Chase Infiniti on Playing Agnes in "The Testaments" - All Of It with Alison Stewart

Podcast Summary: Chase Infiniti on Playing Agnes in "The Testaments"

Podcast: All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Episode Date: April 6, 2026
Guests: Chase Infiniti (actor, plays Agnes), Bruce Miller (showrunner)
Main Theme:
A deep dive into Hulu’s new adaptation of Margaret Atwood's “The Testaments,” focusing on its cultural context, character development, and the unique challenges and rewards for young lead Chase Infiniti, with showrunner Bruce Miller offering crucial insights into adaptation and casting.

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Hulu’s series adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. Host Alison Stewart welcomes Chase Infiniti, who stars as Agnes, and showrunner Bruce Miller, exploring everything from casting and costume design to the show's treatment of youth, rage, and femininity in the dystopian world of Gilead.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Adapting The Testaments: From Book to Screen

Bruce Miller was involved from the genesis of the sequel:
- Margaret Atwood began discussing the novel’s development with Miller as early as 2017, involving him as a creative peer ([03:02]).
- He had “kind of a vision of how it’s being built. And so that made it a lot easier to kind of decide that I wanted to be part of it because I was part of it from the beginning.” ([03:18])
Casting Agnes/Chase Infiniti’s Journey:
- Chase learned about the adaptation in late 2024, auditioning under a pseudonym for Agnes ([03:51]).
- She booked the role in early 2025 and quickly headed to Toronto for costume fittings ([04:20]).

Costumes as Character (05:33–06:25)

On Costume Significance:
- Chase Infiniti: “Even though the costumes are made to fit me, it’s still very restrictive. And I think that… at baseline really helped me figure out how I wanted to move in the world and how Agnes would move” ([04:51]).
- Bruce Miller: Costumes are “built into the idea” of restriction—the very color-coded environment immerses actors instantly in Gilead ([05:38], [05:49]).

Gilead’s World Four Years Later (06:25–07:23)

Gilead suffered a blow at the end of Handmaid’s Tale but is “punching back…they’re hurting, although they’re trying everything they can to make the world inside look unbruised. So as much as possible, it’s life during wartime” ([06:36]).
The most dangerous version of Gilead is when “they're weakened and on their back legs… especially what they'll do to this next generation of women.”

Portraying Agnes: The Princess of Gilead (07:23–08:02)

Chase Infiniti: At the start, “she is like the princess of Gilead. She has her whole life kind of figured out for her. And she’s comfortable with where she is in the world... love in her life. But yeah, I would say that she’s totally like the princess of Gilead when you first meet her.”

Girlhood vs. Womanhood in Gilead (08:02–09:35, 16:43–18:10)

The show introduces a perspective shift: instead of adult women, focus is on teenage girls and their universal experiences—friendship, crushes, puberty, bullying ([08:11]).
Bruce Miller: “...the force of kind of friendship and, you know, adolescence or puberty… those are much, much, much stronger than anything that Gilead can do... you're really looking at an irresistible force hitting an immovable object, and Gilead is the immovable object. But teenage girls are definitely an irresistible force.” ([09:36])
On Gilead trying to “infantilize all women” but “the girls of Gilead stop becoming little girls the second they stop becoming pinks...once you become a plum...you’re forced even faster into young adulthood.” ([17:13], [17:34])

Challenges & Opportunities for Lead Actor (10:39–15:54)

Chase Infinity: Notable pressure—“I knew how loved Hannah is and still is… I really wanted to make sure that I kept [Agnes’s] honesty and lead with her love” ([10:39]).
Bruce on casting: “...her audition was very fully baked as a person…She felt like she owned the character, which is very hard in a character that's been played by seven other actresses over the time period.” ([11:24])
On the difference between series and film: “With TV you need stamina...with film...we could spend days on a scene. Whereas in TV, you move at a much quicker pace...different muscles that I’m using in my mind and in my body.” ([13:33])
On being ‘number one on the call sheet’: “...be a voice of advocacy for everybody as much as I can...instill the confidence in my fellow actors and the people around me...” ([14:54])

The Young Cast Dynamic & Chemistry (19:42–21:32)

The relationship between Daisy and Agnes is central to the story ([19:42]).
Chemistry among young actors is crucial, and harmony is everything on a TV set. “If you have one person who’s kind of sour...everybody else does [badly], because that person is spoiling for a fight. So TV is a lot about harmony...” ([20:00])
Casting is selective and reference checks—including praise from actors who previously worked with Chase, reinforcing her leadership qualities.

Rage and Rebellion: Emotional Outlets in Gilead (21:38–22:54)

Girls are not allowed to show emotions—except during officially sanctioned moments of violence: “This is the one time that they can let it all out and not be...punished for it...that’s like...the first time that you see how, I guess how strong the rage is inside them, whether or not they know it” ([22:01]).

Adapting Multiple Perspectives (22:54–24:08)

Bruce Miller: The three perspectives (Agnes, Daisy, Aunt Lydia) allow viewers to “open up your eyes and open up your show to more parts of Gilead...you really hear three different voices of three different women, at different ages and with different perspectives.” ([23:07])

Race and Representation for Agnes (24:08–25:42)

Although Agnes has Black heritage, race is not foregrounded in her experience because of her privilege and her parents’ status in Gilead ([24:23]).
At the same time, she has Black companions (Martha Zilla, classmates), but Gilead’s racial politics are “kind of crazy to think about,” since Agnes “is not a lot of the things that [Gilead] would like necessarily" ([25:42]).

Dialogue & Real World References (25:42–27:31)

Real-world references seep into Gilead through parents (e.g., “weirdo" or references to Tinder), even if the girls are isolated ([26:01]).
Dialogue is “very fussy”—written carefully to reflect Gilead’s constraints and the vocabulary that might remain in such a controlled society ([26:01], [27:02]).

Relevance in Contemporary America (27:31–29:04)

Atwood wrote Handmaid’s Tale with a prescience that always feels current: “Every time I read it, it seemed like it was written for that moment” ([28:01]).
Showrunner’s focus: “...I try to adapt the book...If the book speaks to lots of moments, I’m sure it will continue to speak to lots of moments.” Attempts to write for the moment are limited by TV’s slow production timeline ([27:47]).

Personal Touches – Musical Theater and Curly Hair Care (29:13–32:57)

Chase’s Broadway dream roles: “Natasha...in the Great Comet of 1812...Pippin...whether or not it’s a named character or I just want to be in the ensemble...I just want to be in the show.” ([29:24])
Hair care behind the scenes: Chase twists her own hair every Sunday for set continuity: “I would give myself three hours to wash and twist my hair and set it for the week.” Hair styling was a combo of personal ritual and professional support ([30:57], [31:57]).
Bruce Miller: The industry “handles black girl hair very poorly, and the fact that she had to do her hair on every—every Sunday is not fair” ([32:00]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On adolescence as rebellion:
Bruce Miller: “There’s no totalitarian state in the world that didn’t have rebellious teenagers. Even in North Korea, they have rebellious teenagers...an irresistible force hitting an immovable object, and Gilead is the immovable object. But, you know, teenage girls are definitely an irresistible force.” ([09:36])
On being a leader:
Chase Infiniti: “I really wanted to be a voice of advocacy for people as much as I could.” ([14:54])
On the power and challenge of rage:
Chase Infiniti: “The first time that you see how...strong the rage is inside of them, whether or not they know it.” ([22:54])
On adapting for today’s world:
Bruce Miller: “It isn’t written...for the current moment. I think [Atwood] has a worldview that’s much broader than that.” ([28:02])
On costume as performance:
Chase Infiniti: “Even though the costumes are made to fit me, it’s still very restrictive. That...helped me figure out how I wanted to move in the world, and how Agnes would move.” ([04:51])

Timestamps for Key Segments

03:02 — Genesis of the adaptation, Bruce’s collaboration with Atwood
03:51 — Chase’s audition, secrecy, and casting experience
04:32 — Costume design and significance
06:36 — Gilead’s state after the events of Handmaid’s Tale
07:30 — Who is Agnes when we first meet her?
08:11 — Notions of girlhood vs womanhood in Gilead
10:39 — Challenges of playing Agnes
13:33 — Difference between film and television acting
14:54 — Leadership and advocacy as a young lead
17:13 — How/when Gilead girls “grow up”
18:57 — Scene/clip from the show: Daisy and Agnes at school
21:38 — The role of rage, sanctioned violence as outlet
23:07 — Multi-perspective narrative structure
24:23 — Race and Agnes’s identity in Gilead
26:01 — Adapting dialogue and real-world references
27:47 — Show’s relevance to current American politics
29:24 — Chase’s Broadway dream roles
30:57 — Hair care, self-care, and on-set rituals

Tone & Style

The episode balances thoughtful analysis, personal anecdotes, and cultural commentary with moments of humor and warmth, especially in exchanges about Broadway dreams and hair care rituals. The focus is always on the lived experience of the characters and cast, highlighting both the universality and specificity of Gilead’s world.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In:

This episode offers rich insights into The Testaments—not just as a television event but as a lens on coming-of-age, resistance, and representation in contemporary storytelling. Fans of Atwood and newcomers alike will find new reasons to care about Agnes and the world she inhabits, through the eyes of dedicated talent both onscreen and behind the scenes.