The Handmaid’s Tale reunion: Was Madeline Brewer on Apple TV+s Shining Girls?

We’ve only got two episodes left of Apple TV+‘s new series, Shining Girls. So much has happened in the thriller, but I think episode 6 has been my favorite. And The Handmaid’s Tale fans will recognize a familiar face.

Episode 6 titled “Bright” showed us just who Leo is to Harper, how the two met, and how the show’s antagonist came across his house. We also find out the house’s reality can shift, the way Kirby’s does. What does this mean for her and how is she connected to the home? We’ll have to wait and see.

But a real treat for fans comes in the character new to the Apple TV+ series, but one The Handmaid’s Tale audience is more than familiar with. Viewers of the dystopian television series on Hulu know actress Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo, also known as Ofwarren at the start of the series. She has more of a rebellious streak that is snuffed out due to the cruelties of Gilead, including having her right eye removed.

She’s definitely a memorable character on The Handmaid’s Tale. And though we’ve only seen her in one episode on Shining Girls, she shined (pun intended) in the role, and is no less memorable as Klara.

Klara is a an avant-garde dancer of 1920 and the childhood friend of Harper. She doesn’t return his obsessive affections, which unfortunately leads to her death by his hands. When he discovers he can time-travel due to the house, he shares it with her and she’s thrilled. They travel to the mid-90s where they end up a the bar where Kirby worked before her attack. Klara brings Kirby out on the dance floor, and we get our Handmaid’s Tale reunion!

Showrunner Silka Luisa talks about Madeline Brewer on Shining Girls

Ahead of the season’s debut, Hidden Remote took part in a roundtable interview with showrunner Silka Luisa to talk about her deviation from the book, and asked her how Brewer got the role!

“We were trying to cast Klara and that’s a very challenging role just because she’s a very specific character. She’s a dancer but she’s a very avant-garde dancer. She had to be strong and interesting,” said Luisa. “And Elisabeth Moss was actually the first person who was like, ‘what about Maddie?’ And it was such an inspired idea. But then once she said it we were all like ‘oh my god yeah, we need her.’ And I think she did an incredible job.”

We think she did an awesome job too! Luisa was a fan of Lauren Beukes’ novel, which the series is based on, before she took on the project. So she knew going in that one of the scenes from the book she wanted to adapt into the show was the radium dance, which we see at the start of episode 6.

“That visually in the book – it felt like I hadn’t ever seen a 1920s dance with someone covered in radium. It was so evocative and in my mind it was alive,” said Luisa. “And so trying to get that right, we spent so much energy [with] production design, Madeline Brewer learned how to dance, the cape that she’s wearing. All those elements was really important to get right for me.”

Lusia felt like she got the “dream cast” for her show, and of course was impressed with the talent of all the stars on the series. For actor Jamie Bell, who plays villain Harper, she said he brought more to the character than what was on the page.

“His casting transformed from what I had on the page to what you see onscreen just because he brought all these shades to the role which I hadn’t seen before,” said Luisa. “He’s vulnerable, charming ,which is terrifying, and so approachable and safe feeling. He’s fantastic.”

Shining Girls‘ season only has two episodes left! Episode 7 will be released on Apple TV+ on May 27, followed by the finale on June 3.