The Cast of "The Handmaid's Tale" - In and Out of Costume

Based on the award-winning novel by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale is one of the most gripping and disturbing dystopian shows on TV right now. The series tells the story of June Osborn and her tragic circumstances when she is forced to become a Handmade in the new dystopian society of Gilead. The show has received high praise and renowned critical acclaim. One of the reasons the show is so remarkable is because of the impassioned and powerful performance from the cast. Let's take a look at the amazing actors and actresses of the show out of bonnets and see what else they're up to.

Nina Kiri as Alma

Alma is one of the most important characters on the show. She trained as a handmaid at the Red Center and ends up being a part of the Mayday rebellion group. Alma serves Commander Ellis and his wife. When she learns of the horrors her fellow handmaids are enduring, she becomes part of the resistance and collects testimonials from Gilead's victims. She now regularly appears as one of June's close companions and has some particularly prominent scenes across the series.

Nina Kiri

Funnily enough, Nina Kiri was only actually expected to appear in one episode on the show. Her talents surprised everyone and her role continues to grow throughout each season. Prior to her role as Alma, Kiri typically appeared in horror thriller films. Her credits list includes the likes of Let Her Out, The Haunted House, and The Heretics. Her acting career kicked off back in 2011 with a role in the TV movie Geek Charming. We look forward to seeing more of her in the new season of The Handmaid's Tale.

Samira Wiley as Moira

In the show, Samira Wiley plays Moira, the likable best friend of June. When Gilead's regime begins, she is tragically separated from her girlfriend and becomes a Handmaid, and is later seen serving the commanders at a night club. Moira is one of the few characters who momentarily receives her happy ending. She manages to escape to Canada although ultimately, she learns that her partner never made it. She is a strong character with unlimited drive and determination and yet she never fails to surprise us.

Samira Wiley

Samira Wiley is probably best-known for her performance in the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black. On the show, she played Poussey Washington, one of the sweetest and most likable characters on the show. Wiley's real-life love story is similar to her storyline on the prison drama. While filming, she met one of the screenwriters, Lauren Morelli. The couple slowly but surely fell in love and they are now happily married. Wiley has appeared in a handful of other titles but her role in The Handmaid’s Tale is one of her most powerful.

Amanda Brugel as Rita

Rita is one of the two Marthas in her house. She serves Commander Waterford and his wife, Serena. She is mainly in charge of cooking duties and she does her best to keep her head down so that she can avoid trouble. Nonetheless, she does what she can to help June when she needs it. Not much is shared about Rita's former life. We know that she has a son who she lost in the war. Most of the time though, she is depicted as a submissive, elusive character.

Amanda Brugel

In the real world, Amanda Brygel is the stark opposite of her character on the show. Brugel is an outspoken feminist and activist. She started her own non-profit organization called Brugs Army. The mission of the organization is to improve the lives of children and women everywhere. As an actress, Brugel has appeared in many TV shows, including Orphan Black and Covert Affairs. She recently had a small part in Suicide Squad and appeared in Room.

Alexis Bledel as Emily

Emily was introduced on the show as June's walking partner. In Gilead, Handmaids typically do chores like grocery shopping in pairs. Before she was a Handmaid, she was a respected biology professor with a wife. Unfortunately, the new world rejected her choice to live with a woman and she was labelled a "gender traitor." Emily is also the character who introduces June to the resistance movement. At one point, she attempts to steal a car so she can escape but she is caught before she can execute her plan.

Alexis Bledel

Alexis Bledel is a talented actress with the ability to take on all kinds of roles. In her early days as an actress, she played the overachiever Rory in Gilmour Girls. She recently reprised this role in the Netflix reboot. She also starred in the iconic teen flick The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Bledel has received much praise for her performance as Emily. The role is a difficult one and Bledel does a remarkable job portraying the multitudes of Emily's character.

Max Minghella as Nick Blaine

Nick Blaine was the love interest of June. He is a security man and driver who serves under Commander Waterford. Despite being part of Gilead's secret police force, he turns out to be one of June's most trusted companions. Nick risks his life for June on several occasions and does everything that he can to help her cause. He is always cautious and is a key player in the resistance. Later on in the series, worrying details about his dark past are revealed.

Max Minghella

Max Minghella is a multi-talented British actor. In addition to possessing remarkable acting skills, Max is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and a soon-to-be director. His directorial debut will arrive next year with the film Teen Spirit. You may also recognize Max from The Mindy Project or the acclaimed drama, The Social Network. Although Max has taken on many great roles, he is particularly proud of his performance in The Handmaid's Tale. He once said of his ambiguous performance: “I like that he’s somebody who people find somewhat opaque.”

Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia

Ann Dowd has an interesting role in the series. She plays Aunt Lydia who has the task of teaching fertile women about their new place in the world as Handmaids. She is the one that teaches the women how to behave and she often shows no mercy when it comes to punishment. Still, there are times when it is clear that Lydia does in fact care for the girls. She is put in a difficult position and has to balance her duty to discipline with her intuitive care for the women.

Ann Dowd

Ann Down is one of the most captivating actresses on the show. She has won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for her remarkable performance on the show. Dowd was already an acclaimed actress before she landed her role on The Handmaid's Tale. She has appeared in blockbuster hits such as Marley & Me and the Tom Hanks drama Philadelphia. A fun fact about Ann Dowd is that she was in fact Lady Gaga's acting coach.

Yvonne Strahovski as Serena

In the show, Serena is the author of the doctrine that was used to form Gilead. She claims she originally wrote "A Woman's Place" to combat the decline in fertility. Ironically, she lost all her power in the new world. She eventually found herself oppressed by the society that she had helped build. Serna's sole goal is to have a child and she is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. She is ש ruthless character and rarely shows her sympathetic side.

Yvonne Strahovski

Strahovski's character may be relentlessly trying to conceive but in the real world, Yvonne recently gave birth to her first child. She is happy to be starting her journey as a mother with her husband, Tim Loden. Strahovski rose to fame after she landed a role in the Australian drama, Headland. She is probably best known for her recurring role in the critically-acclaimed drama, Dexter. She has also appeared in 24: Live Another Day and The Astronaught Wives Club prior to being cast in The Handmaid's Tale.

Joseph Fiennes as Fred Waterford

On the show, Joseph Fiennes plays one of the most despicable characters in the series. Fiennes does an impressive job portraying the evil and villainous Fred Waterford. Fred's handmaid, June, has hopes that Fred does have a decent bone in his body. Unfortunately, she is not only mistaken, but Fred turns out to be even worse than she could have imagined. Luckily, Fiennes' remarkable performance as Gilead's villain is not at all reflective of his personality in real life.

Joseph Fiennes

When he's not playing one of Gilead's most devilish villains, Fiennes is a family man with a wonderful wife and two beautiful children. If anything, his role on the show has helped him be a better father to his daughters. Fiennes once said: “What I come away with is feeling that much more protective and much more alert to what my wife and my two daughters might have to put up with in society." Joseph Fiennes is not to be mistaken for his brother Ralph Fiennes, who is also a famous actor.

O-T Fagbenle as Luke Bankole

Before June was a Handmaid, she was married to Luke Bankole, played by O-T Fagbenle. Luke is one of the characters who did in fact manage to escape to Canada. Unfortunately, his wife and daughter are left behind. Despite their marriage, Luke does not have a predominant role in June's life. They occasionally send messages to each other to say that they are alive. Beyond this, Luke isn’t really able to do much to help her. We mostly see Luke in flashbacks of June's old life.

O-T Fagbenle

O-T Fagbenle is not just a talented actor, but a writer and director also. He has roles in several British films including the Daniel Radcliffe drama As If and the comedy feature, Grownups. Although Fagbenle had played the odd role prior to joining the cast of The Handmaid's Tale, it was his performance as Luke that really caught everyone's attention. He has now been marked one of 30 actors to watch. Who knows what we will see from him next?

Bahia Watson as Brianna

Brianna is one of Oferic's Handmaids and she is subsequently forced to take his name. She often pairs up with her fellow Housemaid Dolores when she runs errands. Brianna is kind-hearted and objects to cruelty, even if it puts her at risk. She has helped June in the past and is one of the Handmaids to share their real name in the poignant supermarket scene. She also refuses to stone a Handmaid even though it ultimately gets her in trouble.

Bahia Watson

As an actress, Bahia Watson is fairly new to the scene. In 2014, she joined the cast of The Handmaid's Tale and before that, she only ever had the odd acting role. One of these roles was in the drama film What We Have. In addition to on-screen acting, Bahia Watson has a passion for theater. She has appeared in several on-stage productions and has even written plays. In her spare time, she writes poetry and short stories.

Jenessa Grant as Dolores

Dolores is a Handmaid who is often treated unkindly. She is named Ofsamuel, after her master. In the iconic supermarket scene, Dolores reveals her real name. Janine mocks her but then Dolores reveals she has been named after her grandmother. One of Dolores' most poignant scenes occurs in a flashback. Dolores is denied permission to go to the bathroom and is then punished after she has an accident. Dolores trained at the Rachel and Leah Center with June, Janine, and Moira.

Jenessa Grant

Jenessa Grant began her acting career in 2010. The Canadian actress has had her fair share of roles. Her movie highlights include the drama On the Road, The Intruders, and sports drama A Fighting Man. Jenessa has also had other TV roles. Like a couple of her fellow Handmaids co-stars, she appeared in Orphan Black. She also appeared in a few episodes of Reign as Aylee. The talented actress also has a couple of voice acting credits to her name, including the video game Far Cry 5.

Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam

Naomi lives in the household which Janine serves. She is married to Commander Warren and is particularly cruel to her Handmaid. Janine's storyline is one of the most upsetting and Naomi has a hand in her Handmaid's breakdown. After renaming Janine's baby (Charlotte to Angela), Naomi forbids her Handmaid from seeing the child. She does, however, with some convincing, allow Janine to hold the baby when Angela becomes ill. In this beautiful scene, Janine nurses her baby back to health.

Ever Carradine

Acting is in Ever Carradine's blood. Her father, Robert, and her late grandfather, John, were both successful actors. Her uncles are also prominent in the industry with Keith Carradine having a role in Dexter and his brother, David Carradine, having a role in the Tarantino masterpiece, Kill Bill. Ever herself has had a handful of notable roles. These include an appearance in Chief and 24 as well as role in the TV series Shameless.

Tattiawna Jones as Lillie

Lillie is a strong-willed Handmaid who is fearless when it is time to take a stand. Despite knowing she will be punished; she refuses to stone her fellow Handmaid and inspires other Handmaids to do the same. It is Lillie who detonates a bomb in the Rachel and Leah Center. She is aware that the act will cause her death, but she is willing to sacrifice herself to take down some of the Commanders in the hope that this will trigger change.

Tattiawna Jones

Tattiawna Jones has had a handful of guest roles on TV shows prior to her casting in The Handmaid's Tale. Her time on the show may have been brief, but her contribution was certainly memorable. In fact, Tattiawna shares some personality traits with her character. She is very outspoken when it comes to her political and social beliefs and is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Following her compelling performance as Lillie, Tattiawna was cast in the drama series The Bold Type.

Marisa Tomei as Mrs. O’Conner

Mrs. O’Conner was once the wife of a high-ranking commander. After she has an affair with another man, she is sent to the colonies to pay for her sins as an "unwoman". Unsurprisingly, Mrs. O'Conner is not received at the colonies with welcome arms. The Handmaids resent her for her role as a commander's wife. When she falls sick, no one will help her but Emily. In a shocking twist, it tuns out that Emily has actually poisoned her as a punishment for her status.

Marisa Tomei

Maria Tomei is one of the most prominent actresses on the show. She started out her career as a soap opera stat but in 1992, she starred in My Cousin Vinny and became a household name. Tomei received an Academy Award for this role and has landed all kinds of roles since. Very recently, she was cast as Aunt May in the MCU Spider-Man movies. Tomei is often grilled by the media about her decision not to marry or have children. She once retorted: “I’m not that big a fan of marriage as an institution and I don’t know why women need to have children to be seen as complete human beings.”

Clea DuVall as Sylvia

Sylvia is one of the lucky ones who managed to get away. She is married to Emily and the couple share a child together. In a flashback, we see Sylvia leave the country with their son. Emily does not have a foreign passport and is forced to stay and become a Handmaid. Eventually, Sylvia and Emily are reunited. This is the first we see of Sylvia since she left the country so we do not know what her life has been like since her escape. The reunion is emotional and one of the beautiful and hopeful moments of the series.

Clea DuVall

Clea DuVall was an established actress before she appeared on the show. She has appeared in many films, including the award-winning Argo, The Grudge, and Girl, Interrupted. In addition to being a successful actress, DuVall is a producer and director. In total, she has over 80 credits to her name. Off screen, Clea is a proud figure in the LGBT community. She talks openly about her sexuality and often takes on lesbian roles in both film and TV.

Rebecca Rittenhouse as Odette

Rebecca Rittenhouse plays Odette, a minor character who is only introduced in a flashback. Her story is brief and tragic, just like many of the other characters on the show. Odette was a doctor in the old world. She falls in love with Moira, who she meets during the Handmaid's pregnancy as a surrogate mother. The couple become engaged but Odette's sexuality is discovered and so she is sent to one of the Colonies. Although her role is brief, Rittenhouse's performance is powerful.

Rebecca Rittenhouse

If you recognize Rebecca Rittenhouse, it may be because you have seen her face in Four Weddings and a Funeral Hulu reboot. The rom-com is loosely based on the 1994 film of the same name. In the past, Rebecca has appeared in several TV shows, including The Mindy Project. She studied acting at the Atlantic Theater company and performed alongside Sarah Jessica Parker in the off-Broadway play, Commons of Pensacola.

Erin Way as Erin

Erin Way plays a character who shares her name. Erin was once a Handmaid but she was luckily saved by Mayday and managed to escape to Canada to live with Luke and Moira. One of her best scenes is when she breaks her silence while eating cereal. Her friends presume her unable to speak but while tucking into her breakfast, she quips “Blessed be the Froot Loops”. This is of course a reworking of the Gilead phrase “Blessed be the fruit.”

Erin Way

Erin Way is a talented actress with several acting credits to her name. She has appeared in shows such as Love Vampires, Colony, and S.H.I.E.L.D. Before she became a successful actress, Erin was a ballet dancer. When she was a teen, she fell in love with drama. Her other titles include the sci-fi drama Supernatural and The Mentalist. She seems to enjoy the more obscure and interesting parts over your generic female sidekick roles.

Madeline Brewer as Janine

Janine was once a waitress buy in her new life she is a Handmaid named Ofwarren with a tragic storyline. She suffers horrible punishments and loses one of her eyes. At one point, she reaches rock bottom but sees the light and decides to stay strong for her newborn baby. Janine is taken to one of the Colonies and becomes one of the only characters to be brought back. She subsequently finds peace knowing that God is looking out for her.

Madeline Brewer

Off screen, things look a lot more promising for Madeline Brewer who truly is a rising star. She is another star of The Handmaid's Tale who also appeared in the hit Netflix series, Orange Is The New Black. Additionally, Brewer has appeared in the Charlie Brooker series Black Mirror and the drama movie, Flesh and Blood. She is popular on the set of the series and is particularly close with Ann Dowd. She once said of their relationship: “She’s just like a second mother to me. I love her like family.”

Sydney Sweeney as Eden Spencer

Sweeney's character has an arranged marriage with Nick. Their wedding day is the first time they meet. Although Eden tries her best to be a good wife, Nick has little interest in her. He is in love with June and his heart is with her. When Eden clocks on to the fact Nick is not really interested, she falls for another Guardian named Isaac. Isaac is one of Commander Waterford's guards and he is also a hopeless romantic. The young couple make plans to escape, although it does not go according to plan.

Sydney Sweeney

The young Sydney Sweeney has a bright future ahead of her. In addition to her role in The Handmaid's Tale, she has appeared in the Netflix show Everything Sucks! and the HBO mini-series, Sharp Objects. Her biggest role so far came more recently with HBO's Euphoria alongside Zendaya. Sweeney is not just a rising star though. She also studies entrepreneurship and aims to one day have her own business. She does not plan to let acting interfere with her education and has enrolled in Business School in hope of receiving a secondary degree.

Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne

June Osborne is the star of the show. She inspires strength in the other characters and plays a crucial part in the resistance movement. June was previously married to Luke and the couple had a little girl together named Hannah. June is unable to escape but instead of submitting to the regime, she does everything she can to help her fellow Handmaids. Ultimately though, her goal is to get Hannah and make it to Canada so she can rejoin her family. We are eagerly awaiting to see what will happen to her in the final season.

Elisabeth Moss

Elisabeth Moss has received an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her stellar performance in The Handmaid's Tale. As an actress, she has many titles to her name in TV, film, and theater. Elisabeth is also an executive producer on the show and like her character, she is strong-willed and determined. She instigated some important developments on the show, particularly when it came to her character. Moss felt that June should be more focused on her children. She once said: “She’s a heroine, but she has no special powers, you know? She has the special powers that a mother has, that a wife has… she kind of rises to the challenges around her.”

The Stars of “Game of Thrones” - In and Out of Costume

If you couldn’t get enough of the stars of *The Handmaid’s Tale* on-screen and off-screen, don’t miss the cast of *Game of Thrones* in and out of costume. You’re not going to believe what the actors of *GOT* look like out of their infamous costumes and in real life.