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Elisabeth Moss is arguably one of the most prominent and talented actresses in the industry today. From her stint in Mad Men to her recent role in The Handmaid's Tale, Moss has consistently won over both viewers and critics with her performances. However, her personal life and beliefs have sometimes come under scrutiny, particularly regarding certain roles she has taken on.
That is largely because Elisabeth Moss has been a lifelong Scientologist. Per reports, she became a member of the Church of Scientology before she was a teenager and grew up in a Scientologist family. While she has rarely spoken about this connection in interviews, she did address the topic in a 2022 interview with The New Yorker, where she urged people not to connect her characters with her personal life and practices.
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Speaking on the topic of being a Scientologist, Elisabeth Moss said:
"I don’t want to come off as being cagey,...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."
She continued:
"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."
Moss further addressed the criticisms many raised regarding the perceived contrast between the Church of Scientology and the feminist approach of The Handmaid's Tale.
"It’s not really a closed-off religion" — Elisabeth Moss on the Church of Scientology
Elisabeth Moss has often faced criticism for the perceived contrast between the story and character in The Handmaid's Tale and her long-standing belief in Scientology. She addressed this in the same interview, stating that she could not do anything about what people thought and even praised the Church of Scientology as being much more open than what people from the outside thought.
She expanded:
"People can obviously hold in their mind whatever they want to, and I can’t control that. If it’s not that, it’s going to be something else."
She continued, speaking about the practice itself:
"It’s not really a closed-off religion...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 further credited Scientology for making her a better communicator. She also revealed that the group had encouraged its followers to find out for themselves if they had doubts or dissatisfaction. She added:
"I’ve certainly been guilty of reading an article or watching something and taking that as gospel. And obviously something like religious freedom and resistance against a theocracy is very important to me."
Elisabeth Moss also discussed separate incidents where her faith and her work collided.
This is a debate that could perhaps go on forever, with not much to solve. It boils down to the individual beliefs.
Elisabeth Moss continues to actively participate in the industry and will soon be back in the Apple TV+ series Imperfect Women.
