“It’s weird that that’s in the background, I’m sorry,” says Chase Infinity, sitting in front of a poster of “One Battle After Another” in which he appears.
As she tried to find a place to prop her phone up in her Los Angeles home for an April afternoon Zoom interview, she had to settle on a spot that immediately reminded her of her role as Willa in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Academy Award-winning film Willa.
“It just has to remain. We pretend it doesn’t exist,” the 26-year-old “Testament” star says with a shy smile.
That’s quite a challenge for those in Infinity’s orbit these days, as her critical acclaim and popularity have only increased since her breakout role in last year’s Battle.
But last spring, while filming Hulu’s sequel to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Infinity was able to maintain a level of normalcy around her co-workers. She has acted in plays, and her previous screen credits include one on Apple TV’s Presumed Innocent. And so began the “One Battle” marketing campaign.
“I hadn’t even seen the final cut yet, and I didn’t tell anyone I was in the movie until the trailers started playing before ‘Sinners’ in the theater and then Brad[Alexander, my co-star]came on set and told everyone I was in a Paul Thomas Anderson movie,” Infinity says with a laugh.
It’s a luxury that among the Testament cast, the one who broke Infinity’s cover was Alexander, who plays Garth, a secret agent in Gilead’s Mayday Resistance and sworn protector of Infinity’s Agnes Mackenzie, the daughter of one of the highest-ranking commanders of the authoritarian government that took over the United States.
Fortunately, the hype surrounding Infinity’s theatrical debut didn’t ruin the accidental method acting that happened on set. There, the largely female cast of “Testament” quickly became friends. (If anything, Infinity says the group was most star-struck by Rowan Blanchard, including herself, since they all grew up watching him on Disney’s “Girl Meets World.”)
Set approximately four years after The Handmaid’s Tale left off, Testament tells the story of Infinity Agnes and her friends Becca (Mattea Conforti), Hulda (Isolde Ardies), and Schnemmmite (Blanchard). They are the daughters of Gilead’s commanders and other prominent families. The teenagers (called “plums” or “greens” if they have already had their period) are trained at a wife school run by Ann Dowd’s Aunt Lydia. But girls will continue to be girls as governments impose oppressive rule in the name of plummeting birth rates.
Dan Dopersky (Variety)
“That was something we really wanted to keep in mind, because we knew the show was going to have a younger perspective just because of who this story was following,” Infinity says. “What I particularly liked about the first two episodes that I read when I signed on was the amount of love that Agnes has for her friends and how close-knit that friend group is. We wanted to show that it doesn’t matter where you grew up or how you grew up. Friendship is universal and can withstand the tests of culture and upbringing.”
Perhaps the most important relationship for Agnes throughout season one is her latest one. It’s his relationship with Daisy, played by Lucy Halliday, the “Pearl Girl” who appears to have taken refuge in Gilead after a wicked life in Canada. Agnes is entrusted with taking care of Daisy, but she is completely unaware that Daisy is receiving a mission from Agnes’ mother June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss), a Mayday rebel leader and former maid.
This twist will only be noticed by viewers who watched “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which ended its six-season run in May 2025. Agnes was born Hannah, the daughter of June and Luke (O.T. Fagbenru), but was later taken from them in the early days of Gilead and given to the Commander and his wife.
Moss, who is an executive producer on “The Testaments” and has guest-starred in several episodes, was heavily involved in casting Infinity. After her audition, she continued to be impressed by Infinity’s performance throughout the season, especially in the finale where Agnes discusses her mother’s true identity with Aunt Lydia.
“There are a lot of scenes that are probably bigger, more emotional, more dramatic, but to me, those scenes with her and Anne are some of the best work that Chase has ever done,” Moss says. “The way she walks the line of not revealing anything to Lydia, but then revealing what she knows, and then not really knowing, pardon the French, is really great. And watching her find that part of herself that’s her mother’s daughter but keep a lid on it — just simmering like a boiling pot — is one of the best moments I’ve seen with her this season.”
Infinity didn’t work with Moss on screen this season, but she previously worked with Fagbenle on “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Presumed Innocent.” Fagbenle also advised Testaments creator Bruce Miller on casting Infinity.
Dan Dopersky (Variety)
“We’re getting pretty close,” Infinity says. “I remember the first time I met him, he asked me if I had seen ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ because at the time I was familiar with the movie but hadn’t sat down and watched an episode yet. And he said, ‘Maybe it’s too dark for you to watch.’
While the Emmy Award-winning “The Handmaid’s Tale” was a hard work for many, “Testament” is a much lighter look at life in Gilead, which is usually dark.
“You can see the blanket of beauty that they’re covering their world with, and it’s making it more comfortable for them,” Infinity says. “So you might think, ‘Oh my God, you’re so lucky to have all these amazing things happening to you!’ But in reality, they’re still just as dark and scary. They just look more beautiful tied up in a bow.”
In between tea parties, dances, and courtships with older men, Agnes faces a sexual assault by her best friend Becca’s father, Dr. Grove (Randall Edwards). Although The Handmaid’s Tale dealt with the subject of rape in nearly every episode, often in graphic detail, Infinity said that was not what Miller and his writing team wanted for Testament.
“If you’ve read the scene with Dr. Grove in this book, it’s very disturbing, very graphic, and really heartbreaking,” Infinity says. “They decided early on that what they were going to see in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ was going to be very disturbing. And especially with Agnes and Dr. Grove, I don’t think she even knows what’s going to happen to her. So they gave the audience a similar vibe by not showing them too much.”
Infinity faced the challenge of juxtaposing some of the most intense moments with teenage life, such as when Agnes learns that her best friend is being forced to marry Garth, Agnes’ own crush and guardian-turned-commander.
“She’s a 14-year-old girl who’s jealous that the person she loves isn’t around,” Infinity says. “Essentially, regardless of the rules of Gilead and everything else, it’s just another part of a young teenager exuding out. Her body is changing, despite the system being what it is, and she’s figuring out what she’s feeling, her emotions, and the intensity of it all at once, while dealing with the madness of finding a husband in Gilead.”
When Agnes faces the reality that she won’t be able to marry Garth, the man of her choice (and far more age-appropriate), Aunt Lydia gives her a consolation prize to Commander Westin (Reed Diamond), the top candidate among this year’s eligible bachelors. From then on, Agnes’ rebellious personality begins to emerge.
“I think you can definitely feel the signs of June through her,” Infinity says. “But also, she grew up in Gilead. She knows the rules of Gilead so well that she can navigate them more easily than someone who just joined. She knows the limits. She knows how far she can push it before she actually gets into real trouble.”
June is an essential part of Agnes, but Infinity had to be careful not to unravel that thread too quickly and preempt the reveal of Agnes’ own true identity.
“When I first started preparing for this role, I re-watched ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,'” Infinity says. “But I also wanted to try not to rely too much on that, because ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is told from the perspective of someone who has lost everything.”
Hulu renewed Testament for a second season on May 20, one week before the final episode of season one aired. When I spoke to Infinity in April, she still didn’t know the fate of the show or what she wanted to do next. She is in post-production on Niki Byrne’s new film The Julia Set, co-starring Gillian Anderson and Christopher Briney.
“I still try to find things that inspire me or give me butterflies when I find something special,” Infinity says. “I’m a person who believes that what’s meant to happen happens. If this is the universe telling me I need a break, then I’m going to listen to it as well. But I’m also taking advantage of the time I have right now and being specific about what I want to do next. It can literally be anything.”
Location: The Preserve LA; Stylist: Wayman + Micah / The Only Agency; Makeup: Amber Dreddon / A-Frame Agency. Hair: Coree Moreno/A-Frame Agency;Dress: Alaia;Shoes: Christian Louboutin. Jewelry: Irene Neuwirth @ireneuwirth
