IF YOU TUNED into the latest episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s likely you were struck by a familiar tone emerging from a car radio.
And yes, you were right; it was, indeed, the voice of Oprah Winfrey.
The team behind The Handmaid’s Tale had heard that the broadcaster and businesswoman was a massive fan of the show.
Indeed, Elisabeth Moss previously recalled meeting the veteran broadcaster at a Hollywood Reporter shoot, and was left reeling by her interest in the show.
She was in the dressing room next to me. She kept popping back into the room to ask questions about the show, or to make comments, or ask what was coming up for a specific character. Then she’d leave and I’d close the door have a quiet freak-out moment, just screaming silently that Oprah Winfrey even knew what the show was. And then she’d pop back up with more questions.
Naturally, it wasn’t long before the team behind the hit series approached her with a cameo role.
Speaking to Deadline, series creator, Bruce Miller, explained how it came to be:
We’d heard Oprah was a fan of the show, and had a story idea, and thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful if… So we asked and she said yes, and it was a lovely, easy process. The radio segment she recorded was inspired by the free radio of the Allies from World War II.
If Twitter is anything to go by, Oprah’s surprise cameo in a series which has damn near pushed viewers over the edge was the respite they needed.
And with a reassuring message like this, it’s hardly surprising.
Radio Free America, broadcasting from somewhere in the Great White North. And now this news: The American government in Anchorage today received promises of economic aid from India and China. In the United Kingdom, economic sanctions on Gilead were announced, as well as plans to raise the cap on American refugees relocating from Canada. Now a tune to remind everyone who’s listening, American patriot or Gilead traitor: We are still here.
And Christ Almighty, Twitter was here for the woman herself.
Honestly, I could recognize that god-like voice anywhere 👑 #Oprah #HandmaidsTale #hungryheart pic.twitter.com/cZ8eOxw9KP
— Lauren Reyes-Grange (@Lauren_RG) June 27, 2018
#Oprah’s v v small cameo in #HandmaidsTale is exactly what I needed today. Especially when she said ‘we’re still the Stars and Stripes baby’. Nicely done Ms. O♥️
— MellyMed🦋 (@mel_med_larson) June 28, 2018
#HandmaidsTale reminding everyone that #Oprah is the voice of hope in America 😂
— Brooke Rogers (@BroRo2012) June 28, 2018
Stars and Stripes forever. We hear you #Oprah #HandmaidsTale
— swtsalt (@swtsalt) June 27, 2018
Someone please tell #Oprah that if she started a radio program we’d all be listening. #HandmaidsTale
— Deborah Hill Stevens (@Dhsesq84) June 28, 2018
Commenting on Oprah’s cameo, Elisabeth Moss sounded absolutely thrilled to have given the veteran broadcaster a role.
It was an absolute honor to have Oprah featured on the show, and especially thrilling as she was the one who presented us with the Emmy last year.
