Alexis Bledel is taking her talents to the podcast world.
PEOPLE can exclusively reveal that it is Gilmore Girls star, 42, teamed up with actor-director Fisher Stevens for Avengera new audio documentary series by Orbit Media.
Directed by Stevens, 59, Bledel portrays Miriam Lewin, an Argentine journalist who “hunts down the pilots of the ‘death flights’ that killed tens of thousands of Argentines and brings them to justice,” according to the release.
The story, based on true events, is set in Buenos Aires and begins with teenage activist Miriam, who is kidnapped off the street by the military junta and imprisoned in a concentration camp in 1978. Thousands of her fellow prisoners are later brutally thrown out of a plane alive in the middle of the country’s Dirty War. After being released, Miriam becomes a journalist and sets herself the task of finding the pilots of the flights and avenging the victims.
The podcast is based on interviews in Spanish translated and voiced by the actors.
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Alexis Bledel. Getty Images
Bledel, whose father is Argentine, was interested in exploring projects that would give her the opportunity to participate in telling stories about her heritage, according to the post. She met the real Miriam and talked to her for hours before accepting the role.
“It was an honor to play Miriam Lewin, who played a significant role in changing the course of her country’s history,” she said in a statement. “My father is Argentinian, and I grew up speaking Spanish at home. This podcast has allowed me to better understand a crucial and harrowing chapter in Argentine history that I was aware of growing up.”
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“Working with Fisher Stevens has been a joy,” continued Bledel, who recorded episodes of the podcast last spring. “He was very connected to the raw emotional truth of the story and guided me to create a compelling and nuanced account of Miriam’s experience.”
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Stevens, who directed Palmer and executive producer of the hit series The tiger kinghe tried his hand at directing a podcast for the first time Avenger. “It’s rare to be given a story that’s both so compelling and so triumphant, and to find the perfect actor to bring it to life,” he said in his own statement. “I loved working with Alexis. She brought depth and complexity to the character of Miriam.”
Orbit Media President Steven Fishman praised Bledel for expertly capturing the emotional heart of the tragic story.
“We knew this story would make a great podcast. The story is emotional, scary and satisfying. And the woman at the center of it all, who won’t give up, is as believable as you can get,” he said. “Alexis brought the right touch. She brought out the sadness and the joy and the emotional complexity of the Crusaders.”
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The Avenger podcast marks Bledel’s first major project announcement since it came out The Handmaid’s Tale following the fourth season of the Hulu dystopian series. She has played the character of Emily/Ofglen since the series premiere in 2017.
Release date for Avenger not yet published.
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Source: HIS Education