Reflecting on Cambridge’s role as ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ ends

The Handmaid’s Tale is coming to an end. CTV’s Heather Senoran has more on Cambridge, Ont.’s starring role.

The popular dark dystopian drama ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is officially coming to an end but not everyone knows that Cambridge, Ont. was sometimes a hidden star.

The city was featured in many scenes throughout the series’ six season run standing in for the fictional community of Gilead.

Key scenes in the final season were shot near Queens Square in Galt.

Nita Amin, owner of Grand River Beauty Salon on Queens Square, said production rented out her store for three weeks in January.

“They had their camera and everything set up in my salon. They used it because it was so cold and freezing weather in January,” Amin said.

Production made her salon look like a children’s clothing store. In her display window, they added clothing including a mini bonnet, like the iconic ‘wings’ the handmaid’s wear on the show.

Amin said her favourite part was meeting some of the cast members, including Elisabeth Moss, who played the central character in the series.

“She was amazing. And her daughter was here, too!” said Amin.

Moss does double duty, often directing and acting, including for the episode shot in January.

“She was coming back and forth to check out the shots and everything,” Amin said.

Melville Café staff also remember what it was like a few months ago when they were shooting.

“We had hundreds of people here. The line was out the door for the day that it was the main filming day. We were super busy in the back, but it was a great experience,” said cook Logan Brown, at the café.

The City of Cambridge is no stranger to film crews with the industry bringing in millions of dollars in economic impact.

“It’s really exciting to see all the unique features and the details and historical nature of Cambridge being featured in a variety of different shows. It definitely has an impact economically, which we of course appreciate. It draws tourism to our area and also makes us pretty proud to see Cambridge on the screen,” said Alana Russell, Director of Communications with the City of Cambridge.

The city said it is in talks to see if there’s an opportunity to commemorate the show in some way. Russell said the city is looking into collecting artifacts, stories and memorabilia from production’s time filming the show in Cambridge.

“And maybe coordinate something like a walking tour about the different sites and locations or maybe a display that might take place in a public space,” Russell said.

While ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ released the series finale on Tuesday, there is a sequel, ‘The Testaments,’ said to be in the works. It is based off the book by Margaret Atwood who also penned ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’

A release date has not been revealed for the new show and it is unclear if Galt will once again be turned into Gilead.