Inspired by the novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian series on an extremely patriarchal and totalitarian future in which 'handmaids' are forced to produce children for the ruling class. The show has made Elisabeth Moss (who plays the protagonist Offred/June) a household name while garnering similar acclaim for Yvonne Strahovski and marking a major acting comeback for Joseph Fiennes.
Apart from these actors, The Handmaid's Tale has also had its share of guest appearances featuring prominent character actors in small yet significant roles.
10 Marisa Tomei
In her diverse career with dramas and comedies, Marisa Tomei has won an Academy Award for her supporting role in My Cousin Vinny. Modern-day audiences might know her mostly from her portrayal of Aunt May in the MCU.
In the Season 2 episode titled Unwomen, Tomei plays Mrs. O'Conner, one of the Commanders' wives who lost her high rank in society for committing the sin of adultery. Even though she's shown to be a believer in her society's extremist values, she still has a few differences. She also believes God would ultimately forgive her for her affair was motivated by love. She's categorized as an 'unwoman', the lowest social class of women in the Gilead.
9 Jim Cummings
The Gilead's secret police force is known as the Eyes. One of its members is Burke who's briefly introduced in Season 1. Burke makes his rounds at Serena Joy's house, monitoring the activities and interactions of June. He leaves the place when he mistakenly thinks that June might be carrying a child for Serena, stating that he has all the information that he needed.
Director, writer, and actor Jim Cummings plays Burke. Cummings is mostly known for directing and starring in the 2018 comedy-drama Thunder Road that opened to rave reviews at American film festivals. His latest venture was a horror-comedy called The Wolf of Snow Hollow.
8 Laila Robbins
On TV, Laila Robbins is popular as Katarina Rostova on The Blacklist, and Colonel Grace Mallory on The Boys. In the third season of The Handmaid's Tale, she has another dominant, and uptight role as Pamela Joy, mother of Serena Joy.
Pamela is a Widow but despite the ostracized status of Widows in the Gilead, she manages her own household and enjoys considerable freedom. She constantly advises Serena to be a good wife to her Commander husband and to be a good mother so that she can enjoy the benefits of the unjust society they dwell in. She seems to lack all empathy as whenever Serena complains about her life, Pamela calls her a 'spoiled little girl'.
7 John Carroll Lynch
Reputed character actor and American Horror Story regular John Carroll Lynch guest-starred as Dan in the show's sophomore season. Before the Gilead rose and took over the American government, Dan served as a college professor, also serving as Emily Malek's supervisor.
A gay man himself, Dan is seen as warning Emily of the future that she might face for her same-sex relationship as the Gilead wouldn't tolerate homosexuality of any kind. Both characters collectively decide to resist the homophobic policies of their academy until Dan is brutally murdered, with homophobic slurs painted around him.
6 Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
John Carroll Lynch's co-star from The Trial of the Chicago 7, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II appeared in Season 2 as Omar. He's a member of the resistance movement that helped people escape from the Gilead. He also helps June escape to a safe house, also offering her refuge in his own house.
The actor was relatively unknown by the second season but he gained more attention with meatier roles. He appeared in an episode for Black Mirror's latest season and won an Emmy for playing Dr. Manhattan in HBO's Watchmen miniseries. By 2021, he's all set to appear in the new Candyman film.
5 Oprah Winfrey
Even Oprah Winfrey makes her way into The Handmaid's Tale, making an uncredited voice appearance as a newsreader in Season 2. More specifically, the reputed talk show host and philanthropist plays a radio show host in the 11th episode titled Holly.
Showrunner Bruce Miller explained her casting as: 'The radio segment she recorded was inspired by the free radio of the Allies from World War II. It was an absolute honor to have Oprah featured on the show, and especially thrilling as she was the one who presented us with the Emmy last year."
4 Zabryna Guevara
In Season 1, Zabryna Guevara appears as Ambassador Castillo, a Mexican ambassador who visits Selena's home and is briefed by the Commanders about the efficiency of the Gilead regime. Castillo also questions June, asking her if being a Handmaid was her conscious choice. To this, she blatantly lies that she has found happiness in this position.
Guevara might be known to fans of Gotham as Sarah Essen, the captain of Gotham City Police Department's Homicide Squad. She also appeared as Maret in the Stephen King anthology series Castle Rock.
3 Rebecca Rittenhouse
Rebecca Rittenhouse plays Odette, a doctor who appears in the flashback sequences in Season 2. She helped Moira with her pregnancy and later also engaged in a relationship with her. Because of her sexual identity, Odette was rounded up as an 'unwoman' by the Gilead and executed by the state.
Gaining fame as Dr. Anna Ziev in The Mindy Project, Rebecca Rittenhouse was last seen as actress Michelle Phillips in Quentin Tarantino's ninth film, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
2 Amy Landecker
The actress is popular for playing Sarah in the Amazon Prime series Transparent, as well as supporting roles in films like Dan In Real Life, and A Serious Man. Her recent film appearance was in Project Power. Amy Landecker plays a minor character called Mrs. MacKenzie in the second and third seasons of The Handmaid's Tale.
She is the wife of Commander MacKenzie as serves as the placement mother to Hannah, June's daughter. She's a kind-hearted, middle-aged woman who is never harsh towards her adoptive daughter whom she renames Agnes.
1 John Ortiz
John Ortiz has a plethora of character roles in his versatile filmography as a film and TV actor. He has also appeared in franchises like Fast & Furious. In Season 3, he's introduced as Jim Thorne, a widowed principal of the same school in which Lydia Clements (aka Aunt Lydia) taught before the Gilead took over the state.
Lydia spent a night partying with Jim, proceeding to get intimate further before Jim said that it's too soon for him to engage in such a relationship after his wife's death. Lydia cries out of embarrassment and ends up taking out her frustration on one of the single mothers of her students, handing her to the authorities terming her unfit to take care of a child.
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