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Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
The Handmaid's Tale's Elisabeth Moss says June 'isn't done' despite show ending
Elisabeth Moss says June Osborne's battle continues WARNING: This article contains spoilers from The Handmaid's Tale series finale Elisabeth Moss, the leading lady of The Handmaid's Tale, has revealed that her character June Osborne is not yet ready to stop fighting Gilead's oppressive regime despite the show wrapping up, reports the Mirror US. Since 2017, Moss has portrayed the resilient June, vowing to keep up the fight against the harsh rulers in a bid to rescue her daughter Hannah Bankole (played by Jordana Blake). In a recent chat, the star of Mad Men and Top of the Lake hinted: "It just doesn't feel like she's done yet." Echoing the ambiguous ending of Margaret Atwood's 1985 book, the TV adaptation aimed to leave viewers with an "incredibly vague cliffhanger ending that was infuriating". The final episode edged June closer to reuniting with Hannah, but the teenager remains caught in the clutches of Gilead. Moss reflected on her character's determination, stating: "I don't think she has a choice, and I think that's what she comes to realize: If she wants there to be a place for her daughters to be free, this is what she has to do". Speaking to Gold Derby, she added: "It's not preferred. It's not like she thinks this is a great idea. It's very, very complicated." While June's struggle appears far from over, The Handmaid's Tale itself has concluded, passing the torch to the follow-up series The Testaments. The programme is set to follow Atwood's 2019 sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, but it will take place five years after the series finale, not 15 as in the book. The book features three main characters: Aunt Lydia (portrayed by Ann Dowd), Daisy (Lucy Halliday) and Agnes (Chase Infiniti), whose lives are interconnected. June doesn't feature in The Testaments, however, the show might deviate and include a cameo from the character. Furthermore, there are likely to be allusions to June's ongoing struggle to reclaim her daughter, echoing Moss' sentiments about the continuous fight against Gilead. In a recent chat with Variety, The Testaments showrunner Bruce Miller stated that Nick and June will "certainly" be mentioned more in the show than in the book. He commented: "But I think where we are and what we're doing with the story, with a few slight differences, they are thinking more in the front of their minds, but characters are thinking more about the particular people who made the changes in the end of the last series. So I think that June is much more present." Moss will act as an executive producer on The Testaments, but it's still unknown if she'll reprise her role as June. However, Miller hinted that characters from The Handmaid's Tale could make appearances in The Testaments. "The first set of characters matter hugely to the second set of characters. So these stories are very tied together, and it's very much a continuation of this 'Handmaid's Tale' that we've seen. You're just following the daughter instead of the mother."
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
The Handmaid's Tale's Elisabeth Moss explains meaning behind Offred line
The Handmaid's Tale dovetailed neatly as the series ended Elisabeth Moss, the leading lady of The Handmaid's Tale, has shared her thoughts on the show's final moments and the hauntingly memorable last scene, reports the Mirror US. In a poignant full circle, the series concludes with June Osborne (portrayed by Moss) in the Waterfords' residence, echoing the very first episode's ending. June embarks on recording her narrative, a harrowing testament to Gilead's atrocities that have remained hidden from the world. The series signs off with the powerful line: "My name is Offred", a stark contrast to her declaration in the debut episode: "My name is June." Echoing the inaugural episode, June once more peers directly into the camera lens, offering a knowing smile. Moss, dissecting this pivotal moment in an interview with Gold Derby, explained: "Her mom points out she needs to tell it for her daughters. ... She has to go back to the beginning, and she has to tell the whole story, and it started as Offred." This act of reclaiming her handmaid identity was crucial for June to recount her experience truthfully. Moss, who also directed the finale, revealed a behind-the-scenes anecdote about the final line. She aimed to replicate the same tone used in the first season's voiceover. Yet, fate played its hand when Moss realised she had forgotten this detail just 10 minutes before filming the crucial scene. In a frantic rush, the star of Mad Men and Top of the Lake hastily purchased and downloaded the Hulu app on her phone to revisit the original scene. She replayed the sequence repeatedly and committed its rhythm to memory, remarking "it worked" and was "incredible" in enhancing her final scene's delivery. Reflecting on June's return to the Waterfords' abode, Elisabeth Moss shared that she "didn't have to think too much" about the setting because she intimately "felt all the things" her character experienced. "There had been so much that had happened in that room, and I was so happy to be back in a better place, and in a place where I was ready to bring this story to a close, at the same time that June is starting to tell it," Moss articulated. While The Handmaid's Tale has come to an end, the saga continues as The Testaments gears up for production with Bruce Miller, the original showrunner, at the helm of this forthcoming series. Moss remains connected to the fabric of the drama, taking on the role of executive producer, with the fate of June's appearance presently shrouded in mystery. The Testaments diverges from its predecessor, fixating on youthful characters navigating Gilead's oppressive regime even from the seemingly privileged echelons of society. Ann Dowd will revisit her role as Aunt Lydia, revealing that her character has been transformed by the Boston uprising as seen in The Handmaid's Tale. New talent leads the pack in the upcoming series, including Chase Inifinti and Lucy Halliday, who will step into the roles of Agnes/Hannah and Daisy/Nicole respectively.
The Spinoff
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
‘Water cooler viewing': Michelle Ang on the magic of McDonald's Young Entertainers
Actor, director and producer Michelle Ang looks back on her life in television. Michelle Ang's career has taken her all the way from The Tribe to Top of the Lake to Star Wars: The Bad Batch, but it's her earliest TV role that many New Zealanders remember most fondly. Back in the late 90s, Michelle was one of the bright young troupe of all-singing, all-dancing stars on McDonald's Young Entertainers, who grapevined their way around New Zealand lounge rooms every Sunday night. Nearly three decades later, Ang is still approached by people who have a soft spot for the beloved light entertainment series. 'It's so funny because it was so long ago,' Ang laughs over Zoom, recalling a recent interaction with a fan at an Armageddon convention in Christchurch. 'Someone wanted a DVD set of Young Entertainers, and I was like, 'babes, I've got that on VHS at my parents' house'. I don't know if the quality would ever be good enough to burn onto DVD.' Young Entertainers may well have been Ang's first on-screen experience, but it marked the beginning of an impressive career in television. As well as starring in New Zealand dramas like Outrageous Fortune, Vegas and My Life is Murder, Ang has an illustrious international acting resume, appearing in global hits like Grey's Anatomy, Fear the Walking Dead and The New Legends of Monkey. She was nominated for a Logie for her work in Neighbours, garnered an Emmy nomination for Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462, and won a New Zealand Film and Television Award for her endearing performance in local film My Wedding and Other Secrets. Ang's latest project brings her back to New Zealand screens with the return of romantic comedy Homebound 3.0. Ang plays Melissa, an Auckland dermatologist who decides to fake a romantic relationship as a way of stopping her matchmaking parents from interfering – only to fall in love with her fellow romance scammer Henry (Sam Wang). Season two promises more unpredictable hijinks, and Ang loves how Homebound offers a different take on New Zealand comedy. 'A lot of New Zealand comedy is understated and awkward, but I feel like there's something about Homebound that feels a little bit unusual for our local comedy tastes. We just don't pull back, we're encouraged to be deliciously ridiculous.' Ang says it's rare to portray a character as fierce, free and complicated as Melissa, whose scheming and plotting goes up another level in season two. She also directed an episode this season, a challenge she relished despite also having to act in every scene. 'I loved it because as a co-lead, you internalise so much of the DNA of the show and you're aware of the kind of directing other actors thrive on,' she says. 'Working visually is something that I've always been quite drawn to, and not often had an opportunity to do.' We relished the opportunity to sit down with Ang and look back on her life in television, including an early love of Fair Go, an unforgettable karaoke moment and the awkward time she accidentally hung out with her teenage TV crush. My earliest TV memory is… I remember my mum and dad were both working, so I had to go to my babysitter's house after primary school. She would chain smoke and watch Days of Our Lives reruns. That's a pretty strong memory associated with the smell of indoor smoking. The TV show I loved as a kid was… It's going to make my family sound funny, but we used to watch Fair Go together. That whole consumer rights thing was so helpful for our immigrant family, understanding the rights we had in New Zealand and how we were protected when things go bad. The hosts of Fair Go, like Kevin Milne, were big comfort figures. My earliest TV crush was… I recently did a convention with the cast of Roswell. I was obsessed with that series. I was in Auckland Airport and thought, 'that looks like Jason Behr – but no, that's silly'. Then at the Christchurch Airport baggage claim, I realised, 'wait, that IS Jason Behr'. I was going down to be part of Armageddon, but I hadn't realised that the cast of Roswell was one of the key nostalgia guests for Armageddon. It was three days of being in very close proximity with them, but I was way too shy to introduce myself – even though we were in a group photo together and in a cocktail party together. That crush aspect was so overwhelming that I couldn't bring myself to say hi. The TV ad I can't stop thinking about is… The Anchor butter ads. There were these beautiful little family tableaus with that gorgeous 'My Girl' theme song. It felt like we were part of their lives. You didn't feel like you were being sold butter. My TV guilty pleasure is… Emily in Paris. It's a very Americanised version of France, but I love how frivolous and escapist it is, and the gorgeous fashion and the beautiful French accents even though everyone is speaking English. My favourite TV moment is… I've loved every iota of Homebound 3.0. I've relished the gift of playing Melissa, who is so different from me. It was probably one of the scariest parts in season one when Melissa is doing her karaoke moment, because I'm way too scared to do karaoke sober. To do it as Melissa, in front of the crew, was so frightening and confronting, but the director and editor managed to make it into a moment that I really enjoyed watching on screen. My favourite TV character of all time is… Natasha Lyonne's Charlie in Poker Face. She's similar to Melissa, with their own eccentricities about how they see themselves in the world. She's really, really fun. I love the messy characters. My favourite TV project that I've been involved with is… Underemployed. It was an American series on MTV, I was the lead of the ensemble, and it was super important because I felt validated by an American industry that I'd been trying to get into for so long. We shot that in Chicago. I lived with my castmates, we bought bikes and biked to set and it was art imitating life, because it was about these young university graduates stepping into the world. The show I loved and wished I was involved with is… The Studio. It's so whip smart, with great performances and so insightful about what the industry is really like. I think Seth Rogen's a genius. My favourite memory from McDonald's Young Entertainers is… It was a real camp: every day after school we would practice, Saturday mornings was recording in the vocal booth and Tuesday nights was a live audience taping. The costume designer would say 'we're doing 'Blame it on the Boogie'' and they would turn out these 70s-inspired costumes for each of us and we'd have to learn the dance moves, learn our harmonies and record it, all in the space of a week. What a special time. It was water cooler viewing, because everyone would watch on Sundays. I think Young Entertainers was an early precursor to the Idol shows. My most controversial TV opinion is… I love the choice that streaming gives, but I miss linear television. I miss when everyone saw the same episode of a show, and it would take up the conversation for the week. There's also something to be said about going outside our own comfort zones. You might watch something that you wouldn't naturally think would be entertaining or interesting, but you get to broaden your own opinions a bit. The show I'll never watch, no matter how many people tell me to is… Married at First Sight. It's basically watching the undoing of something. You start off with goodness and watch the universe dissipate, as opposed to other dating shows, where it works up towards being a good feeling. I'm a bit tender-hearted to get enjoyment out of watching that unraveling. The last show I watched on TV was… Adolescence. I knew I had to watch it, but holy moly. This is what happens when you put great writing in the hands of great direction, and really make acting the primary focus. There was not an untrue performance, and the technicality of it being a one shot makes that feat even more amazing. I would hate to be an extra that tripped on a cable in the background.
Buzz Feed
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
The Internet Is Praising Nicole Kidman For Working With 19 Female Directors Over 8 Years
It feels like Nicole Kidman is everywhere lately. If we don't see her for the first couple seconds of every AMC movie, then she's undoubtedly starring in the year's biggest films and TV shows. But don't be fooled by her frequency. There's a method to the madness. In an interview for Time, Nicole revealed why she never stops working and how she's using her star power for women filmmakers. You probably didn't know that Nicole once pledged to work with a woman director every 18 months during the height of the #MeToo movement, and she's more than delivered on that promise. According to Time, Nicole has worked as an actor and producer with a woman director on 19 film and TV projects over the past eight years. The UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report states that women directed fewer than 15% of theatrical films. Nicole believes, "It can be changed, but it can only be changed by actually being in the films of women." In May 2017, at the Cannes Film Festival, Nicole told The Sydney Morning Herald that she made a conscious effort to work with women directors. "I think it's necessary. It's very much a part of my contribution now, pretty much to say every 18 months — I'm making a movie with a female director because that's the only way the statistics are going to change when other women start to, 'no I'm actually going to choose only a woman now.'" "Every 18 months, there has to be a female director in the equation," she said. Last year, when Nicole recalled her pledge in a Deadline interview, she felt in her head that 18 months might be "too long" and considered perhaps "every six months to a year" was more accurate. She was right. The 57-year-old actor surpassed her pledge with her involvement in projects attached to women filmmakers. There's Jane Campion's Top of the Lake: China Girl (2017): Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled (2017): David E. Kelley's Big Little Lies, which was directed by Andrea Arnold and Jean-Marc Vallée: Karyn Kusama's Destroyer (2018): David E. Kelley's The Undoing (2020), which was directed by Susanne Bier: Niko Tavernise Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch's Roar (2022): Lesli Linka Glatter and Clark Johnson's Love & Death (2023): Lulu Wang's Expats (2024): Jenna Lamia's The Perfect Couple (2024): Vicky Jenson's Spellbound (2024): Halina Reijn's Babygirl (2024): On top of all that, Nicole has upcoming projects as the executive producer and star of Samantha Strauss's The Last Anniversary, Liz Sarnoff's Scarpetta, and Mimi Cave's Holland (2025). Unsurprisingly, the internet is praising Nicole for intentionally working with women. "Nicole Kidman walks the walk! She's not just talking about supporting female directors, she's actively creating opportunities for them. This is what real change looks like," one person wrote. "See how easy is to find women from diverse backgrounds when you try?" this user suggested. Another user said, "It's easy to find women from different backgrounds when you really try. When you put in the effort, it's not hard. You just have to look and you'lll find them... Lol." "I love this. Good job putting women on. Especially when we're underpaid and overlooked," this person wrote. And finally, this person said, "Will never again ding this queen for overexposure and the nonstop onslaught of new work." So, next time you get ready to complain about Nicole being in every movie — remember it's for a good reason. Do you have a favorite Nicole Kidman movie? Share in the comments.
