Why Elisabeth Moss nearly turned down Handmaid’s Tale

Elisabeth Moss has become a household name as June in The Handmaid’s Tale — but she was very close to turning down the part.

Elisabeth Moss has revealed the reason she agreed to star in The Handmaid’s Tale — despite being reluctant when she was first offered the part.

Moss, 36, admitted she was planning to reject the role of June (aka Offred and Ofjoseph) in the dystopian drama series but a “nightmarish experience” helped changed her mind.

Moss plays a ‘handmaid’ in the show.

“The problem was that I didn’t want to sign on necessarily to do another TV show so quickly, as it had only been a couple of years since I worked on Mad Men,” she told Heat magazine.

“But I was thinking about whether to do the show one evening and I remember having an almost nightmarish experience of waking up in the middle of the night imagining not taking it and someone else doing it.

“I pictured that in my mind and then I thought to myself, ‘no, no, no, no, no someone else is not getting their hands on this’. So I said yes.

“That’s why I did it — pure jealousy and competitiveness.

“I’m so glad I did though, and it’s been the role I’ve felt most connected to out of anything I’ve ever done. I’m so proud to have been a part of it.”

The actress has won many awards for her role in the series. Picture: Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Hulu

Moss also opened up about why she had felt drawn to playing June, explaining she finds dark characters and themes “compelling”.

“I’ve always found darker stories and characters more compelling, although I’m not really sure why I’m drawn to them,” she said.

“I’m not someone who takes their work that seriously though, so I’m able to step in and out of my characters very easily.”

The Handmaid’s Tale is available to stream now on SBS On Demand