On her 20th birthday last month, actress and Harvard undergraduate Mattea Conforti celebrated quietly with family and a close friend in New York City, attending dinner and the Broadway show “MJ the Musical.” Yet her phone buzzed persistently with birthday wishes from her “dolls” — the affectionate nickname for her castmates on Hulu’s “The Testaments,” the sequel series to the Emmy-winning “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The cast shares a group chat labeled “dolls,” a nod to the production’s code name “Dollhouse.”
Conforti, who has just completed her second year at Harvard University, is majoring in theater, dance & media, and government. In “The Testaments,” based on Margaret Atwood’s novel, Conforti’s character Becka attends the restrictive Aunt Lydia school, where the curriculum forbids reading and writing and young women are pressured to become obedient wives. Becka struggles with the prospect of an arranged marriage and harbors forbidden romantic feelings for her best friend Agnes, the series’ protagonist played by Chase Infiniti.
The season follows Becka’s growing turmoil, climaxing when she kills her father—who had molested Agnes and another girl during dental appointments—in an act of vengeance rooted in Gilead’s harsh concept of justice. The season finale, which aired earlier this week, spares Becka from severe punishment but leaves a heavy emotional toll on both her and Agnes. With a second season greenlit, Conforti expressed hope to return and continue exploring her character’s narrative, marking “The Testaments” as her first significant adult role after a busy childhood career that included leading roles on Broadway in “Matilda” and “Frozen.”
Reflecting on the production, Conforti described filming emotionally intense scenes toward the end of the season as physically and mentally exhausting, emphasizing her commitment to fully inhabiting Becka’s perspective. Collaboration with showrunner Bruce Miller, who also worked on “The Handmaid’s Tale,” helped her navigate the complex emotional landscape of a character grappling with suppressed identity and imposed destiny.
Conforti highlighted her close relationship with co-star Chase Infiniti, noting their shared love of theater. The two often passed time on set singing songs from “Wicked” and other musicals, a dynamic that fostered a strong friendship and creative chemistry.
A longtime admirer of Atwood’s writing, Conforti had the opportunity to meet the author during filming, describing the experience as surreal. She recalled a casual moment shared with Atwood and fellow cast member Ann Dowd in the break room, which she described as a memorable highlight.
Balancing a demanding academic load with her acting career was initially unexpected for Conforti. She recounted rediscovering her passion for performance through a student-written and produced play with Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals shortly before landing the role in “The Testaments.”
When asked about campus life, Conforti shared a glimpse of her routine, mentioning her frequent visits to local coffee shops in Harvard Square such as Blue Bottle and Daily Provisions, where she studies and socializes, often indulging in high-priced lattes and matcha.
As Conforti continues to navigate the intersection of academia and acting, she remains committed to both pursuits, demonstrating a maturity that belies her years. Her role in “The Testaments” marks a significant step in her evolving career, offering a complex portrayal of youth confronting authoritarianism and personal identity in a dystopian world.