Actor from 'The Handmaid's Tale' shares memories of reactions to 'The Testament' cast choices
In an chat with THR, Amanda Brugel, who plays Rita in The Handmaid's Tale, revealed some intriguing tidbits about her involvement in the upcoming spin-off, The Testaments. When asked if she knew about her role in the sequel, she confessed she had no idea – her fiancee's brother-in-law was the one to spill the beans, leaving her in a state of tearful disbelief and needing a quick trip to the bathroom to compose herself!
The actress proudly revealed she had two copies of The Testaments, but the page with the dedication was torn out and now proudly displayed in her bathroom. Quite the coincidence, you might say, given that Amanda wrote a college thesis on Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel, focusing on the character Rita, which she later played in the Hulu-adapted show.
Reflecting on her 1996 college thesis, Amanda shared her enthusiasm for the book and Atwood's portrayal of female protagonists. "I immediately fell in love with the book when I was 14 in a class for Canadian literature," she said. Winning a small scholarship to start applying for universities, her interest in the book and the character of Rita propelled her towards a career in the arts – but she was unsure if she wanted to be a writer or an actor.
To get into the writing program at university, she had to submit a thesis outlining her anticipated writing career. Choosing to focus on The Handmaid's Tale, specifically the character Rita, she earned a full scholarship to the York University writing program in 1996.
As of April, work on The Testaments is underway, and we eagerly await seeing Amanda reprise – and perhaps deepen – her portrayal of Rita in this new series. (Enrichment data: Amanda Brugel's connection to The Handmaid's Tale reflects not only her intellectual curiosity but also her passion for storytelling and feminism. Her involvement with the series highlights how her academic work laid the groundwork for her career trajectory, eventually leading her to embody a character from the very book she had previously studied in depth.)
Amanda expressed her excitement for delving deeper into the character Rita, as she prepares for her role in The Testaments, highlighting a connection that spans from her college thesis on Margaret Atwood's novel to her acting career in movies-and-tv and the spotlight on entertainment's celebrated personalities. In the world of entertainment, celebrity and art often intertwine in surprising ways, making Amanda's journey a captivating example of this phenomenon.
