Elisabeth Moss speaks of her character’s journey in the third season of Hulu’s acclaimed dystopian drama.
The second season of The Handmaid’s Tale ended with June (Elisabeth Moss) deciding to stay in Gilead, despite being on the verge of escaping to safety.
June heartbreaking decision to send her daughter, Nichole, with Emily (Alexis Bledel) and to stay behind to rescue her firstborn, Hannah, was divisive — even for the show’s creative team. Showrunner Bruce Miller said: “Even for myself, it was very hard. In your heart you’re like, ‘How the hell could she go?’ but then, if she stays, you’re like, ‘How the hell could she stay?’”
But June’s on a mission. “You have to fight fire with fire,” Moss teased. “That’s become [June’s] journey in season 3. To fight against the people she has to fight, she has to become more like them.” Miller continued: “We’re not doing a montage of June being radicalized — it’s 13 episodes. To see someone go through this process of becoming ruthless was a real challenge. We didn’t want to sensationalize it, or make it too morally easy, either.”
Season 3 will see more of Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford), who helped Bledel’s Emily escape, but is also known as Gilead’s architect.
Season 3 will set to premiere on Hulu on June 5.
