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Actress Alexis Bledel, who essayed the role of a defiant handmaid Emily Malek on four seasons of 'The Handmaid's Tale', is leaving the Hulu drama ahead of its fifth season, reports 'Entertainment Weekly'.

In a statement given to 'Entertainment Weekly', the actress said: "After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid's Tale at this time. I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support."

No further information regarding Bledel's decision was provided to 'Entertainment Weekly'.

Showrunner Bruce Miller previously told 'Entertainment Weekly' that the series will now be a bit like 'Sophie's Choice: The Series'. "You're moving on with someone who's made these terrible choices. And unlike a movie version, we know what her choices were; we're in her pain and her trauma. So that's really interesting," he said of June's decision to kill Waterford.

Bruce further said: "The story moving forward is about the long fight, and how do you keep up energy, enthusiasm, sanity, all of those things, while you're trying to fight for something that you may never see the end of, or you may never see the good from it?"

A release date for season 5 of 'The Handmaid's Tale' is yet to be announced.