Was surprised with success of The Handsmaid’s Tale, says Elisabeth Moss

Elizabeth Moss says she knew saying yes to The Handmaid’s Tale was a risk due to its dark nature.

Elisabeth Moss says she did not expect The Handsmaid’s Tale to find an audience due to the “dark” nature of the story. The actor, who has received awards and acclaim for playing June/Offred in the Hulu series based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel, said taking up the project was a risk.

Elizabeth Moss in a scene from The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3.

“I was a little surprised when the show took off. It’s dark and based on a book that’s really important to people, so it was very risky,” Moss told the Radio Times magazine.

 

Set in a fictional place Gilead, in a dystopian America, the show follows fertile women who are forced into child-bearing servitude in a totalitarian, religious society in the wake of a second civil war. The actor further said it is frustrating when people claim the show is not an easy watch.

“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? “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,” she said.

It were the darker moments of the show that she enjoys filming the most, Moss, 36, added. “The tougher scenes are my favourite to work on. I’m an actor, so I don’t want to sit around looking happy all the time. If I do that, I get bored.

“I’m not a dark person, but my favourite days involve the emotional material,” she said. The Handsmaid’s Tale is currently in its third season.

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