The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 Premiere Date, Cast News: Cherry Jones Casted As June's Mother
The second season of "The Handmaid's Tale" added "on" alum Cherry Jones in the cast roster.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Jones will portray the role of June/Offred's (Elisabeth Moss) mother Holly.
In the first season, Holly's name was mentioned in passing during some of June's flashback scenes. This time, she will appear in flesh in episode 3 of season 2. Yet it remains unclear if she will appear in other episodes this season.
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According to the report, Holly can be described as an outspoken feminist as well as a critical but caring mother to Moss' character. Her feminist ideologies were often referred to by June in Margaret Atwood's novel of the same title where the TV series was based from.
Series showrunner Bruce Miller first talked about incorporating Jones' character in the middle of "The Handmaid's Tale" season 1. "June's memories of her mother and her activism are very vibrant in the book, so we've been talking about her from day one of season one, and it just didn't seem like enough time to do her justice," he stated. "In season two, we mention her a little bit, but we just don't want to short-shrift her story. It's a story we want to tell — she was one of the most memorable characters."
Moss, on the other hand, admitted that Jones was the first actress that she had in mind for the character. "Cherry was my fantasy choice [for the part]," she stated. "We sent her the script, she wrote a lovely email back and she said yes almost immediately."
Aside from "24," the Tony Award Best Actress in a Play awardee was also known for her critically-acclaimed role in "The Glass Menagerie," "The Horse Whisperer," and NBC's "Awake."
Hulu will release the first two episodes of "The Handmaid's Tale" on Wednesday, April 25, while the succeeding episodes will be released weekly after its premiere.
