The Testaments Cast Guide & Handmaid's Tale Character Connections
By Published Apr 14, 2026, 6:45 PM EDT
Memory Ngulube joined Screen Rant in April 2026 as part of the Movies and TV team. Since then, she has written for the Perennials and Streaming team, covering a wide range of topics from new releases to old movies and TV shows. Memory is currently a Classic TV writer.
Before joining Screen Rant, Memory was a freelance copywriter who specialized in email marketing and social media management. While she enjoyed her job, her true passion was always movies and TV.
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Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
Set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, moves the dystopian story away from the handmaids, instead exploring Gilead through fresh eyes and a generation that had to grow up under the theocracy’s oppressive rule. As a follow-up to the beloved Hulu series, The Testaments characters needed to give audiences something new while remembering what made the original show work.
The Testaments’ characters are fascinating, not just because of their backstories or the families they are from. It's that they are connected to in one way or another. Because The Testaments builds a bridge with its parent series, we not only see familiar faces but also how the country’s rigid hierarchy has shaped the lives of its citizens.
Chase Infiniti As Agnes McKenzie
Date Of Birth: May 5, 2000
- Active Since: 2026
Actor: Chase Infiniti was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. The actor’s debut in the entertainment industry was in Apple TV’s thriller, Presumed Innocence. After starring in the , Paul Thomas Anderson's Best Picture-winning film, Infiniti gained more recognition for her craft and as a star to watch.
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Character: Agnes, the primary protagonist in The Testaments, is the biological daughter of June Osbourne. When she was young, Agnes (born Hannah Bankole) was taken away from her mother and raised by Commander McKenzie and his wife, Tabitha. Like many girls her age who were raised in Gilead, Agnes is a full supporter of her government. However, as she thinks more deeply about her lack of rights as a young woman, Agnes begins to see the cracks in her seemingly perfect world.
Lucy Halliday As Daisy
Date Of Birth: Unknown
- Active Since: 2026
Actor: Taking on the role of Daisy in The Testaments is the Scottish actor, Lucy Halliday. Halliday got her breakout as Lois Jackson in the feature film Blue Jean, a role which earned her a BAFTA Scotland Award in 2026 for Best Actress - Film. The actress has also appeared in the short film Static and James McAvoy's directorial debut, California Schemin’.
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Character: In The Testaments, Daisy is a Pearl Girl, which means she emigrated from outside Gilead and had an interest in adopting the country’s customs as her own. Daisy, however, isn’t a typical Pearl. She was recruited by June as a Mayday spy who could help bring down the regime from within.
Ann Dowd As Aunt Lydia
Date Of Birth: January 30, 1956
- Active Since: 1983
Actor: Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Ann Dowd had been acting professionally for nearly 30 years before she gained mainstream recognition for the 2012 film Compliance, where she took on the role of Sandra and received several award nominations for her performance. Dowd has continued to enjoy a thriving, prolific career with her notable credits including Terminator Zero, Hereditary, and The Leftovers.
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Character: In The Handmaid’s Tale, Aunt Lydia was hated for her cruelty when it came to how she treated the handmaids. The character hasn’t changed in The Testaments, except this time, she is at the forefront of training the children of Gilead’s elite class. Aunt Lydia is a stickler for rules and a lover of punishment. No mistake, no matter how small, escapes the matron.
Mattea Conforti As Becka Grove
Date Of Birth: May 22, 2006
- Active Since: 2015
Actor: Mattea Conforti is a 19-year-old actor who was born in West Caldwell, New Jersey. Conforti's career encompasses a lot of stage work as well as movie and TV roles, and she is widely recognized for playing Matilda in Matilda the Musical. The young actor has also appeared in Power and The Many Saints of Newark, and voiced young Elsa in Frozen 2.
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Character: Becka Grove is the daughter of a handmaiden who was adopted by the Groves, a prominent family in Gilead. Like her peers, Becka had been groomed for marriage ever since she could remember. Instead of her future as a wife exciting her, the thought of marriage fills her with dread because that’s not what she wants for herself or her friends.
Rowan Blanchard As Shunammite
Date Of Birth: October 14, 2001
- Active Since: 2006
Actor: Rowan Blanchard made her on-screen debut at the young age of five when she was cast as Mona’s daughter in the Jennifer Lopez rom-com,The Back-up Plan. However, Blanchard’s breakout role would be in the Boy Meets World spinoff series, Girl Meets World, where she played Riley Matthews, daughter of Cory and Topanga. She has also appeared in A Wrinkle in Time, Snowpiercer, and Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World.
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Character: Shunammite attends the same preparatory school as Agnes. She has a biting tongue and a good sense of discernment, as she is the first person in the group to notice that there's something off about Daisy. Even with a fierce personality, Shunammite follows the rules set by the regime and doesn’t put a toe out of line.
The Testaments Supporting Cast & Characters
Isolde Ardies as Huldah: Isolde Ardies is a young and rising actor who began her career with small roles in Murdoch Mysteries and Ruby and the Well. She’s mostly recognized for appearing in Wayward and The Testaments.
Shechinah Mpumlwana as Jehosheba: Beginning her career in 2013, Shechinah Mpumlwana’s filmography mostly includes voice acting in TV shows like PJ Masks, Dino Ranch, and Lyla in the Loop. Mpumlwana has also had roles in Creeped Out, Rookie Blue, and Odd Squad.
Amy Seimetz as Paula: Amy Seimetz is an American actor, writer, and director widely recognized for her work in indie cinema as well as TV shows. The actor's notable credits include Alien: Covenant, Stranger Things, Say It, The Girlfriend Experience, and Sun Don’t Shine.
Brad Alexander as Garth: Brad Alexander has a relatively short filmography. In The Testaments, he takes on the role of Garth, Agnes’ guardian, who also happens to be a member of Mayday. He has also ppeared in You, Surface, and Lynely.
Mabel Li as Aunt Vidala: In The Testaments, Mabel Li takes on the role of Aunt Vidala, a strict disciplinarian who wholeheartedly believes in Gilead and its theocratic regime. The actor has incredible range, as proven by the number of movies and TV shows she’s appeared in. Although she is widely recognized for New Gold Mountain, Safe Home, and Bay of Fires, she’s also had roles in The Tailings and He Had It Coming.
Zarrin Darnell-Martin as Aunt Gabbana: Aunt Lydia might be the headmistress of Gilead’s elite preparatory school that teaches young women how to be perfect wives, but she has other people, like Zarrin Darnell-Martin’s Aunt Gabbana, who help her enforce her strict rules. Darnell-Martin came onto the acting scene in 2011 and has since amassed an impressive acting resume due to her roles in Ginny & Georgia, What We Do For Love, and Snowbound for Christmas.
Kira Guloien as Rosa: Raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Kira Guloien has starred in several movies and TV shows since she ventured into acting in 2006. Her filmography includes roles in Women Talking, 56 Days, Murdoch Mysteries, and Robyn Hood.
Eva Foote as Aunt Estee: Eva Foote is an actor and writer who, like Guloien, was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. So far in her career, the actor has mostly played supporting roles in TV shows such as The Miniature Wife and Murdoch Mysteries.
Birva Pandya as Miriam: Although Birva Pandya is a relatively young actor, her filmography is nonetheless impressive. She has had roles in several popular recent series, including The Institute, Umbrella Academy, and Murdoch Mysteries.
Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne: Elisabeth Moss stars as June Osborne in both The Testaments and The Handmaid’s Tale. However, instead of a handmaid, her appearance in The Testaments sees her still working to ensure the success of Mayday’s mission. Moss is a renowned actor whose work includes roles in Mad Men, The Invisible Man, Imperfect Women, The West Wing, and Us.
Cast
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Ann Dowd Aunt Lydia -
Chase Infiniti Agnes
A dystopian sequel series to The Handmaid's Tale set years after the fallouts of Gilead, the story follows Agnes, a young woman raised inside the regime, and Daisy, a teenager living in Canada who gets pulled into the fight from the outside.
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