Elisabeth Moss Almost Couldn’t Direct ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Because of Taika Waititi
Elisabeth Moss has gone from actor to director with The Handmaid’s Tale. But she recently opened up about the hoops she had to jump through to become a director. And she revealed that she almost lost out on the opportunity because of another famous director — Taika Waititi.
Elisabeth Moss explains why it made sense for her to direct ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
The Handmaid’s Tale, which premiered in 2017, stars Moss in the lead role as June Osbourne/Offred. Over the last four seasons, the Hulu series has earned several accolades, including an Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy for Moss.
Moss directed three episodes in season 4, including “The Crossing,” “The Testimony,” and “Progress.” She also helmed the first two episodes of season 5 — “Morning” and “Ballet” — along with the upcoming finale.
In a chat with Playlist.net, Moss talked about juggling her time as a producer, director, and actor. And she explained that it made sense for her to direct the show because of how immersed she was in every facet of production.
“One of the reasons why it worked and why we thought it would be a good idea in the first place — and we proved to be right — is because I’m in so much,” Moss said. “It just kind of became this logical thing — guess who’s going be here and know everything, all the stories, and know where all the bodies are buried?”
“Everyone supported it, and it ended up proving to be kind of great for that reason, which…actually made it easier,” she added. “Directing, acting, and producing — it’s actually made my job easier because I know it all so well. It’s just kind of one of those ‘I’ll just do it myself [things].'”
Elisabeth Moss thought she may have lost her chance to direct ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ because of Taika Waititi
To become a director, Moss needed to gain membership in the Director’s Guild of America. And to do so, she needed to fill out an application and have it signed by other reputable members of the guild.
In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Moss said that she was “really nervous” about getting in because she already had The Handmaid’s Tale job waiting for her.
Moss first asked director Steve Zaillian to sign her application. She then turned to Academy Award-winning actor/director Taika Waititi for a signature. But when he took her application, he drew a picture on it that Moss was sure would hinder her chances.
“He doesn’t have to do anything but sign,” Moss recalled when talking to host Jimmy Kimmel. “Except Taika is Taika, and he decided to do a little more extra doodle on the application, which was, I felt, inappropriate.”
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m not going to get into the DGA because Taika totally screwed me, they’re not going to accept me,” she added with a laugh, noting that everything worked out in the end. “I did get in. Everything was fun.”
Elisabeth Moss just worked with Taika Waititi on a new movie
The doodle incident didn’t get in the way of Moss and Waititi’s friendship. In fact, the two just finished working together on their upcoming film, Next Goal Wins.
When talking to Playlist.net, Moss revealed that she has a small role in the movie. She also praised Waititi and described how much fun it was to work with him.
“Taika Waititi is the most fun director actually,” Moss said. “He’s just such a ball of fun, imagination, creativity, and generosity. He’s so nice and funny, but he’s also a genius.”
“Sometimes you can have like a really fun director, but maybe the movie’s not so good,” she added. “Or the project’s not so good, but the director is a genius. He manages to do it all.”
The Next Goal Wins release date is April 21, 2023.
