The Handmaid’s Tale Has Turned Elisabeth Moss Into an Activist

Elisabeth Moss’s stint on The Handmaid’s Tale has turned her into an activist and believer in women’s rights who “[doesn’t] really give a shit about anybody who isn’t [into women’s rights].”

In an interview with THR, Moss said, “If you’re spending a year on something and you’re thinking about it, you’re reading a book over and over and you’re having to do these scenes, it sinks in, this idea of like, what happens if we don’t say anything or what happens if I don’t speak up?”

During earlier rounds of press for the show, Moss received backlash after asserting at the Tribeca Film Festival that Offred is “not a feminist” and that Margaret Atwood’s novel is “not a feminist story.” She changed her mind rather quickly, clarifying with HuffPo days later, “OBVIOUSLY, all caps, it is a feminist work. It is a feminist show.”

It’s hard to see it as anything but, especially given the current circumstances of the American government’s relegation of women as second-class citizens. Even Hillary Clinton has lauded the production, referencing a line in the show during a speech at Planned Parenthood’s centennial celebration and noting, “This show has prompted important conversations about women’s rights and autonomy.”

Moss received a Best Actress Emmy nod for her stunning portrayal of a handmaid whose rights have been stripped from her by a government who uses religion as a basis for her enslavement. That sounded a lot more ridiculous before the election. The actress is using her platform to support organizations like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood with donations and red carpet ribbons. She says of her Emmy outfit, “There will probably be a pin or ribbon involved. Or maybe I’ll just wear a giant ACLU ribbon and a really good spray tan.”

Season one of The Handmaid’s Tale is available on Hulu. Go watch it. Like, now. Don’t waste any more time.