'The Handmaid's Tale' Cast News: Elisabeth Moss Unhappy With Show's Relevance in Today's Society
It's no secret that "The Handmaid's Tale" is a critics' favorite and a strong contender at this year's Emmy's for Best Drama. Its achievement in its first year is laudable but star Elisabeth Moss is unhappy with the show's relevance in today's real-life events.
Much has been said about how "The Handmaid's Tale" reflects a Donald Trump presidency. In the series, Moss plays June/Offred and she is one of the women regarded for one duty only, in a new government that practices theocratic autocracy: to bear a child.
"We are not happy that there's been such a relevance," Moss told News Corp. "We're not happy that it's been so timely. We would prefer it to have been an easy sci-fi fantasy but here we are."
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Based on the best-selling novel written by Margaret Atwood and published in the 1980's, "The Handmaid's Tale" is about a dystopian world where a fundamentalist regime exists. The new leaders treat women as government property and those who resist are either exiled or killed.
Show runner Bruce Miller revealed that they were worried in the beginning about how the show's story could reflect on current events that make today's headlines. He, however, clarified that despite the similarities, "The Handmaid's Tale" is a fiction and it's not "a story about the Trump administration."
Director Reed Morano, however, experienced an awakening while helming "The Handmaid's Tale" season 1 when Trump won in the elections. She told The Hollywood Reporter that she and Moss felt that life in the U.S. might soon become comparable to the socio-economic situation in the series when they learned who won as president.
Instead of grieving about it, however, Morano said that she hopes The Handmaid's Tale" can help trigger awareness and sensibilities.
"Maybe this show could do something; maybe it could wake people up," Morano said.
"The Handmaid's Tale" streams on Hulu. The show will return for a second season in 2018.
