The Handmaid's Roles: Cast in Other Roles

[Whimsy]

I thought it may be good to talk about the cast in other roles that we've enjoyed (or not). 

Obviously, most are familiar with the biggest actor's/roles:

Elizabeth Moss- Madmen and Top of the Lake

Alexis Bleidel- Gilmore Girl & Madmen

Yvonne Strahovski- Chuck 

Joseph Fiennes- Shakespeare in Love 

Samira Wiley- Orange is the New Black 

It seems there's not a whole lotta "Nick" love, but I personally have been a fan of Max Minghella's since I saw him in Elvis and Anabelle. 

What are some of your favorite roles of this wonderful cast?

[Eureka]

Don't forget "Dr. Donnie" (Kristian Bruun from Orphan Black)! Yes, I know he was a one hit wonder on this show, but I love him as Donnie.

[chocolatine]

5 hours ago, GenL said:

Yvonne Strahovski- Chuck 

She was also on The Astronaut Wives Club, a mini-series that aired a few years ago on ABC

[boes]

O. T. Fagbenle, who plays Luke was in HBO's series, "Looking", and his character was by far my favorite, due in large part to this actor's talent. 

And there just aren't enough words to describe how good Samira Wiley was in "Orange is the New Black".

[EC Amber]

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

She was also on The Astronaut Wives Club, a mini-series that aired a few years ago on ABC

And Dexter :-)

[Eyes High]

Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia) was fantastic in The Leftovers. Great actress!

Although it has been mentioned already, I loved Samira Wiley as Poussey in Orange is the New Black. Another OITNB actress in the show is Madeline Brewer (Janine/Ofwarren), who played Tricia Miller in Season 1.

Max Minghella I haven't seen in anything except The Social Network. I remember there was a big brouhaha when he was cast because the character (Divya Narendra) was Indian.

Joseph Fiennes I remember not from Shakespeare in Love but from his performance as Robert Dudley in the historically inaccurate but gloriously entertaining Elizabeth.

Although it's not unusual to have British actors playing the American lead character in American TV shows (House, Billions, The Walking Dead, True Blood, Preacher, Sons of Anarchy, etc.), it is a little unusual for all the lead male American characters to be played by British actors: Joseph Fiennes, O-T Fagbenle, and Max Minghella. 

[bonniejmac]

17 hours ago, chocolatine said:

22 hours ago, GenL said:

Yvonne Strahovski- Chuck 

She was also on The Astronaut Wives Club, a mini-series that aired a few years ago on ABC

And the wife she played, Rene Carpenter, was a full-on, trailblazing feminist. Absolutely fabulous. I have about 1/2 of the AWC episodes still on my DVR and just re-watched a few weeks ago as a palate-cleanser for this show. 

[chocolatine]

Amanda Brugel, who plays Rita, had a small role on Orphan Black - as Marci Coates, against whom Allison ran for school board trustee. Even though I'm a huge OB fan and have seen each episode at least twice, I didn't figure it out until I looked Amanda Brugel up on IMDB. She looks completely different as Rita.

[Eureka]

To those who also watch Orphan Black and watched the season 5 premier, is the woman who is "Mud" who shows Cosima around Revival the same one who said she went to a bat mitzvah at the hotel where the Mexican ambassador banquet was?

[chocolatine]

12 minutes ago, Eureka said:

To those who also watch Orphan Black and watched the season 5 premier, is the woman who is "Mud" who shows Cosima around Revival the same one who said she went to a bat mitzvah at the hotel where the Mexican ambassador banquet was?

Yes. Her Handmaid name is Ofsamuel.

[Guest]

I remember Alexis Bledel from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.  And Joseph Fiennes from Flashforward.  

[Lurky McLurkerson]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Elisabeth Moss's recurring role on The West Wing, where she played the president's youngest daughter.  Honestly, I'm not much of a Moss fan - I have loved the characters that she's played in TWW, Mad Men, and Handmaid's Tale, but I always feel like the material makes her shine instead of the other way around.  Samira Wiley, on the other hand, I could watch all day.  Ann Dowd, too, though most of my exposure to her is from her parade of L&O guest appearances.

[Becks]

I first saw Yvonne Strahovski years ago in a movie called The Canyon, a very solid survival thriller in which she plays a honeymooner who goes on a Grand Canyon hike with a psycho guide and has all manner of mayhem befall her.

Ann Dowd I have loved ever since she played the rebellious nun Sister Mo on Nothing Sacred (RIP!) back in the late '90s. So happy she is having this late-career renaissance in the last couple of years.

I thought Max Minghella was charming in Elvis and Anabelle - mentioned by our thread-starter GenL - in which he plays a small-town Southern mortician who brings the local beauty queen (whose heart gave out as a result of her eating disorder!) back to life with a kiss. It's so sweet it actually made me tolerate Blake Lively. He was also Danny Castellano's gay brother Richie on The Mindy Project.

[paulvdb]

Sydney Sweeney (Eden) was Emaline in Everything Sucks, a Netflix series that was unfortunately cancelled after one season.

[Umbelina]

I've seen Elizabeth Moss in several other roles, especially Mad Men, but also Top of the Lake.  It would be interesting to see her on stage, but since I'm no where near Broadway, I doubt that will happen. 

Alexis Bledel, I loved her role on Madmen, and I think it's adorable that she married Vincent Kartheiser, since I thought they were perfect together.  I've also seen her in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies, but I never really got hooked on Gilmore Girls.

Edited July 1, 2018 by Umbelina

[charmed1]

The actress who played Eden is (was) playing another teenager on Sharp Objects. I blamed her monotone, barely audible voice on the Handmaid’s Tale. I was wrong. It was a struggle to hear her in this role as well.

[alexvillage]

Not a fan of Elisabeth Moss either but I thought she played a convincing teenager in TWW, in the first couple of seasons. After that the writing for the character was all over the place, there wasn't much she could do with it.

On Top of The Lake she was terrible. I had a very hard time watching that show. Some say that her accent was one of the worst ever attempted by an American actor.

I liked Alexis Bledel in Gilmore Girls but I only watched the first two seasons. And I don't really remember Traveling Pants.

Never saw Joseph Fiennes in anything other than Shakespeare in Love. Didn't like him then, don't like him now.

[Veronimo]

Max Minghella was in the comedy "The Internship," a movie which—for reasons none of us can truly articulate—my entire family finds hilarious. The Quidditch scene alone kills us, and Max makes for a funny little villain. Gets to use his native accent, too.

[charmed1]

On 7/26/2018 at 12:41 PM, Veronimo said:

Max Minghella was in the comedy "The Internship," a movie which—for reasons none of us can truly articulate—my entire family finds hilarious. The Quidditch scene alone kills us, and Max makes for a funny little villain. Gets to use his native accent, too.

Oh! He played the little British jerk on the rival intern team. I didn’t even recognize him. He looked so much younger and smaller in that movie. Most actors look short next to Vince Vaughn though.

[prettypitties]

Way late to this thread, but Amanda Brugel (Rita) was the female cop in Room.

[Mrs. DuRona]

Mr. D and I went to see "Us" last weekend (great movie!) and it was very odd to see Elisabeth Moss all made up and chillin' on the beach... 

Spoiler

Until her doppelganger showed up with no makeup and stared at the camera.  Then it felt a little more "normal"

[PamelaMaeSnap]

On 4/10/2019 at 10:31 AM, Mrs. DuRona said:

Mr. D and I went to see "Us" last weekend (great movie!) and it was very odd to see Elisabeth Moss all made up and chillin' on the beach... 

  Reveal spoiler

Until her doppelganger showed up with no makeup and stared at the camera.  Then it felt a little more "normal"

Another actor from "Us," Yahya Abdul-Mateen (Russell Thomas), had a memorable one-episode turn on HMT as Omar (maybe best man ever on this show) and stars in season-opener of "Black Mirror" as Karl. 

[greekmom]

Didn't know where to post this but if you are in Toronto on Friday, Amanda Brugel (Rita) will be at Fan Expo Canada with the Kim Convenience cast.

[mamadrama]

So today I sat down and watched a movie on Hulu called STILL. I was very critical of it at first-within the first 20 minutes the only positive thing I could say was that the characters were pronouncing "Appalachia" correctly. It seemed be following the old tropes of portraying my people and region. However, I stuck with it (okay, I cheated and read a spoiler to get the ending) and I wound up REALLY liking it. I was halfway through the movie before I realized that the main girl was MadelineBrewer (Janine). She was amazing. The movie is quirky and a little slow, but it wasn't offensive at all and I even found myself enjoying it. 

[Brn2bwild]

Has anyone here watched "Stateless," the limited Netflix series (six episodes)?  It's set in early 2000s Australia and is about an immigration detention center.  Yvonne Strahovsky is in it, playing a really different character from Sabrina.

[chocolatine]

22 hours ago, Brn2bwild said:

Has anyone here watched "Stateless," the limited Netflix series (six episodes)?  It's set in early 2000s Australia and is about an immigration detention center.  Yvonne Strahovsky is in it, playing a really different character from Sabrina.

I have, and I started a thread for it.

Edited July 23, 2020 by chocolatine

[Baltimore Betty]

On 7/21/2020 at 10:01 PM, Brn2bwild said:

Has anyone here watched "Stateless," the limited Netflix series (six episodes)?  It's set in early 2000s Australia and is about an immigration detention center.  Yvonne Strahovsky is in it, playing a really different character from Sabrina.

I loved her in that show!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sydney Sweeney is a main cast member on Euphoria.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Samira Wiley and wife Lauren Morelli welcome their first baby!

[Linderhill]

I started watching Kim's Convenience a week ago and was pleasantly surprised to recognize Amanda Brugel as the new pastor.  It took me a moment, I knew she looked familiar and that I'd read she'd been in other shows but it was great to see her in a comedic role.

[Umbelina]

Jordan Blake / Hannah

Is awfully busy for such a young actress.  Along with playing Hannah since she was 6 or 7 on Handmaid's Tale, to present day at the ripe old age of 10 or 11?  She's been in several other projects.

10 TV shows, some recurring, one just as a voice over.

Including Star Trek Discovery.

[mamadrama]

I watched Angel of Mine with Yvonne and went in with the same expectations that I would go in for a Lifetime or Sunday night movie. I was pleasantly surprised, though. It was cheesy, but remarkably more enjoyable than I expected.

I still love STILL with Madeline Brewer. As an Appalachian I generally go into those films with gritted teeth. My kids and I made up an Appalachian BINGO game to play when watching them. Surprisingly, none of us won watching STILL. It was a good movie. Kind of a mystery/mountain fable. 

Edited June 4, 2021 by mamadrama

[greekmom]

On 6/2/2021 at 4:23 PM, Linderhill said:

I started watching Kim's Convenience a week ago and was pleasantly surprised to recognize Amanda Brugel as the new pastor.  It took me a moment, I knew she looked familiar and that I'd read she'd been in other shows but it was great to see her in a comedic role.

She was also in a few episodes of Workin Moms in one of the early seasons.

[Hathaway]

On 6/3/2021 at 6:41 AM, Umbelina said:

Jordan Blake / Hannah

Is awfully busy for such a young actress.  Along with playing Hannah since she was 6 or 7 on Handmaid's Tale, to present day at the ripe old age of 10 or 11?  She's been in several other projects.

10 TV shows, some recurring, one just as a voice over.

Including Star Trek Discovery.

I really thought it was a new actress each time.  Wow. It could get weird now that puberty threatens, especially in this dystopian nightmare.

On 6/4/2021 at 9:47 AM, mamadrama said:

I watched Angel of Mine with Yvonne and went in with the same expectations that I would go in for a Lifetime or Sunday night movie. I was pleasantly surprised, though. It was cheesy, but remarkably more enjoyable than I expected.

I still love STILL with Madeline Brewer. As an Appalachian I generally go into those films with gritted teeth. My kids and I made up an Appalachian BINGO game to play when watching them. Surprisingly, none of us won watching STILL. It was a good movie. Kind of a mystery/mountain fable. 

Good to know, thanks!  I do too, so I have avoided it.

[TigerLily20]

On 6/2/2021 at 4:23 PM, Linderhill said:

I started watching Kim's Convenience a week ago and was pleasantly surprised to recognize Amanda Brugel as the new pastor.  It took me a moment, I knew she looked familiar and that I'd read she'd been in other shows but it was great to see her in a comedic role.

I love her as Pastor Nina, it took me a minute also when I first saw her to figure out where she was from.

[Hathaway]

It's so strange watching Bradley Whitman on Flack.  Commander Lawrence as a kiddie porn dude.

[circumvent]

5 hours ago, Hathaway said:

It's so strange watching Bradley Whitman on Flack.  Commander Lawrence as a kiddie porn dude.

Whitford

[Hathaway]

15 hours ago, circumvent said:

Whitford

Oops!  Thanks.

He was creepily similar and sinister.

[EllaWycliffe]

I saw Elizabeth Moss in a really early Law and Order SVU. She was super young.

[Umbelina]

2 hours ago, Hathaway said:

Oops!  Thanks.

He was creepily similar and sinister.

I love that show!  

Yeah, I remember that episode, he sounded exactly like Commander Lawrence, which made me question his range as an actor, but he was very effective as a self centered asshole, and I believed he was into child porn and more.  I loved the resolve on that episode too.

[ReganX]

On 6/14/2021 at 5:34 AM, EllaWycliffe said:

I saw Elizabeth Moss in a really early Law and Order SVU. She was super young.

The first thing I ever saw her in was Gypsy, as Baby Louise. She would have been about 11 when it was made.

[chaifan]

I've been doing a rewatch of The West Wing.  Seeing both Elizabeth Moss and Bradley Whitford in their roles there, then watching an episode of THT gives me mental whiplash!  Elizabeth Moss was very young then, and sounds it.  Her voice/tone now is very different.  Whitford, not so much.  Both of his characters are full of snark and sarcasm, and his line delivery is very similar in both shows.  Couldn't find two characters more different, though.

 

 

[anna0852]

McKenna Grace is currently starring in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and killing it! For a young actress she had impressive range. There's one scene in particular though when she really seems to channel Mrs. Keyes. 

[chocolatine]

O-T Fagbenle has been keeping busy while THT is on hiatus. He'll appear on WeCrashed, premiering later this month, and on The First Lady - as Barack Obama, no less! - premiering in April.

[Lukeysboat]

I decided to rewatch the first season of House. Episode four and there was Ever Carradine (Mrs. Putnam) as a new mom of a very sick baby.  Then episode five brought Ann Dowd as Mother Superior. Kinda funny seeing THT actors two eps in a row. 

[circumvent]

Trying to run away from news and politics podcasts, I came across this podcast that is actually very interesting depending on the guest. The one I heard was with Bradley Whitford, who seems to be a pretty relatable guy. He directed one of the last episodes of the season - guess the one airing next week - and has high praises for Elizabeth Moss. The praise was also to "Serena" (can't remember the actor's name) and a scene between the two of them.

Not really a "role" because it is a conversation/interview, so he is himself but it is very fun to listen to.