Elisabeth Moss Likes To Keep Audiences Guessing And Would Love To Work On Something Unexpected
For years, audiences have seen Elisabeth Moss toil away as characters deeply entrenched in trauma. First she went from the president's kidnapped daughter on "The West Wing," to the very special horrors of being a 1960s working woman in "Mad Men." One of her most notable roles thus far has been the dystopian trauma-fest of "The Handmaid's Tale," and don't even get me started on what her character endures in "The Invisible Man."
Keeping the trend going, Moss is set to star in AppleTV+'s upcoming adaptation of the Lauren Beukes' best-selling novel "The Shining Girls." Moss plays Chicago newspaper archivist Kirby Mazrach who, big surprise, is recovering from a traumatic event. Upon learning that a recent murder mirrors her own assault, Kirby ends up falling down an investigative rabbit hole as she links past cold cases to her own personal trauma. Classic Elisabeth Moss, amirite? Just take a look at the trailer, which is full of ominous lines, terrifying implications, and Moss looking incredibly stressed out. But just because she's found a niche in the darkest corners of Hollywood doesn't mean Moss doesn't want to venture into new genres. In a recent interview, she discussed her desire to take on more unexpected roles.
Rom-Com Queen Elizabeth Moss
In a way, her desire to branch out is no surprise. Many of Moss' roles may be united by their darkness, but she generally thrives on taking unexpected swerves. The leap from "Mad Men" to "The Invisible Man" was pretty huge, and along the way, she took some surprising turns in films like "The Square," "Her Smell," and "Us." The fact that she wants to continue spanning genres makes plenty of sense. Per Deadline, Moss recently shared that she's especially interested in tackling a romantic comedy:
"Those are the kinds of films I actually really like to watch too. So yeah, absolutely. I think as an actor, I must admit, I do enjoy the more dramatic work. I feel more challenged by it. And as crazy as it might sound, it is more fun for me, but I would love to do some sort of comedy or romantic comedies, which are my favorite genres."
This isn't the first time Moss has expressed her interest in the lighter genre. Last year, she told The Telegraph that she'd love to take a break from darker roles and "do a romantic comedy for like, nine months." It's an absolute travesty that studios aren't banging down her door for an opportunity to make Elisabeth Moss a romcom queen — but maybe they're still traumatized from her last dozen roles. But being able to tap into darkness certainly shouldn't preclude Moss from getting into new genres, especially given her track record for transformative roles. Peggy Olson is a key example: Across seven seasons she went from mousy secretary to a woman confident enough to chase down her aspirations, then she exploded into a full-blown badass. We even got a taste of an Elisabeth Moss romcom through her relationships with fellow Madison Avenue Ad-Man, Stan Rizzo (Jay R. Ferguson) in a relationship that blossomed slowly over time. Now obviously Moss should get a chance to shine in her very own romantic comedy (and no, her appearance as Jonah Hill's girlfriend in "Get Him to the Greek" doesn't count), but hey, if all else fails, she could just call up Ferguson and Matthew Weiner and get a "Mad Men" rom-com sequel up and running.