This post contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of “The Testaments.” Proceed accordingly.
That prison matron who lets Aunt Lydia in to see Becka in “The Testaments” Season 1 finale? She’s got the keys to far more than just the teen’s cell.
The white-haired woman dressed in black and wearing gloves is author Margaret Atwood, who wrote the novels “The Handmaid’s Tale” and its sequel, “The Testaments,” both of which serve as source material for the Hulu series of the same names.
Atwood appears briefly in Episode 10, titled “Secateurs,” when Lydia visits Becka, who has been detained after murdering her father. “Don’t agitate her,” Atwood’s character warns the Aunt. (Read a full recap here.)
“It was such an incredible experience working with the woman who gave us the space to create this TV show, and to work alongside her was also incredible,” says Mattea Conforti, who plays Becka. “It was the day on set where I had to be mentally insane in a prison, so I wanted to really communicate to Margaret, exactly what was Becka going through at this time, and what had she envisioned for Becka’s character at this point?”
Conforti adds that Atwood in character “was so strong, and she was scary!” but between takes, “She was so sweet.”
The Testaments was Margaret Atwood’s second cameo in Gilead
The episode marks Atwood’s second on-screen appearance in Gilead: The first came in “The Handmaid’s Tale” series premiere, in which she played an Aunt who hit Elisabeth Moss’ June at the Red Center.
Or, as showrunner Bruce Miller remembers it while chatting with TVLine: “She smacks Lizzie upside the head.” Miller says that Atwood is a very welcome visitor to the show’s Toronto soundstages, and that she observed filming on a few occasions before shooting her scene.
“The women in the cast who are huge Margaret Atwood fans grew up on Margaret Atwood, and they were on fire the day that she came. They were just vibrating,” he recalls. “We made sure she had a cool costume. She has as much fun as you can imagine Margaret Atwood having. She pretends to be so mean, but it’s just delightful.”
Did you notice Atwood in the finale? Have you heard what Moss had to say about June’s latest “Testaments” appearance? Got predictions for Season 2? Let us know in the comments!
