In a dystopian, male-run regime, it’s good to have a friend on your side. So Hulu’s upcoming adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale has cast Orange Is the New Blackalum Samira Wiley as the BFF to Elisabeth Moss’ character, Offred.
Wiley’s character is Offred’s college pal and a fellow handmaid trainee, per The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the casting.
Based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, the forthcoming series from Hulu and MGM TV follows Offred, one of the few remaining fertile women living in a totalitarian society known as Gilead (but which used to be part of the United States). According to the official logline, “Gilead is ruled by a twisted religious fundamentalism that treats women as property of the state. As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred is a handmaid in the Commander’s household, one of the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world.”
The cast also includes Max Minghella (The Mindy Project) and Ann Dowd (The Leftovers), and is expected to debut next year.
In addition to playing OITNB‘s Poussey for four seasons, Wiley’s TV credits include The Catch, Law & Order: SVU and Person of Interest, as well as an upcoming episode of You’re the Worst.
