Hulu is expanding The Handmaid’s Tale universe with its The Testaments spinoff — but who makes up the cast?
The Handmaid’s Tale universe was brought to life when Hulu adapted Margaret Atwood‘s 1985 novel of the same name in 2017. Atwood’s dystopian universe followed a future where low fertility rates have led women to be assigned to men for bearing children. Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Madeline Brewer, Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley and Amanda Brugel have led the cast since the show premiered in 2017.
After The Handmaid’s Tale‘s final season was announced in 2022, creator Bruce Miller stepped down as showrunner to work on The Testaments as executive producers Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang took over the day-to-day duties on the flagship drama.
“We are making The Testaments, and it’s not going to track precisely,” Miller told TVLine at the time. “Margaret writes these absolutely deliciously specific characters. We had to go away from that in Handmaid’s, and we’re going to have to go away from that in Testaments. Testaments is certainly going to be a sequel to the show.”
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Set 15 years later, The Testaments is narrated by Aunt Lydia as viewers are thrust back into the dystopian future with new characters such as Agnes from Gilead and Daisy from Canada as they secretly gather and smuggle incriminating information about Gilead’s regime out of the country. Agnes and Daisy pose as “Pearl Girls” to infiltrate Canada, while Aunt Lydia acts as a covert source within Gilead.
“Although I could not continue with the story of Offred, I could continue with three other people concerned in these events and tell the story of the beginning of the end, because we know from The Handmaid’s Tale that Gilead vanishes,” Atwood told journalists at an event in 2019. “It’s no longer present 200 years into the future, because they’re having a symposium on it. How did it collapse? How do these kinds of regimes disappear? I was interested in exploring that.”
She continued: “There [are] some new costume choices in this book. Human beings throughout time love outfits that tell you who you’re looking at, like football teams and things like that. So yes, we have some new outfits.”
Atwood said she kept Miller updated on her plans as The Handmaid’s Tale was coming to an end.
“I read the scripts; I make notes on them,” she added. “I have influence but no actual power. But luckily we’re in accord most of the time.”
Keep scrolling to meet The Testaments cast — and get a breakdown of who they play:
Ann Dowd
After playing Aunt Lydia in the OG series, Dowd is returning as a key player in orchestrating Gilead’s downfall from the inside.
Chase Infiniti
June’s daughter, Agnes, was raised in Gilead and formerly known as Hannah before taking part in the resistance.
Lucy Halliday
The character Daisy is described as a Canadian teenager whose life is upended as she becomes a crucial part of taking down Gilead.
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Rowan Blanchard
The Girl Meets World alum plays Shunammite a.k.a a pampered, prominent Gilead girl whose story intersects with Agnes and Daisy’s.
Mattea Conforti
Becka’s character description teases “a kind but shy girl from a lower-class background who becomes a Supplicant and ally.”
Mabel Li
Aunt Vidala is a “powerful, fundamentalist Aunt who vies for authority,” according to the show’s breakdown of the character.
Amy Seimetz
Agnes’ harsh stepmother is named Paula and will be explored on screen.
