Mattea Conforti always knew how “important” The Testaments would be. Following up Hulu’s wildly successful The Handmaid’s Tale, the sequel series—based on Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel—takes audiences back to Gilead four years later with the government still in control of its young women. At the center of it all is Agnes (Chase Infiniti), June Osbourne’s (Elisabeth Moss) daughter, who was unaware of her lineage until the gripping Season 1 finale. Beside her is her best friend, Becka (Conforti), who has quietly been in love with Agnes for as long she can remember.
Over the course of the first season—the show was greenlit last week for a Season 2—Becka has struggled with her maturing womanhood and with being forced to get married. In the shocking penultimate episode, Becka murders her own father after learning he sexually assaulted her beloved Agnes and other girls at Aunt Lydia’s School. “From the moment Becka accepts the truth about her father, she’s aware of what’s going to happen to him,” said Conforti. “It’s Becka’s divine moment of justice. This is what God is telling her to do.”
With Becka facing death for her act of vengeance, Agnes and the Aunts work quickly to save her by getting Becka’s mother to sacrifice herself and making Commander Garth (Brad Alexander) honor his marriage commitment. Agnes gives Becka her only comfort when the two friends share a kiss. “She has nothing else to lose. This is her last chance to show her undying love for Agnes,” said Conforti. “Agnes kissing Becka back is a way of Agnes saying, ‘I’m here for you; I support you; I accept you; and, I love you.’”
Conforti stopped by the Decider studio to talk about the series, dish on Atwood’s sneaky cameo in the Season 1 finale, and share her hopes for Becka in Season 2.
DECIDER: When you got the call that you had gotten the role of Becka, you were in a Biotech Ethics lecture at Harvard. How surreal was that moment?
MATTEA CONFORTI: It’s funny. My friends all saw that interview, and they’ve been teasing me by asking about how the lecture was [laughs]. It was very surreal. I auditioned for the role and I didn’t at all expect to get . I knew how important this production was going to be. My parents called me first, but I silenced the call because I was in a lecture and trying to pay attention. They texted and were like, “you should answer your phone.” So, I stepped out of my lecture, and then I got the call. I just remember screaming, “what? No way!” And then I went back in my lecture and tried to finish out the class.
I don’t know how you could go back in there and sit after getting the news!
[Laughs] I sat for maybe 30 more minutes, and then I was like, “I have to go. I have to get out.”
Did you watch The Handmaid’s Tale?
Yeah, my whole family and I are big fans of Margaret Atwood and The Handmaid’s Tale in all its forms. It revolutionized its audience and really started to spark conversation and community and change. It’s such an essential work.
One of the important themes of The Testaments is sisterhood. How did you bond with your costars?
We all arrived in Canada early for pre-production. We all sat down with our showrunner, Bruce Miller, and our director, Mike Barker, and had conversations about our characters and their relationships. It was easy to establish connections that would be important to our on-screen work as well. It felt like I had known these girls for 50 years before I met them. We bonded like a family. Outside of set, we would go to a ton of restaurants and do a ton of touristy things in Canada and just hang out.
Becka’s trajectory in the novel is very different than on series adaptation. Did show runner Bruce Miller talk to you about these changes?
That was one of the first conversations that we had when I arrived . Bruce and Mike introduced me to the idea that Becka is romantically interested in Agnes, which is different from the book in the sense that it’s more explicit and acted upon. We talked about how many more layers there are to Becka’s character in the series, and how many things she’s struggling with, including her own identity and her sexuality. There was a lot to play with. As an actor, it’s such a fun challenge to dive into.
When do you think Becka realizes that she is in love with Agnes? Is that something that was discussed?
Yeah, we discussed that. I think Becka has always known deep down that she’s had strong feelings for Agnes. However, these women don’t know how to navigate those feelings, and Becka’s never been able to be that honest with herself. She just knows that she feels a different way about Agnes. Becka doesn’t have the tools to label or communicate the thoughts and urges she’s having.
Becca is drunk the first time she confesses her love for Agnes to Daisy in the bathroom of the Ball. Is that the first time she’s dared to vocalize those thoughts?
Absolutely. It’s also the first time she’s being honest with herself. It was really special that she had that moment with Daisy. Daisy has a connection with the outside world, and she’s able to support and accept Becka. The other girls might not have accepted her because they grew up in the same world as Becka with the same limitations and same rules. Opening up to Daisy was what Becca really needed.
In a world where there is so much shame, there was none in that moment.
Exactly. It was just acceptance. Daisy even says it’s okay to feel this way, and it’s okay to be you and to be different in a world where you’re told you can’t be yourself. Becka knows that she has a safe spot with Daisy, but at the same time, she’s also wary because she’s been told to never trust a Pearl Girl.
Becka is in denial when Daisy exposes her father’s actions, but she believes Agnes when she reveals what he did to her. Do you think she knew she was going to kill her father in that moment or did that thought grow over the course of the day?
When Daisy tells her what happened, she doesn’t believe her at all. Despite the moment they shared in the bathroom, Becka is still angry with Daisy because of Daisy’s relationship with Agnes. At first, Becka thinks Daisy is doing this as a way to get at her and get closer with Agnes than she is. But Becka trusts Agnes and loves her with all her heart. So, when Agnes reveals what happened to her—and what has all been happening under Becka’s nose— it’s earth shattering for Becka. It’s heartbreaking. This is the woman that she loves and cares about the most. In Gilead, the punishment for a crime like this is well known. It’s what the aunts have been preaching and teaching for so long.
So Becka thinks murdering her father is the just thing to do?
Yes, it’s the right punishment. From the moment Becka accepts the truth about her father, she’s aware of what’s going to happen to him when the Eyes take him. When she takes it upon herself to kill her father, that is her divine moment of justice. That is what God is telling her to do.
The beginning of the finale features Becka in a women’s detention center. I thought I spied Margaret Atwood as one of the prison matrons. What was it like having her on set?
That is her! It was such a privilege to get to meet Margaret. We are all in the world that she’s created. We’re playing the characters that she thought of. So, I wanted to give my best performance for her because I wanted her to see Becka the way she originally imagined.
She’s such an intelligent woman, but she’s also an incredible actress. She was very scary when she was a prison matron, and I think she should explore that avenue of her life a little bit more [laughs]. It was amazing to get to work with her.
Obviously, Becka is not in her right state of mind in that holding cell. She’s singing this haunting religious hymn. Can you talk about crafting that sequence?
On set, I would sing all the time. That’s just what I do. I go blank and subconsciously just start singing. The writers would hear me singing around set and they told me: “oh, you know, you have a good singing voice. We should incorporate that into the season.” They wanted to do a religious song to show the powerful control Gilead has over Becka and all of these girls. Singing is a way for these girls to communicate. They’re not allowed to explicitly verbalize their internal monologues. So, they communicate through song and through worship. At least that’s my interpretation.
Ms. Grove proves what a mother’s love means when she gives up her own life to save Becka’s. What does that sacrifice mean to Becka?
Becka is devastated. She understands that the Aunts are protecting her by switching around the narrative, but she doesn’t want her mother to die. Her mother didn’t do anything. These women are answering for the crimes of men once again in Gilead, which is really heartbreaking. Becka’s world changes so drastically in such short amount of time. Now Becka has to let her mother go to her death while she herself walks down the aisle to get married. That parallel is really interesting.
Becka is in a fugue state on the day of her wedding, but she finally works up the nerve to kiss Agnes. Afterwards, Becka smiles and then frowns. It’s a beautiful bit of acting. Can you talk about that scene?
That kiss is such a big moment for us. We had conversations with our creative team, and we decided that Becka initially is first engaging in the kiss. She has nothing else to lose. This is her last chance to show her undying love for Agnes. In that moment when Becka says, “I’m okay because you’re here,” Agnes finally understands the way Becka feels about her. Agnes kissing Becka back is a way of Agnes saying, “I’m here for you; I support you; I accept you; and, I love you.” Becka pulls away from the kiss as a way of saying thank you to Agnes for finally seeing her. The kiss truly showcases their love for each other.
Agnes says multiple times that she ruined her own life to save Becka’s life. Does Becka feel indebted to those who made it possible for her to go on?
Maybe a little bit? She’s so wrapped up in her situation. She just killed her father, and her mother died to save her, and now she’s married to a man who is kind, but whom she doesn’t love. She’s aware of all these people sacrificing so much for her, but she would never have wanted Agnes to throw away her life for her. Becka’s not aware of the consequences of her actions until she sees them.
Becka also doesn’t asked to be saved.
She doesn’t. If anything, she wants to get out of getting married. After she kills her father, a part of Becka is relieved that the life she knew was over. She’d rather take her punishment than become a wife.
The finale clearly sets up a brewing revolution in Gilead, led by its young women. What are your hopes for Becka in Season 2?
I hope Becka finds some peace. She needs a moment just to relax and to process everything that’s happened. I want her to be able to have more honest conversations like she did with Daisy. I hope that she’s able to see that these girls are going to support her and be there for her. I want more moments like that for Becka.
