“Nothing can be more powerful than a teenage girl,” says Daisy in the season finale of The Testaments.
And nothing may be more powerful than the actress playing her. Of all of the teenagers in Gilead, Lucy Halliday‘s Daisy undergoes the biggest transformation — from Toronto teen to reluctant Mayday recruit as a so-called “pearl girl” to rebel heir apparent to June Osborne, ready to take on the fight with Gilead.
“By the time we reached the end of Season 1, Daisy has got an assuredness in herself and an assuredness in her journey in Gilead and what it is that she wants, because I think she spent a lot of Season 1 kind of darting around and not really sure where to go or what to do, and we end this season where she knows what she wants to do now and what the right thing to do is,” Halliday ells Gold Derby. Here, the actress opens up to Gold Derby about what it meant for her to have the baton passed from Elisabeth Moss — and what she wants to see for Season 2.
Gold Derby: What turned Daisy around and made her decide that she was going to stay?
Lucy Halliday: I think it was the girls. Daisy came into Gilead with such strong preconceived notions of who she thought these people were, and as far as she was concerned, she was better. She was from a better place, and she had no interest in integrating or forming relationships with these people. But as her time progressed in Gilead, she learned that actually there’s so much value and beauty in these humans. They’re worth fighting for, as all people are worth fighting for, and that she can help them by being there and not running away. She can do the scary thing and stay.
It’s been amazing to watch that transformation, especially in that final scene. Where did she find that strength to stand up to June?
A lot of it came down to Daisy realizing that the only family she has left, the only people she’s got left to love, are the people in Gilead, these girls. They’re her found family. Because beyond the walls of Gilead, she doesn’t actually have a life that exists out there anymore. Her family is not alive anymore. Her relationship with Justin has dissipated, and so the people that she’s got are in Gilead. When it came to that confrontation with June, I think for both of them, they had a moment of realization that they’ve been underestimating each other. I think June underestimated Daisy’s strength and determination to stick up for people she cared about. But likewise, Daisy underestimated just how much June has been through in her own life. I think they both found respect for each other in that scene. I think that’s why June felt the ability to pass the baton to Daisy in the way she did. She recognized that Daisy has a fire in her and a capability in her that she can look out for these girls. But also Daisy cares a lot about June as well. I think she respects her a lot because June is the only mother figure Daisy has left as well, and so there’s a lot of love there. And that’s what she’s taking back with her to Gilead.
June was the rebel of Handmaid’s. Is Daisy the rebel of Testaments?
We need one. I think it’s always lovely to have that — that character who has known a life beyond what Gilead offers and understands that this isn’t the only path we need to live and understands what injustice is and what oppression is, and wants to stick up for those that she cares about. She’s a bit of a loose cannon at times. Daisy sometimes can run her mouth in ways that probably isn’t the most beneficial, and she can make hasty decisions. But they’re always with the best intentions. She recognizes that all humans need to be protected and stood up for; that’s what Daisy is wanting to do. Gilead shouldn’t be an environment where anyone is treated lesser and that goes for Gilead, that goes for all of the world. And Daisy recognizes that, and that’s why she’s doing what she does.
Talk about the big reveal in the finale about Agnes/Hannah.
It’s such an anticipated moment, isn’t it? I think everyone hopefully will love that moment. Because it’s what we’ve been waiting for all season. But that was actually a really tricky scene to film, oddly, because there’s not actually a lot going on in it. I think it’s because we really wanted to land it in a specific way with the delivery that Daisy gives and also the reception that Agnes provides as well. We were really doing it again and again and again just to achieve that, because Daisy’s coming in and she knows she wants to tell Agnes this thing, but it’s not done from a place of malice, and it’s not done in a bid to send her off and disrupt her. It’s done to give her a piece of information that she knows is crucially vital and will alter Agnes’s experience within Gilead, but also trying to preserve that friendship. And so we were really tactical with it. But I think it does read the way that we wanted. Agnes obviously now has a piece of information. I’m really interested to know in Season 2, where that revelation mode take the pair of them, now that they’ve got their shared secret, because it is only those two that now have this understanding of who Agnes’ mother is. I think that’s really lovely.
And then she goes to Aunt Lydia with it.
It’s a really profound moment. I think what’s also lovely is it’s another opportunity for connection between Daisy and Agnes, because obviously Agnes’s mother is June Osborne. But in many ways, Daisy’s adoptive mother has become June Osborne. June has taken her under her wing, has loved her, has cared for her, and is the only mother figure Daisy has left outside of the world. And so that is now another shared moment of connection, which I think will only strengthen their bond potentially in Season 2.
Daisy and Agnes have come a long way because there was not a lot of trust between them.
For sure. Daisy came in and she had no interest in these girls, especially Agnes. She thought her lesser than herself. And I think the same can be said for what Agnes thought of Daisy. I don’t think there was a lot of love there between the two of them. But in many ways, I think that opposition that they first had was actually because of an innate similarity that they recognized within each other. They recognized that the other person was actually quite similar to themselves, both strong-minded, caring for their friends, etc. I think that’s why there was a challenge, but it was really fun to play those scenes. It’s been lovely to watch their relationship develop and the care that they now have for each other.
Do you think that Aunt Lydia intentionally put Daisy and Hannah together, knowing who Agnes was?
I think Lydia is an incredibly intelligent and thoughtful and calculated human being, and I don’t think she makes a decision that she hasn’t thought through. I don’t know the extent of what her intentions were or what she thought might come of it. But I do believe this was a very carefully calculated pairing. There was no mistake in bringing Agnes and Daisy together for sure.
Do you think Aunt Lydia was surprised when Agnes confided in her?
Yes. I don’t think Aunt Lydia predicted what would come of this pairing. I don’t think she had any understanding on that level of what might entail or unfold as a result of bringing these girls together. I think Aunt Lydia just knew that this was going to be the start of something and that it was a carefully orchestrated placing of two very interesting personalities together. But I don’t think she knew what she was getting and what avalanche she was going to set off. I still don’t think she does.
Talk about working with Elisabeth Moss. You were the only one who really got to share scenes with her.
It was unbelievable. Elisabeth Moss is the handmaid in The Handmaid’s Tale, and so I was very well aware of the stature of her and her history on screen. So I was in awe getting to share that time with her. In fact, my first week of filming for that show was entirely myself and Elisabeth Moss, which was kind of terrifying to get through that deep end. I think I’ve described it as a baptism of fire because you walk into a new job and you just want to do well. But here you are with Elisabeth Moss, and you’re like, “Now I need to do even more than well, because Elisabeth Moss is here.” But I truly treasured those scenes. It was such a wonderful moment of passing the baton from not just June to Daisy, but also Elisabeth to ourselves, because she really gave a lot of time and care for us. She was always there if we had any questions or concerns and we could go to her. Watching her on set was such a joy because she maneuvers that space incredibly. She is an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to this world and these characters. I think for me, in those early days, that was so formative to me because I would watch her and I’d be like, that’s where I want to get to. That’s what I want to be like. I want to be able to be on the set and know every detail about this world and these characters and Gilead, and I really admired her for that.
Talk about the scene you had with her in the finale, when you just casually mentioned the name Agnes, and she realizes that’s her daughter.
That scene was another big one. It was a lot of moving pieces, but I don’t think Daisy realizes what she was about to unfurl by doing that. It’s a really beautiful moment of realization on both their parts, because obviously June is now realizing who Daisy’s been interacting with and how close she’s become to her daughter, but also Daisy’s acknowledging what it is June’s been through, but also realizing, “Oh, this is the girl that I’ve heard about, this almost myth of a being, this child that belonged to June is a girl that I actually know.” Suddenly everything makes a lot more sense once they’ve had that conversation, because they have that level of understanding of the other person.
What’s next for Daisy? What do you want to see for her for Season 2?
I think Daisy knows what she wants. Or she has an idea of a plan, because I think Season 1, there was a lot of darkness over Daisy. She was a bit of a loose cannon, and she was just trying to figure out what to do or what the right thing to do was. I think by the end of Season 1, she’s made that decision. She knows what she wants, and it’s to go back in and fight for these girls. I think Season 2, we’re going to see her with a more clear direction in some sense. I think there’s always going to be a level of erraticness about Daisy, but I feel like she’s got her head locked on a bit to something. I don’t know how well it’s going to pan out for her, but that’s where I’d like to see Daisy go in Season 2, and just also develop those relationships with the girls more, because those are everything.
I can’t see her at a tea ceremony...
I think she’d try her best. [Laughs.] I think she’s developing a very strong newfound respect for the ways of Gilead and the things that are important to these girls. I’d like to believe that Daisy would wholeheartedly put her best effort into it. I don’t know how well it would go, but I think she’d give it a shot. I think most things she tries her best at, and they don’t always work out in the end.
What about searching for her real parents? It’s that something that’s going to be important to her?
I think it is. I don’t know how much we’re going to get to see in Season 2, but it’s certainly not something that’s left my mind, and it’s certainly something I’ve mentioned to Bruce Miller, our showrunner, that that’s definitely got to be somewhere fizzing in Daisy’s brain, especially now knowing that she herself was a child of Gilead and looking at these girls around her, knowing that she very nearly could have grown up in that environment herself. I think that’s definitely got to be a catalyst for a decision she makes. Thoughts and concerns she has in Season 2 is that knowledge that this is where she came from and somewhere is where her parents used to live and she can somehow trace back to that hopefully. I’d love for that to happen.
Do you think we’ve met them? Do you think it’s someone that we’ve met already?
I honestly don’t know. I’ve had so many theories myself. Everytime there’s like fan discourse on who is Daisy’s parents on like Instagram or Reddit I’ve screenshotted it and sent It to Bruce like, “Oh, this is a good one, you should write this.” So I truly do not know what will end up happening. I’ve got many people in my mind who I know who I would like, but I’ll keep that tight-lipped. But I’m not sure who we’re going to end up with.
What have you learned from playing Daisy?
I have learned the importance of always standing up for those that don’t have the opportunity or the means to do so. And Daisy does that incredibly well, even when it means putting herself into a tough spot. That’s the most crucial thing. And that’s the most crucial thing for all of us actually, is that if we are ever in a situation where we can protect someone or advocate for someone or be the better person in a situation, then that’s a choice we should make. I think Daisy recognizes that, and I really admire that in her, because I think the crux of her being is that she believes in fairness and she believes in justness, and she doesn’t agree with how people are being treated when they’re being treated wrongly. That’s certainly something I’ve taken on board. I think it’s so important, especially nowadays in this world, when there’s so much going on around us and we are bystanders to so many things that if we’re ever in a situation where actually we can voice an opinion, we can band together as a community to stand up for a cause or a person or a group, then that is what we should be doing.
Are you happy to not have to wear all white anymore?
Honestly, I’m kind of devastated! [Laughs.] It really, really grew on me. I really loved it by the end. If there’s any way I can somehow get back to my roots and wear white again, I would love to do that because it’s such a key part of who Daisy is. She’s a pearl girl. She’s chaotic and she’s a loose cannon and she’s mousy. But also somehow she is totally pristine — and she doesn’t at any point get anything on her dress, which I think is incredibly impressive. For six months, I didn’t get anything on my white costume which I’m incredibly proud of.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
