Just because The Handmaid’s Tale has a spinoff series in the works doesn’t mean every cast member wants to join The Testaments.
During PaleyFest on Wednesday, March 26, Samira Wiley confirmed she wouldn’t reprise her role as Moira, exclusively telling Us Weekly, “Probably not. I feel like I’ve had enough of Margaret Atwood‘s trauma for a while.”
Wiley, 37, noted she was “looking at another direction” when it came to future projects. After playing Moira since 2017, Wiley is proud of the character she helped create for Hulu’s hit series.
“It’s bittersweet. I have never had the pleasure of playing a character for eight years and never had a character whose journey that I’ve been able to tell this story from the beginning all the way to the end,” she shared. “I’ll miss my cast mates very, very much. But I’ll also miss her [Moira]. I’ll miss the fictional character of Moira that I was able to create.”
Wiley walked away shaped by the experience, saying, “There are things that I’ve even learned from Moira in my own life. How to be an activist, how to speak up and how to not be afraid to be different. Being a Black queer woman and being able to give life to another fictional character that lives like me, loves like me, thinks like me in some ways has been an honor.”
Based on Atwood’s novel of the same name, The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a dystopian future where low fertility rates have resulted in women being forcefully assigned to men for the sole purpose of bearing children. In addition to Wiley, Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Max Minghella and Amanda Brugel have led the cast since the show’s premiere.
The Handmaid’s Tale is wrapping up, but the universe continues to grow. Atwood’s 2019 novel The Testaments is the next series Hulu is looking to order to series. While Wiley isn’t looking to make the move to The Testaments, her costars aren’t ruling it out.
Fagbenle, 44, who plays June’s husband Luke, joked to Us he would consider it “if they ask really nicely.” Meanwhile, Sam Jaeger also showed support for more scenes with Mark on the spinoff.
Related: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Cast: See the Hulu Show’s Stars Then and Now
The Handmaid’s Tale fans have watched the cast change on and off screen since the series first debuted. The hit Hulu series, which premiered in 2017, is based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name about a dystopian future. Due to low fertility rates, women were assigned to men for bearing children after a […]
“It was so funny when I learned how they were creating The Testaments. Originally in the book, it was so much further in the future,” he noted. “I just assumed that it was different, and they would have a different actor come in. But it doesn’t seem they’ve shifted things in a way.”
He continued: “So if they want me back, I would probably willingly do that. It’s such a great group of people. And to see the next iteration — I’m excited to see it as just a fan.”
The Handmaid’s Tale returns on Tuesday, April 8, and new episodes will be streaming on Hulu.
With reporting by Mariel Turner
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