guy spot.
Which brings us to Horns, where Minghella stars as a lawyer and (supposed) best pal to Daniel Radcliffe’s Ig, in the totally bizarre but oddly compelling film. Joining The Mindy Project as Danny’s (Chris Messina) gay tennis pro brother Richie was also a cool move — even if he’s not given a ton to do on the show, it’s just fun to have him around.
All this is to say, he can’t go around accepting interesting roles looking the way he does and not give us a chance to drool over him just a little bit. The Handmaid’s Tale is a win-win: Minghella gets to have his prestige, we get to have our crushes. Something (the book, if the show decides to follow it) tells us that things will continue to get interesting for Nick and Offred, whatever that may mean in the grim world they occupy. Just as Nick’s days of washing cars with a contemplative stare on his face are numbered, so are Max’s days of disappearing into rude dude characters and ensemble members. We see you (and those arms) and we’re ready for more.
