Ever since it debuted on Hulu, The Handmaid’s Tale has had viewers on the edges of their seats. There are not necessarily many bright moments on this series, which is nearing its second season finale. However, many thought there was an interesting surprise during the most recent episode when they thought they heard Oprah Winfrey’s voice. As it turns out, Oprah did indeed do a hidden voice cameo.
Vulture explains that Oprah’s Handmaid’s Tale cameo came when June was listening to the resistance radio station “Radio Free America.” The voice was a calm, familiar and comforting one, and that’s because it was Winfrey heard during the radio segment. This cameo wasn’t in the credits of the show, and it was just a brief moment of Oprah talking before starting “Hungry Heart” by Bruce Springsteen.
Showrunner and creator Bruce Miller says that they had heard that Winfrey was a huge Handmaid’s Tale fan, and he had the idea for this cameo that would be perfect for her. It seems that getting Winfrey to agree to do the bit was much simpler than he had probably envisioned. They asked, and she said yes, in what Miller said was a “lovely, easy process.”
Fans of the Hulu hit may remember that Oprah presented the Handmaid’s Tale crew with their Emmy last year when they won the best drama award. The Hulu show is the first streaming series to ever snag the award and the series wrapped the night with a handful of impressive wins.
#HandmaidsTale showrunner: “It was an absolute honor to have Oprah featured on the show” https://t.co/MqADVGhL8c
— Vulture (@vulture) June 27, 2018
Miller notes that it was “an absolute honor” to have Oprah do the bit for the show, and he says it was “especially thrilling” since she had been the one presenting that big award to them last year. The show’s creator says that the radio segment featuring Winfrey was inspired by what the Allies did with free radio during the World War II era.
For those who may have missed Oprah’s voice cameo, or who haven’t watched the latest episode titled “Holly” yet, Cosmopolitan breaks down the scoop on when it occurred. Winfrey’s voice on the radio pops up about 10 minutes into the newest episode as June manages to find keys to turn on a car at an abandoned house.
“Now a tune to remind everyone who’s listening – American patriot or Gilead traitor – we are still here. Stars and stripes forever, baby.”
At this point, it hasn’t been revealed exactly who Oprah was portraying during this hidden cameo, or whether she might be back at some point. The Season 2 Handmaid’s Tale finale is right around the corner and fans of the Hulu series cannot wait to see where things are left with the finale.
