Actor Lucy Halliday says the bonds formed between young girls in times of adversity are at the heart of what makes the Hulu drama series "The Testaments” compelling.
“We see that in our show and it’s a really beautiful thing that friendship can flourish even in the darkest of places”, Halliday said of the coming-of-age drama, which continues the story of "The Handmaid’s Tale”.
“Sisterhood and community have always been important and they’ve always been a means of survival”, she added.
Created by Bruce Miller and based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, "The Handmaid’s Tale” depicts the totalitarian society of Gilead, a religious extremist regime ruled by powerful men who subjugate women following war and collapsing fertility rates. Some women, known as handmaids, are forced into reproductive servitude for elite, infertile families.
"The Testaments” is set years later and follows two teenage girls, Agnes, played by Chase Infiniti and Daisy, portrayed by Halliday, as they come of age within the same oppressive system.
Agnes has spent most of her life in Gilead, raised to be pious and obedient, while Daisy arrives from Canada as a recent convert. The girls meet at a Gilead preparatory school for future wives, overseen by Aunt Lydia, played by Ann Dowd, reprising her role from "The Handmaid’s Tale”.
Dowd said viewers will see a subtly changed Lydia compared to her earlier portrayal.
“I think we see a gentler Lydia, someone who has changed inwardly”, she said, adding that the character takes on a new role as headmistress of a school for daughters of the regime’s most powerful families.
Infiniti said the series continues to explore cycles of subjugation rooted in history, echoing themes from both the original novel and television adaptation.
“Everything that she writes is pulled directly from history, so unfortunately none of it is new”, she said. — Reuters
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