‘The Testaments’ Star Breaks Down Daisy’s Most Unsettling Episode 9 Scene

Editor’s note: The following interview contains spoilers for The Testaments Season 1, Episode 9.

In Episode 9 of the Hulu series The Testaments, entitled “Marat Sade,” Daisy (Lucy Halliday) declares the start of her period, which means she’s leaving life as a Pearl Girl behind and becoming a Plum with all the rituals that come with that classification. Part of her new role means she must take a trip to see the dentist, which Agnes (Chase Infiniti) has explained to be something far more sinister than it sounds. For someone like Daisy, who already questions life in Gilead while there on a secret mission for the Mayday resistance, learning that the girls she’s gotten to know are being hurt by someone clearly taking advantage of them has pushed her to an edge she might not be able to come back from.

Collider recently got the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Halliday about the reality of life in Gilead and what it’s like for Daisy to navigate. During the interview, she discussed what she’d miss most if she suddenly found herself in a world that was no longer like the one she’s used to living in, keeping a music playlist for inspiration, the magical experience of getting to share screentime with The Handmaid’s Tale star Elisabeth Moss, what Daisy really thinks of June, the importance of the connection she developed with Infiniti, keeping a sense of levity on set for the more intense scenes, and how Daisy made her choice when it came time to deal with the dentist.

No Matter How Prepared She Was To Enter Gilead, Daisy Is Still Shocked by the Reality of ‘The Testaments’

“There’s so much horror that they are faced with.”

Collider: It’s stated in this series that the women of Gilead are valued, cherished and respected, which is hard to hear without wanting to cringe or laugh or even throw up a little in my mouth. When you watch everything that happens, as a modern woman who doesn’t live in Gilead, what was the moment this season that made you want to scream the loudest? Was there a scene or a moment that just made your skin crawl?

LUCY HALLIDAY: I feel like you couldn’t even pick one because there’s so much that occurs. When Daisy enters Gilead, she realizes that even though she had information on this place before she ever came here, she’s still shocked, and she’s continually shocked as the season goes on. The fact that these girls are presented as being the most important and precious ones in Gilead, and yet they’re afforded very little rights, if any, and they don’t have any autonomy over their future, there’s so much horror that they are faced with. It’s that juxtaposition that they’re supposedly the most precious girls, and that’s shocking. And it’s continually shocking as the season develops, just the extent at which they are exposed to horrors and the experiences of their lives.

Daisy says that she misses billboards with ads for light beer, personal injury lawyers, and outlet malls. If you suddenly found yourself in a world that was no longer like the one that we’re used to, what are the seemingly mundane things that you think you’d miss the most?

HALLIDAY: It’s interesting because I actually don’t think we’re that far away from Gilead in the world, so it doesn’t take too much imagination to project that. It would be very difficult to pick because there’s so much oppression that they face and lack of direction that they’re afforded in their own lives. I guess the freedom of communication is something that I think would be the first thing that I’d feel in my experience there. But I don’t think I could pick one.

Your character is very layered. When we meet her, we don’t know what to make of her, but that continues to reveal itself throughout the season. When you first met her in the script, how did you connect with her? What was your biggest way in? Was there something you always came back to with her?

HALLIDAY: The first thing I did was make a music playlist. Any music that I thought encapsulated the energy of Daisy, I would add to it. That was definitely a tool that I utilized during filming, and I’d often listen to it on the way into work, especially when trying to delineate between life in Toronto and life in Gilead. Having different music that encapsulated both was really helpful. What drew me to Daisy was just her innate fire and dedication. It’s sometimes her downfall, her blind determination for a cause. But I think there’s something really beautiful in how fierce and fiercely protective she is and how much will do for what she believes in. That’s definitely an aspect that I really admire.

What did you have on the playlist?

HALLIDAY: I had a real mix. I had a real variety, ranging from Doja Cat, “The Wind” by Cat Stevens, “The Times They Are A-Changin’” by Bob Dylan, “Rebel Rebel” by David Bowie. If I listened to something and I felt that it captured an energy or essence of Daisy, I would add it, and it didn’t need to be specific. If I thought, “Oh, this matches this moment when she experiences this emotion,” then it got added to the playlist. It was quite interesting, at the end of filming, to look at how varied the experience had been.

Working With ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Star Elisabeth Moss in ‘The Testaments’ Was Magical for Lucy Halliday

“Having Elisabeth essentially give us the thumbs up that we were doing okay was such a blessing.”

Image via Hulu

Daisy is also the bridge between The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, because you’re the one that gets to share scenes with Elisabeth Moss. What was it like to work with her and to share scenes with her? Did you ask her any questions? Did she give you any advice?

HALLIDAY: It was nothing short of magical, working with Elisabeth Moss. She’s truly phenomenal. I definitely felt apprehensive prior to working with her, just because I was aware that she’s the embodiment of The Handmaid’s Tale. She’s a phenomenal actor, and I was aware of that before stepping in. I certainly had a million questions for her, which I think I asked. The best thing about Elisabeth was the advice that she afforded us. It was actually not just a singular statement, but rather she gave us reassurance, upon joining this world and taking on these characters. That was such a blessing because I didn’t want to mess it up. I didn’t want to be the cog that ruined this already beloved machine. And so, having Elisabeth essentially give us the thumbs up that we were doing okay was such a blessing. That’s something that I carried throughout filming.

There’s the gossip about June, and then there’s the reality of June. As the one sharing scenes with her and figuring out who she is and what she really wants, what does Daisy think of her?

HALLIDAY: I think Daisy is found an important figure in her life. Daisy doesn’t have a family anymore. In many ways, June is the person who steps up and takes Daisy in and looks after Daisy. That’s a very important connection for Daisy. She definitely sees her as a maternal figure in her life. It’s someone that she can rely on to look out for her. But I think Daisy is continually being surprised by June. Daisy has formed a preconceived idea of who she thinks this lady is, in the same manner that Daisy does with the girls in Gilead. She has an idea in her head, but as time passes, the idea dissipates, and she gains a newfound respect for both June and the girls in Gilead. She realizes that they’re a lot more nuanced and interesting than she first gave them credit for. We see that, especially with June. It’s definitely a relationship of love. They have a great deal of care for each other. There’s a kindred spirit and understanding because they’ve both had very similar life experiences. They care for each other. I think Daisy really appreciates June and will always appreciate June.

So much of this season follows Agnes and Daisy, both on their individual journeys, but also together. How much of that relationship was informed by Chase Infiniti? What was it like to work alongside her and with her throughout all of this?

HALLIDAY: Chase and I definitely had an innate connection from the offset. We became friends instantly once we met. That definitely informed the experience that we had throughout the job, but also allowed us greater creative freedom when we were performing the scenes very early on, where Agnes and Daisy are not getting on and are very much butting heads. To have your scene partner be someone that you’re friends with and comfortable with really gives you a lot more space because you can really push them or go harder and know that no one’s going to be offended, at the end of the day, because of it. That as really great. It was really beautiful getting to watch Daisy and Agnes’ relationship develop as the season does, because it essentially just emulated the relationship that Chase and I had already developed.

There’s the moment in Episode 2 when you’re sitting in the chair in the middle of the room full of Plums, and you have the mask over your mouth and they tell you that must pay for your sins and that dirty words come from a dirty girl. It almost felt medieval. What was it like to shoot that moment? There’s something so visceral about seeing how much they enjoy expressing that kind of rage.

HALLIDAY: It was definitely unsettling being in that environment because it was such an emotive and volatile atmosphere. I was very fortunate that the cast and crew we had are incredibly kind and supportive. And so, when we did have scenes of a heavy or an intense nature, the levity that they provided in between takes was so crucial to the experience and it allowed you to be able to transition between reality and fiction a lot more seamless because you could separate yourself from the actions. But you do feel it at times. That scene is a really powerful scene because it further showcases just how much these girls have to keep within themselves and how much they’re having to subdue. The second that they’re given the opportunity to unleash, they are barbaric. You’re aware of how much they’re having to face in their daily lives for that quantity of rage to be building up inside of them.

Daisy Puts Herself in Danger With the Dentist To Protect Her Friends in ‘The Testaments’

“She sees an opportunity to stand up for them and to have Dr. Grove showcased for who she is”

Image via Hulu

In Episode 9, Daisy learns from Agnes about what happened at the dentist, and what she and some of the other girls were put through. When Daisy announces her period, she ends up having to go straight to the dentist, which puts some horrific events in motion. What was it like to shoot all of that? Why do you think she made the decision to take that risk and do what she did, even though it could have just gone very badly?

HALLIDAY: I think the reason she made that choice was because Daisy is watching all of this horror and wrongdoing being done to the girls around her, and she’s also watching the adults in this world and not one of them is advocating or standing up or doing the right thing. Daisy has an innate desire to protect those girls around her because no one else is. It really showcases the importance of standing up for people when you have the opportunity to do so. Because Daisy is on her own, she doesn’t know what the best approach is, but she sees an opportunity to stand up for them and to have Dr. Grove showcased for who she is. She seizes the opportunity out of a desire to protect her friends. She’s aware that she’s putting herself into this dangerous situation, but as far as she’s concerned, it’s the only option that she has to do the right thing. That’s very much her motivations behind it.

What was that like for you, emotionally, to get through?

HALLIDAY: There are a lot of scenes of quite an intense nature in this show. It’s about the environment that we have on set that really allows for those scenes to take place and for those scenes to be as effective as they are, because of the support that we have from the cast and the crew around us. I know that those scenes are very heavy, but it is also a privilege to be a part of a story that tells them, because unfortunately, those do resonate with a lot of audience members, and a lot of individuals in the world can connect with scenes of those natures. We are very aware of how delicate we should approach them and how we want to do them right and do them justice. It’s also a privilege to be a part of that and be a part of the conversation of voicing the importance of them.

The Testaments is available to stream on Hulu.