Elisabeth Moss has defended Scientology after a fan compared its theology to the dystopian society depicted in The Handmaid’s Tale.
The Handmaid’s Tale actress shared a picture of herself on Instagram before she went to a press event for the TV series and one user asked her if doing the show made her “think twice about Scientology” because of the perceived similarities between the religion and Gilead’s theology as they “both believe that all outside sources (aka news) are wrong and evil.”
In Gilead, a fictional isolated society where women are used as handmaids to tackle America’s infertility problem, outside influences are not allowed and woman are banned from reading and writing.
Elisabeth, who is largely quiet about her religion, responded directly to the fan in her Instagram comments.
“That’s actually not true at all about Scientology,” she wrote. “Religious freedom and tolerance and understanding and truth and equal rights for every race, religion and creed are extremely important to me. The most important things to me probably. And so Gilead and THT (The Handmaid’s Tale) hit me on a very personal level. Thanks for the interesting question!!” followed by a kiss blowing emoji.
The user replied thanking the 35-year-old for explaining and admitting, “Unfortunately that’s the information that we have on your religion based on what the general public hear if we are not apart of it.”
The former Mad Men star was reportedly born into the religion, which boasts celebrity supporters like Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
During a recent cover interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she says she had come to expect being asked about it but declines to respond.
“It doesn’t surprise me (that it’s always mentioned) because I think if there was anything unusual, it would be there (in a piece about me),” she said. “And I (understand the interest), I’m happy to read about the thing that I don’t know anything about, too.”
