As both the producer, director, and lead actress of the Emmy-winning series The Handmaid’s Tale, Elisabeth Moss is not ready to say goodbye to the dystopian drama after six seasons.
“I haven’t had many periods in the last nine years where I wasn’t working on this show,” Moss shared, referring to her role as June Osborne, the protagonist of the series. “It hasn’t hit me at all yet that I’m not playing her anymore.”
The show, based on the 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood and created by Bruce Miller, is set to premiere its sixth and final season on April 8. Moss portrays June, a woman living in a totalitarian regime called Gilead, where women are severely subjugated. This regime is driven by power-hungry men in the wake of infertility and war, with some women forced into the role of handmaids to bear children for infertile families.
Moss’s co-stars include Samira Wiley, who plays June’s friend Moira Strand, Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia, a woman who oversees the handmaids, and Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence, a leader in Gilead who shows signs of remorse.
Whitford and Moss both noted how the series has resonated globally, becoming a powerful symbol for women’s rights. Whitford, reflecting on the show’s impact, said, “The theme of this final season is resistance. We’re fortunate to be part of something that carries such an important message.”
Moss echoed his sentiment, emphasizing the importance of revolution and the show’s role in encouraging activism. “We’re so proud that this show has become a symbol of resistance,” she said, referencing the iconic handmaid costumes worn by demonstrators.
The final season of The Handmaid’s Tale will be the most ambitious yet, with Moss describing it as “the biggest season we’ve ever done,” with more locations, characters, and sets than before.
As the series concludes, Moss and the cast are proud of the impact The Handmaid’s Tale has had on viewers and its lasting cultural significance.
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