As “Handmaid’s” has gone on, Moss’ role has evolved: She is now an executive producer and a director, helming four episodes in the sixth and final season, including the finale.
And, while June’s struggle for freedom has animated the series, Moss’ own life has changed; she’s worked increasingly frequently in film (“Us,” “The Invisible Man”) and on TV (“Shining Girls,” “The Veil,” the forthcoming “Imperfect Women”).
Don’t write “She gets emotional.” It’s not a part of my life, this show — it has been my life for nine years.
But I cannot believe the difference this final season, and I had no idea that was going to happen.
As someone who has lived telling this story for nine years, I can’t imagine it ending any other way.
This is Elisabeth Moss’s last appearance in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”. “.”.
The 2017 Hulu series felt like an immediate reaction to the political upheaval of the early Trump administration. It was also a step up for Moss, who was already an Emmy winner for her performance on “Mad Men.”. If Peggy, her “Mad Men” secretary-turned-copywriter, was a trailblazer for the women’s movement in the middle of the 20th century, June, the Handmaid in slavery who rebels against her theocratic captors, brings her brand of feminism squarely into the modern era.
Moss’s role on “Handmaid’s” has changed over time; she is now an executive producer and director, directing four episodes in the sixth and final season, including the finale. Additionally, Moss’ life has changed; she has worked more often in TV shows like Shining Girls, The Veil, and the upcoming “Imperfect Women” as well as movies like “Us” and “The Invisible Man,” while June’s fight for independence has served as the series’ inspiration. As a result of becoming a mother, she has transformed her relationship into one in which her desire to be with her daughter again drives all of her decisions.
Variety met Moss at the Fox lot’s “Imperfect Women” production office to talk about her experience with the Emmy-winning show and bidding June farewell.
How has it been to become so involved in the series’ creation as a director, producer, and star?
It’s funny because I didn’t plan on getting as involved with the show as I did. I became involved on this incredibly detailed level from episode one as a result of Bruce Miller and Warren Littlefield involving me in things from the very beginning. Additionally, that continued for nine years. [coughs a little] I’m having a moment, not crying. “She gets emotional” should not be written. “”.
This show has been my life for nine years, so it’s not a part of it. Since there is no separation, I’m so close to it and June that I’m not sure how to discuss it.
Was Roe v. Overturned by the Dobbs ruling? Does Wade instill a sense of urgency on the set?
It was fairly urgent already. However, it’s difficult to imagine—we have never produced this show in a world that is different from the one in which we have produced it. We have no idea what it must have been like to create an unimaginable fantasy show. We have only ever created this show with this sense of relevance and immediacy, which is unsettling but unquestionably inspiring.
After having children, I started watching this show in a different way. As far as working on it goes, I imagine this is even more true for you.
Naturally, everything had significance prior to my child’s birth. I was able to visualize what it would be like to think about my brother and family. I believe I performed admirably. But I had no idea that this final season would be so different, and I am amazed by it. Some scenes I can’t watch. I used to judge people when they approached me and said, “Oh, God, get over it,” because I couldn’t watch the show because I had just had a baby. Now, I understand completely. I can’t think of certain ideas, and I can’t read certain news articles.
Being a parent causes your feelings for your particular child to become extremely primal.
I’ve also used the term “visceral.”. My decisions as an actor and a director are unquestionably different. I’m thankful for a lot of things in my life because of her, but being able to carry that into the last season has been an extra bonus that I didn’t expect.
Regarding your relationship with acting, how has directing “The Handmaid’s Tale” altered it?
Compared to before, I now respect acting more. I firmly believed that I would be a visual person when I first began directing. My first episode taught me that the performance is the only thing that counts. I really enjoy performing, but I don’t overthink it—in fact, I don’t think about it much at all. It’s not serious, but it’s very important to me. I therefore had a revelation when I realized that the performance was the only thing that mattered.
According to Max Minghella, a director is highly attracted to spectacle.
He told me after I finished my first episode, “You should go make a ‘Batman’ movie.”. I adore science fiction and horror, so I was really flattered. I will not put two people in a cabin.
How did being hired at a high level as a director and EP affect your perception of your future potential?
I could not have begun in a more ideal situation. In my life, I have never directed anything. I’m not even familiar with Instagram videos. Bruce and Warren were the reason for it. I participated in every choice we made on the show, which we used to refer to as the Triangle. Even though I wasn’t supposed to be an executive producer until Season 3, Warren called me before I started Season 2 and said, “We’re going to make you an EP in Season 2 because that’s the job you’re doing.”. “.”.
We came close to directing in Season 3, but it wasn’t going to work well for the schedule, so by the time we reached Season 3, it was like, “Maybe I should do it someday, right?”. As a result, we had been considering Season 4 for so long that it didn’t seem like a significant change. It seemed to be a sideways motion.
Although you are currently working on a limited series, you have experience in feature films. Long-running programs, however, alter you in a different way. Could you ever imagine making the same kind of commitment again after two lengthy periods of your career that were characterized by two successful shows?
The thought of never experiencing that again is unthinkable. It is the most satisfying to me. “Picket Fences” was my first television program, and I grew up doing it. I didn’t realize how much I loved this until a few years later. In reference to “Mad Men,” you don’t get an episode like “The Suitcase” unless you’ve completed at least 40 episodes prior. Something about the structure really appeals to me. Because I have to spend time with my child, I’m not directing this show [“Imperfect Women”), but I will still be involved as a producer just like I would on any other project. My specialty is doing something for several seasons, and I’m not sure how to stop being involved to the extent that I have.
You will serve as an executive producer on the sequel series, “The Testaments.”. Is that a scary idea, considering you would appear to have the chance to depart from Gilead?
I’m actually really appreciative of it. I would feel much more depressed. The fact that it’s not over is something that I find really, really positive.
[The series finale spoilers are provided below. [].
As June begins writing her memoir, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” I want to discuss the final scene’s connection to the pilot, in which she describes what she observes while in what is now the Waterfords’ destroyed house. Had the plan always been that way?
It’s kind of funny that I haven’t asked Bruce when he came up with it. It wasn’t there from the start, in my opinion. However, I think this ending is fantastic. Having lived through this story for nine years, I can’t think of a different conclusion. I long for the audience to experience that moment when she begins to say, “A chair, a table, a lamp.”. That sounds like television gold to me. “Is that the original voiceover? Is that how the book starts?”. I would never have agreed to anything if I didn’t think it was the ideal conclusion to the series.
That’s definitely the case.
It is. There has been a consistent theme throughout this entire series. This is the same story we’re telling in the last scene, and it’s the same thing that made me fall in love with it in the first episode and the reason I said yes. It tells the story of this woman’s unwavering determination to defend her children. It is her story in the last scene, and it has been her story since the beginning. The fact that she ends with what she began with strikes me as incredibly brilliant. And since it wasn’t my idea, I can say that. She shares her story, which, in my opinion, is the best way to describe the show.
