Samira Wiley got her big break playing Poussey Washington in Orange is the New Black, and now she's moving on to the cast of Handmaid's Tale on Hulu, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Picked up straight-to-series, the 10-episode drama is based on the book of the same name by Margaret Atwood. The drama stars Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss and tells the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly part of the U.S. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, 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 (Moss) 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. She is forced to navigate between commanders, their cruel wives, domestic "Marthas" (servants) and her fellow handmaids — where anyone could be a spy for Gilead — all with one goal: to survive and find the daughter that was taken from her.
Wiley will play a handmaid-in-training who is Offred's best friend from college. The drama will premiere in 2017.
Despite her emotional exit from the show we came to know and love her on (no spoilers), it's great to see the Julliard graduate score another gig.
Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock