Elisabeth Moss and ‘The Handmaid's Tale' Team Tease a ‘Rewarding and Satisfying' Ending in Final Season: ‘It Will Surprise Audiences'
As Hulu's dystopian series 'The Handmaid's Tale' comes to an end, Elisabeth Moss looks back on playing June Osborne with admiration.
'I hope that she gives courage to somebody who needs it, whether it's in our country or another country,' Moss told Variety about the handmaid turned freedom fighter. 'She's somebody that people can hopefully look up to. She's very brave, and I look up to her.'
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'The Handmaid's Tale' Final Season Gets Premiere Date, Drops Teaser
The hit show returns with its sixth and final season on April 8, and audiences should brace for an explosive finale as the rebellion in Gilead finally ignites.
'It goes a little wild there toward the end, and I think it's what the fans have been waiting six seasons for — they've been waiting for revolution,' said Madeline Brewer. 'We had a long resistance, we had a lot of building and building and really a slow burn to what is an outrageous revolution, truly, in the end.'
Moss, Brewer and the rest of the cast and creative team celebrated that impending conclusion on Wednesday evening at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre, which was adorned to resemble the red cloaks and white winged bonnets that are customary in Gilead. On the red carpet, the writers emphasized that they wanted to make the last season worth it for everyone who's followed along.
'We knew that this would be our very last chance to tell these stories with our beloved cast and our beloved characters, so it was definitely a now-or-never feeling,' said co-showrunner and executive producer Yahlin Chang. 'It's a wish fulfillment season, it's a season where we just want to be really rewarding and really satisfying.'
Max Minghella described the season as unpredictable. 'I think it will surprise audiences,' Minghella explained.
Audiences aren't the only ones who'll be surprised since much of the cast didn't have access to the full scripts.
'To be very honest, I'm still not sure if I know exactly how the series ends. I mean, all of these scripts were so redacted. People's names were different people in it,' Samira Wiley said. 'What I do know is fans will be very rewarded for their dedication.'
Ever Carradine also mentioned the redacted pages. 'I haven't read the last 15 pages of the script, and I never asked for the un-redacted version. It'll be the first time I've ever watched the show completely blind,' Carradine said excitedly. 'Now I know I can't spoil it.'
The cast also shared what they've taken away from playing their characters. 'I'm now unafraid to speak up about things I might not have before playing Moira,' said Wiley, praising her character's 'fight, her fire, and her activism.'
O-T Fagbenle said his character Luke, June's husband, is a reminder of the realities people go through during political conflicts.
'He was a civilian, and a lot of civilians in the world today have been made refugees and been taken out of their home through war and eviction,' he said. 'In this final season, you see a person who's willing to lose it all to get what he wants.'
Chang noted that 'The Handmaid's Tale' writers were mindful about leaving some material for the upcoming sequel series, 'The Testaments,' to pick up on. While Chang and co-showrunner Eric Tuchman are not involved in that project, she teased that 'if there's anything after watching these 10 episodes that you are wondering about or worried about, or a loose thread or an unresolved story — there's a sequel that will address it.'
Moss, who is also an executive producer on the series and directed a handful of episodes, including the series finale, shared what she's
'Getting to work with these actors, that's gonna be the great privilege of my life and my directing career,' she said.
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