Here’s Whether Elisabeth Moss is Still a Scientologist as The Handmaid’s Tale Fans Compare Gilead to the Church
Elisabeth Moss has become a household name for her roles in shows like Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale, but people have always found her personal life at least as interesting as the roles she has played. Part of it has always been how private Moss has been, and part of it has been her ties to the Church of Scientology, which have always been very controversial.
With The Handmaid’s Tale returning for the sixth and final season on Hulu, Moss is once again in the spotlight. The show, which is based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, has been a hit since it first introduced the idea of a totalitarian society in what used to be the United States of America, one that treats women as property of the state. But like with every season of the show, the questions the show brings up are not only about the show but about its protagonist.
Perhaps the main questions about Moss are about her personal life—and that includes her connection with the Church of Scientology, which she has long been a member of but has not really discussed in public for a long time.
Is Elisabeth Moss still a Scientologist?
Yes, Elisabeth Moss is still a Scientologist. There’s nothing to indicate she has left the Church, and the actress has very openly been part of the Church of Scientology since before she was a teenager. A few years ago, she spoke about why she didn’t really discuss it it in an interview with The New Yorker, saying, “I don’t want to come off as being cagey,” and adding, “If you and I met, just hanging out as friends, I’m, like, an open book about it. [But] I don’t want people to be distracted by something when they’re watching me. I want them to be seeing the character. I feel like, when actors reveal too much of their lives, I’m sometimes watching something and I’m going, ‘Oh, I know that she just broke up with that person,’ or, ‘I know that she loves to do hot yoga,’ or whatever it is.”
The actress also spoke about what Scientology is to her, explaining, “It’s not really a closed-off religion,” adding that, “It’s a place that is very open to, like, welcoming in somebody who wants to learn more about it. I think that’s the thing that is probably the most misunderstood.”
Moss also spoke about a specific issue that occurred between her and Scientology defector Leah Remini, who won an award at the 2017 Television Critics Association Awards for her anti-Scientology documentary series. Moss reportedly left the room during her speech. “I went to the bathroom. I wish it was more exciting than that.”
The actress has faced severe criticism from fans of The Handmaid’s Tale, with one fan responding to a post of hers stating: “Both Gilead and Scientology believe that all outside sources (aka news) are wrong or evil… it’s just very interesting,” to which Moss responded saying that the claims were “not true at all” and adding that “Religious freedom and tolerance and understanding the truth and equal rights for every race, religion and creed are extremely important to me. The most important things to me, probably.” She did not expand on the comparison to Scientology, however.
But in general, Moss would rather not talk about her religion, a fact she made clear in an interview with The Guardian.
“It is weird for me to be put in the position where I am like, ‘No, I can’t. I don’t really want to talk about this.’ You feel kind of like, I am a nice person who likes to talk about stuff. I also get the curiosity. I get the fascination. I become fascinated with things that are none of my business as well. I am just fascinated when someone breaks up with somebody. I want to know all about it. I am very interested in what people are wearing, and all of that kind of thing, but you have a right to your privacy,” she said.
