Being on the internet, it can sometimes feel like we’ve all made a pact to never support Scientologists, especially Scientologist actors. I mostly adhere to that pact, except with Elisabeth Moss. I can’t give up Elisabeth Moss. That would mean giving up Mad Men. Moss is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated actresses of her generation, from Mad Men to Handmaid’s Tale to that terrific miniseries she starred in and executive produced, Shining Girls. She’s currently promoting The Veil and the final season of Handmaid’s Tale. She’s also pregnant, although she is not sharing any details about the father or how far along she is.
Moss works so consistently and in such a diverse array of projects, it’s easy to forget that she’s been working nonstop for three decades. One of her earliest film roles was in 1999’s Girl, Interrupted. She was probably only 16 or 17 years old during the filming. She got to work with Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Whoopi Goldberg, the late Brittany Murphy and more. She played Polly “Torch” Clark, the girl with a burned face and body. As Moss was promoting The Veil, she was asked about Girl, Interrupted:
Elisabeth Moss is recalling how “intimidated” she felt on set next to the “cool girls” while making Girl, Interrupted.
“There were two kind of camps. There was the Winona Ryder camp and the Angelina Jolie Camp,” Moss, 41, said of the two stars of the film, during the most recent episode of Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast.
Moss went on to explain that the “camps” were “off camera but based on what was on camera.” “I was in the Winona Ryder camp and the Angelina Jolie camp was really cool. Those were the really cool girls. I was so intimidated by the Angelina Jolie camp. I had no thoughts of ever being able to be in that camp. It was so cool. It was all the cool girls.”
“Did you say to [Jolie], “Why did you not let me into your camp?’ ” Ripa asked her guest.
“No, I never brought it up. I’ve never brought it up, and I’m sure she would have no idea what I was talking about anyway,” Moss said. “I’ve spoken to Angelina since then, and she’s lovely, but at the time, it was just incredibly intimidating. I’ve never brought it up and I’m sure she would have no idea what I was talking about anyway. But I was just not — I was definitely not cool enough to be in her camp.”
As a longtime Jolie stan, it helps to remember how badass Angelina was in the 1990s. Like, very few celebrity women were doing it like her, with the tattoos, knives, drugs, a Vegas marriage, leaving her husband for a female costar, and on and on. Like, she was incredibly cool and intimidating. It was probably an age thing too – Moss was just too young to hang out with Jolie and all of her grown-woman drama. I’d like to think that Moss and Jolie could probably be quite friendly now though.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and screenshot from YouTube/Elisabeth Moss Clips.
-
- ANGELINA JOLIE ATTENDS THE PREMIERE OF “GONE IN 60 SECONDS” IN WHICH SHE STARS. ODEON, WEST END. LONDON 26TH JULY 2000 -CM/,Image: 539937926, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Colin Mason / Avalon
-
- ANGELINA JOLIE STOCK IMAGE. 07 MARCH 1999. PICTURE / URW,Image: 547442413, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Ron Wolfson / Avalon
-
- MADRID, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 19: Elisabeth Moss attend ‘El Hombre Invisible’ photocall at Villamagna Hotel on February 19, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. USA, UK, AUS, NZ ONLY Photograph: © Alter Photos/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 563657856, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alter Photos / Alter Photos / Avalon
-
- Ellis bag with Djula and Yves Tufenkjian jewelry arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Universal Pictures’ ‘The Invisible Man’ held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on February 24, 2020 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 563751931, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289 – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
-
- Ellis bag with Djula and Yves Tufenkjian jewelry arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Universal Pictures’ ‘The Invisible Man’ held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on February 24, 2020 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 563751952, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289 – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
Leaving her husband for a female costar? Someone please elaborate on this because I remember the Jenny Shimizu rumors but not this…
Me, too! This went completely over my head
She left Johnny and dated Jenny Shimizu from her film foxfire. Shocked and that people don’t know this.
At one stage, she sat both of them down and told them she was in love with both of them. Love the fiery Aries (she’s an Aries moon; they’re awesome) energy. Doubt she even thought about cool/less-cool camps; Aries moons are intense but genuine at the same time and quite humanitarian and egalitarian I’ve found. They’re just busy doing their own thing and not petty enough to subscribe to superficial social hierarchies in my experience. Actually, if there were any bullies or mean people around, they’d usually be the first to give them a good talking to on the bullied person’s behalf.
However, she also has Mars in the same sign as her moon (don’t know if it’s a true conjunction however) and that’s usually quite an intense thing to live with.
I also don’t remember any mention of drug use so what happened there?
Notoriously so – I think there’s some late 90s footage of her nodding off at a dealer’s place if you go hunting. It was one of the reasons that it was such a wild moment when only a few years later she transitioned to adopting children and becoming the UN’s St Angelina. I think she was very fortunate that she came up pre-social media so all the wildness didn’t get immortalised and used against her forever and she was able to move past it.
She has actually always been very open about her past drug use and people have tried to us that agents her for many years.
Moss is the same a cruise in my book. Won’t watch anything they’re in because I don’t support Co$
Whenever I see her in something it’s all I can think about. It’s so distracting.
ITA! And I don’t think she’s underrated at all. She’s the IT girl getting all the parts. She did a series as a New Zealand detective that could have gone to any number of talented actresses from New Zealand. It’s insulting that she played Shirley Jackson. I won’t even watch it. I still allow myself to watch Mad Men because it’s so good and it was a rare case of her being appropriately cast. But spare me endless roles of her as a kick ass feminist icon.
I always work on the basis that if you are a scientologist, your work is promotion for Scientology. Moss is being more subtle about it than Cruise but it’s style very much good promotion when she wins awards and receive praise.
100% this. Once a CO$ shill, always a CO$ shill.
Same here and she definitely seems to turn up all over the place but she’s on my ‘no-watch’ list. Positive coverage of her is positive coverage for scientology.
She’s a very good actress so pity about the Scientology thing. I agree that I’d probably skip anything she’s in (don’t watch much HW stuff these days).
She’s one of my favorite actresses too, even though Scientology gives me the screaming heebie-jeebies. As a young punk, I actually talked to one of those street-corner proselytizers on a dare, and went back to headquarters for a personality test. It told me how f***ed up I was, of course! Hahaha. They are soooo creepy. More power to her for making it work? Still, shudder.
Yeah Moss is the one Scientologist actor I have complicated feelings about because I love her as an actress. I could totally see being intimidated by Angelina at that time. But I also know Angelina is a big softie so she would feel awful about Moss feeling intimidated by her.
Agree! But also, LOTS of religions are really problematic. It’s all in how the individual relates to and practices it.
I have heard nothing untoward about how Elizabeth Miss practices it so I really don’t care. Just like I don’t care whether an actor is Catholic or Muslim or whatever religion with a complicated and sometimes problematic record. Each religion also had a beautiful side and many people just focus on that and the community side of it. Thank goodness for most people not practicing their religions exactly by the book
I had no idea that Elizabeth Moss is a Scientologist. I’m sorry to hear that, but there’s no denying her acting chops. I first took note of her on The West Wing series where she played President Bartlett’s daughter.
Anyone else dying to know who else was in Jolie’s “cool camp”?! Where did Brittany Murphy fall? How did Winona act around AJ?! Omg, I need more.
I LOVED this movie, still do.
This is what I was looking for too! 😀
Winona and Brittany Murphy became real friends during filming, there’s several photos of them after the movie ended shopping and hanging out. I imagine it was Winona/Brittany,
/Elizabeth and then Angelina/Jared Leto/Clea Duvall/Angela Bettis and maybe Whoopi Goldberg. Angelina seemed drawn to strong personalities
I recall Winona Ryder saying Angelina was quite aloof, doing her own thing, or something to that effect. They weren’t best buddies on set but who says they had to be.
There’s no doubt that Angelina was incredibly cool at that time. Still is.
But Winona Ryder was not some dweeb either. Maybe she was less intimidating, but I don’t know, if I was in Winona’s “camp” in 1999 I would have been STOKED. I wanted to BE her at that time.
@TurtleDove thank you! I was looking through the comments see if anyone was going to say this. I always had an image of Winona as a bad ass cool girl, too.
Growing up, I idolized her in Beetlejuice.
Exactly. WINO 4 EVER.
I won’t say that she is underrated. She got multiple awards nominations (& win?) from Mad Men & Handmaid’s Tale. Other shows after those 2 series, also got her nominated. It’s more like whenever she appeared on a show/film, she gets nomination. An actor who’s really good but seldom or never get Awards shows recognition , that’s “underrated” to me.
I hate hate hate that Elizabeth Moss is a scientologist and I hope she one day sees the light and finds the support network necessary to safely leave that cult.
I’m still mad that due to scheduling issues she couldn’t be in The Power of the Dog. I love Kiki Dunst, but she was miscast and the so-so script and direction didn’t do her any favors. That role had Elizabeth Moss written all over it.
I feel like the only one, but I don’t think Elisabeth Moss is a good actor at all. She’s always the same. In Handmaid’s Tale, she was so one-dimensional. She wore the same pissed-off expression on her face at all times — it just got slightly more pissed-off looking when she was supposed to be really angry. I just don’t find her compelling or interesting in the least. And it’s not because she’s a Scientologist — although that definitely doesn’t help!
ITA, in handmaid’s tale she just stares as mean as she can
She doesn’t get a pass from me. Nope. Won’t watch her, Cruise or any other repulsive Scientologist no matter what film or TV series they’re in.
I love her and will give a break to someone who grew up in Scientology (vs choosing it). I can’t help wishing her well.
More people who seemed in it for life are leaving, so I am holding out hope. She is smart and that helps, but anybody can be a victim of a cult in the right circumstances.
That doesn’t mean anybody has to support what she is doing, if they feel it is also supporting Scientology, but based on everything we know about it – they’ve taken her money, her decisions, and her freedom from her, and she doesn’t even f***ing KNOW IT because she is in a damn cult she was born into. I can’t be upset with her for that.