Elisabeth Moss claimed her hit show The Handmaid’s Tale is ‘shockingly relevant’, as ‘it’s important to hold that mirror up to society’ through the series.
The actress, 36, also admitted she gets defensive when people tell her the show is too difficult to get through, as she discussed the drama with Radio Times on Tuesday.
She explained: ‘When people say the show is hard to watch, I get my hackles up. If you can’t face our show, then how are you going to face what’s actually happening in the world?
Candid: Elisabeth Moss called The Handmaid’s Tale a ‘shockingly relevant’ show as the star admitted she gets frustrated when people claim it’s too ‘hard to watch’
‘It’s shockingly relevant. It’s important to hold that mirror up to society and to ourselves to try to get people to face what’s going on, before it’s too late.’
Based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name, its setting, Gilead, is a patriarchal society where men have access to education and political positions.
Women are regarded as second-class citizens as they cannot hold property or be employed, and must submit to the authority of men.
Honest: Elisabeth also said she gets defensive when people tell her the show is too difficult to get through, as it makes her wonder how they ‘face what’s actually happening in the world’
Thrives on it: Although the show sees Elisabeth’s character June Osborne/Offred go through quite a number of challenges, the star said she loves the intensity of her role
Although the show sees Elisabeth’s character June Osborne/Offred go through quite a number of challenges, the star said she loves the intensity of her role.
‘The tougher scenes are my favourites to work on. I’m an actor, so I don’t want to sit around looking happy all the time,’ she explained. ‘If I do that, I get bored. I’m not a dark person, but my favourite days involve the emotional material.’
Elisabeth also added that she’s ‘very good’ at shedding her character when the cameras stop rolling, as she isn’t ‘somebody who stays in the moment’ because that would mean she’d ‘lose track of reality.’
Making a change: Resistance is the theme of the new series, with the focus on June’s struggle against the repressive regime of Gilead, Hulu said in a release
In the show’s third season, the two-time Golden Globe winner’s character is Gilead’s most-wanted fertile slave deserter and still has to secretly retrieve her estranged daughter Hannah (Jordana Blake).
Resistance is the theme of the new series, with the focus on June’s struggle against the repressive regime of Gilead, Hulu said in a release.
Other characters will be forced to take a stand as well, with ‘blessed be the fight’ the guiding prayer for rebels. Hulu also promised ‘startling reunions’ and betrayals.
Quest: In the third season, Elisabeth’s character, who is Gilead’s most-wanted fertile slave deserter, still has to secretly retrieve her estranged daughter Hannah
