When The Testaments was announced as a full-blown sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, fans immediately wondered if faves like June Osborne would reprise their roles in the new show.
Lo and behold, Elisabeth Moss did indeed return as the titular Handmaid, appearing multiple times throughout season 1 of The Testaments in the form of flashbacks between June and Daisy.
That was to be expected though, at least to some degree. Moss works as an executive producer on the new show, after all, and her maternal connection to one of the main characters needed to be explored further on screen.
However, what did take many fans by surprise was the return of Amanda Brugel in the role of Rita, who also showed up via Daisy’s flashbacks in episode 7.
Given the opportunity to speak with showrunner Bruce Miller, we of course had to ask him if Rita, June and other surprise characters might return in future seasons of The Testaments.
“Oh, absolutely,” Miller quickly confirmed. “They exist in this world, and they’re still driving towards the same kind of justice they were driving to before.”
“June and Rita and Emily, those people still know each other,” added Miller. “If your friend’s daughter was still caught in Gilead, you’d still be part of that conversation, even if you weren’t day-to-day involved in Mayday.
“On a character level, I love that they’re all still involved and still committed to what they believed in. Even though they are personally free, they’re still committed to getting other people free.”
Miller is also motivated to bring the Handmaid’s Tale cast back for personal reasons too.
“I worked with those people for 10 years. They were the most wonderful and loving colleagues you could imagine. I would do anything to have another three days just to hang out with them.
“To bring them on set is a pleasure… I would have anybody who has time in their schedule, and I could figure out some way to get on the show. I absolutely would.”
Miller continued: “They’re all terrific actors, plus we do flashbacks and stuff, so even characters who may not still be around, we can easily have stories about.”
Unlike other shows that bring former cast members back just to generate discussion, there’s an organic opportunity to do so here which makes perfect sense within the world of Gilead and beyond.
Brugel brought up this exact point with Miller upon returning, asking him why he wanted to bring Rita back in The Testaments.
“I said, ‘Mostly what I want to do is show who [Rita] is now, so that the people who don’t know her are intrigued, but the people who do know her can fill in this huge delicious run between who she was when we last saw her and who she is now.’
“And not just with what she’s saying or what she’s doing. I want everything in her apartment to tell you a little bit of that story. And it really does.
“I didn’t want to expand the character. I wanted to fill in the time that we didn’t see, just her cool haircut and her two necklaces and culinary school. It all added up so you really got a sense of, ‘OK, she’s landed on her feet, she’s figuring things out.'”
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Don’t be surprised if we see more of Rita and June in season 2 of The Testaments, which was confirmed for a renewal just days ahead of the season 1 finale.
And who could join them? Mention of Emily suggests Alexis Bledel could be on the cards, and Janine (Madeline Brewer) feels like a strong contender too, although we’ll just have to wait and see what Gilead actually has in store for us.
Read more:
- The Testaments showrunner Bruce Miller explains “very complicated” surprise kiss in the season 1 finale
- The Testaments finale airs heartbreaking scenes – and The Handmaid’s Tale legend makes surprise appearance
- The Testaments showrunner teases what will come next in season 2 – and whether the show will run even longer than The Handmaid’s Tale
The Testaments is available to stream on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in the UK. Sign up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month.
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