Elisabeth Moss “can’t watch certain scenes” in the sixth and final season of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.
Elisabeth Moss “can’t watch certain scenes” in the final season of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.
The 42-year-old actress watches the show – which is set in the fictional republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime where fertile women are forced into childbearing slavery – differently since the arrival of her only child in 2024.
Elisabeth – who has not revealed her baby’s name – explained to Variety: “Of course it all meant something before I had a child.
“I was able to think about my family, my brother, and imagine what it would all feel like. I feel like I did a good job.
“But, I cannot believe the difference this final season, and I had no idea that was going to happen.
“I can’t watch certain scenes. When a person used to come up to me and say, ‘I just had a baby, and I can’t watch the show,’ I had a little judgement, like, ‘Oh, God, get over it.’
“Now, I totally get it. There are concepts I can’t think about; there are articles I can’t read in the news.”
Elisabeth – who served as a producer and director on the show – has “more respect” for acting since taking charge of four episodes in the sixth and final season of the Hulu series.
She admitted: “I have more respect for acting than I did before.
“When I first started directing, I was very much like, ‘I’m going to be a visual person.’ The first thing I learned on my first episode is that the performance is the only thing that matters.
“I love acting so much, but I don’t overthink it; frankly, I don’t put a lot of thinking into it at all. It’s very important to me, but it’s not serious.
“So, realising that nothing mattered, except the performance, was a revelation for me.”
Elisabeth has become an executive producer on ‘The Testaments’, which is an upcoming follow-up series that could be released in either 2026 or 2027, and she feels “so grateful” for the opportunity.
She said: “I feel so grateful for it.
“I would be in a much sadder headspace. There’s something about the fact that it’s not over – that is very, very good for me.”
The Handmaid’s Tale star Elisabeth Moss ‘can’t watch certain scenes’
