The Untold Truth Of Elisabeth Moss

Elisabeth Moss has managed to live a fairly quiet life despite all her success, even though privacy is hard to come by in Hollywood. Even those who choose to keep their personal lives private often still have to deal with a lot of scrutiny that comes with being in the spotlight.

Moss hasn't been quiet about her desire to keep her personal life to herself, and, while she does have somewhat of a social media influence, she has found a nice balance of what she shares and doesn't share with her followers and the public. Elisabeth Moss certainly seems like a mixed bag to many people, but just because she's more low-key doesn't mean Moss isn't relatable or down to earth. Perhaps because Moss grew up knowing she wanted to act, she has worked hard to shield herself. "You have to be careful," she said in an interview with Harper's Bazaar. "Once the information is out there, you can't take it back." 

Because she keeps to herself, there's a lot about Moss that fans might not know. Here's the untold truth of Elisabeth Moss.

While most people's perception of Elisabeth Moss tends to have a lot to do with her career, there's a lot more to her than just that. In fact, when Moss was growing up, her childhood was pretty relaxed. According to The Guardian, she lived with her parents "in what used to be a hippy enclave in Los Angeles." In fact, Moss' childhood definitely appeared to be pretty chill. After all, who wouldn't want to have hippy musicians for parents while in L.A.?

"We grew up with musicians coming over, jamming," Moss told The Guardian about how she remembers her childhood. "We had tons of instruments. So holidays were always like, 50 people would come over and there would be a jam session with everyone playing jazz." Truly, Moss' childhood sounds like a dream, and with musically-inclined parents, it's no wonder Moss was interested in Hollywood. Moss got her start in the entertainment industry at a fairly young age, but fortunately that didn't mean her childhood was anything short of idyllic. 

Elisabeth Moss had quite an interesting schooling experience. Likely because Moss' parents were so busy as musicians, the actress wasn't able to complete traditional schooling. According to Moss' 2016 interview with The Guardian, Moss' mom was "a harmonica player in a blues band," and her dad was "a music manager" who often was "on tour with clients." Moss told the publication, "My earliest memories are at the Blue Note here in New York, or backstage at different theatres or different clubs, dressing rooms." So, Moss was homeschooled.

According to Biography, "Moss was home-schooled by a private tutor and managed to graduate from high school two years early, in 1999, at the age of 16." Clearly, Moss has been a go-getter from an early age. With such a fascinating background, it's no wonder that Moss grew up to be the talented actor that she is, playing complex and wonderful characters.

Elisabeth Moss' childhood definitely seems like it was charming, what with her musician parents and her at-home accelerated education. But in addition to everything else Moss had going for her as a child, she also started acting at a young age. Moss' first acting role was in 1990, when she was just a little 8-year-old girl, in a TV movie called "Bar Girls."

After that, Moss' acting career really took off. She had many notable roles as a young girl, and then, when she was a teenager, she landed the role of a lifetime in "The West Wing." In fact, Moss credits her career for helping her not to have an angsty, teenage rebellion because she was just too busy. "I didn't really have a rebellious period because I moved to New York when I was 18, and I started 'West Wing' when I was 17," she told the Daily Beast. Moss might not be known today for being a child actor, but she definitely ruled the industry as one.

It's no secret that Elisabeth Moss is a Scientologist, as it's really one of the most well-known facts about the actress. The religion is controversial, as members of the church of Scientology go through a so-called auditing process, which involves delving into a lot of personal information, according to CNN.

While many celebrities become Scientologists later in life, Moss actually grew up in the church of Scientology, as reported by Elle Australia. Additionally, the publication reported that Moss "claims that the Church helped her become who she is today." Moss' religion is often the subject of articles and think-pieces, as many wonder how the actor can be a part of such a controversial religion while also advocating for women's rights and other progressive values. However, one source told The Sun, "Elisabeth is a devout member who was born into this ­religion and would never do anything to rock the boat." Additionally, the source explained, "She's a role model within the church..." 

It's clear that Scientology is a big part of Moss' life, and, since she grew up in the church, you can understand why she might stand up for the religion.

Obviously Elisabeth Moss is a talented actor, but she also had a lot more going for her when she was younger. Yes, Moss has always been a woman of many talents, and, along with acting, she also loved to dance. She told The Guardian, "I loved ballet. I was a bun head for 10 years."

Unfortunately, Moss got so busy as she got older that she had to make the choice between acting or dancing. "I stopped dancing when I was 15 or 16 — you had to go either way at that point, and if I went with ballet I knew I wouldn't be able to act, and if I acted I could still possibly dance — so I went with the acting," she told the Daily Beast of her younger years. Now Moss is an A-list actor with a resume that could rival just about anyone's, but, back in the day, she had multiple passions in the arts.

Though Elisabeth Moss has been acting since she was a young girl, she definitely scored her breakout role when she starred as Peggy Olson on the period drama "Mad Men." The role practically made Moss' career, and the character Peggy was perfect for the actress.

In an interview with Vogue, Moss explained that she really related to Peggy. "I just felt like I knew that girl," she said. "I felt like I could see Peggy. She was the unwitting feminist, the one that wasn't burning bras or marching, who didn't know the phrase glass ceiling but was banging her head up against it." While the show might have taken place in the 1960s, Moss' Peggy still had very relatable struggles that the women of modern times could understand. Really, "Mad Men" set off Moss' career and launched her name in a way. And Moss played Peggy in a way that surely no one else could have.

While many people associate Elisabeth Moss with being fairly private, she did have quite the public marriage back in 2009, when she married "Saturday Night Live" comedian Fred Armisen, as noted by The Guardian in 2016. The relationship was short-lived, as they separated less than a year after tying the knot, and, even though their romance was likely pretty complicated, to say the least — in 2014, she called it "extremely traumatic and awful and horrible" (via Vulture) — she doesn't seem to hold any ill will towards her ex nowadays.

In her interview with The Guardian, Moss explained that the marriage was actually a great learning experience. "God, I learned so much that I am still sifting through it," she said. "I was young. I was 27, and certainly I am still young, but now, looking back, six years ago, it seems young. I didn't know everything about what I wanted, and what I was looking for." She added, "With time, I think, you learn who you are, and what you need." Though it couldn't have been easy for Moss to go through such a public breakup, she came out the other end stronger and more self-assured.

Acting and dancing are both obviously important to Elisabeth Moss and have each played a significant role in her life, but she wouldn't be who she is today without the music she listened to as a child. Music played a critical role in Moss' life, and, from the time she was a kid to now, she's appreciated good music.

"My upbringing was not full of the cool music that everyone else at school was listening to," she told Vogue in an interview, "but classical and blues and jazz. It was only more recently that I could identify a Nirvana song, but I could easily name any Gershwin tune from the first few bars." She explained to The Guardian that classical music was a huge part of her childhood and noted that she listened to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald when she was 12.

Though Elisabeth Moss may be super successful and, of course, gives interviews every now and then, she's still a very private person. After her highly publicized marriage to "Saturday Night Live" star Fred Armisen, she's chosen to keep her personal life to herself. In a 2019 interview with Vogue, she mentioned she had a boyfriend, but she refused to name him.

In an interview with the Daily Beast, Moss explained why she preferred to keep some things on the down-low. "I choose to express myself in my work and my art," she said. "I don't choose to express myself about it in interviews. I don't choose to talk about not just religion, but my personal life — who I'm dating and that kind of thing." 

Celebrities may feel they almost have some kind of obligation to share their lives with their fans, but Moss has found a way to be open about some things while keeping other aspects of her life to herself.

Basically, everyone knows one very important fact about Elisabeth Moss: She is a Scientologist. Scientology has been such a huge part of Moss' identity that there isn't really an interview with Moss out there that doesn't at least touch on her religion.

In an interview with the Daily Beast, Moss explained that her faith is very personal to her and that she can only vouch for how the religion has worked for her. "The things that I believe in, I can only speak to my personal experience and my personal beliefs," she said. Additionally, in an interview with Advocate, Moss explained that she looks to her church for guidance on social issues. "One of the most important things I take from my church is the idea of personal freedom and our rights as human beings, and that includes the right to date a man or a woman," she said. "Personal freedom is a very important concept in my religion, and I translate that to sexual orientation."

For Moss, Scientology isn't a controversial topic — it's just part of who she is.

With Elisabeth Moss' roles in "Mad Men" and "The Handmaid's Tale," it's clear that she tends to enjoy playing roles that are politically poignant. And in an interview with the Daily Beast in 2019, Moss described how it felt to film scenes for "The Handmaid's Tale" while in Washington, D.C. at the height of such political turmoil.

"When you're kneeling on the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial," Moss described, "you're looking at where MLK gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech, you're in the outfit of complete lack of freedom, and your president is a few blocks away arguing about putting up a wall, you can't help but feel that you have the responsibility to tell this story, and I feel honored to be able to express what I think, what I feel, and what a lot of other people feel through what I love doing." 

Moss may be an actress, but that doesn't mean she isn't also politically active.

Just like the novel by Margaret Atwood on which the show is based, "The Handmaid's Tale" takes place in a dystopian future where many women lose their freedom and become Handmaids. Their only job is to get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby, but they have absolutely no say in what's happening to them. So, while Elisabeth Moss hasn't experienced what it's like to be nothing more than a baby-making machine in real life, she still feels connected to her character on the show, June Osborne, otherwise known as Offred.

In an interview with Vogue, Moss explained why she feels such a kinship to June. "June is a heroine like you are and I am and my mom is," she said. "She's a mother. She's a wife. She's a woman. She's human. I think that's really interesting — the question of, How would you act in her position? What would you do? What kind of hero would you become?" 

Throughout her life, Elisabeth Moss has likely met many important people and has traveled to numerous places, winning prestigious awards along the way. Still, at the end of the day, she maintains that none of those things are what really matters to her.

In an interview with The Independent, Moss said plainly, "My family is very important, my friends are important, my boyfriend is important to me. Those are the people I actually want to hang out with." Additionally, Moss explained that there's a reason the world won't really know who she's dating. "I have very little control over what is mine and what is private and what isn't," she said. "It's been my choice to keep certain things private because otherwise it sort of feels that you don't have anything that's personal." Moss' loved ones are all really important to her, even though she chooses to keep those parts of her life to herself.

Elisabeth Moss is known for playing big, intense roles and is also known for speaking out on social and political issues, but that doesn't mean she's always so serious in real life. In fact, in an interview with Vogue, Moss explained that she's a lot more relaxed than fans might assume. "People meet me and they're thrown because they expect me to be more serious, intense," she said. "I'm just so not."

Additionally, Moss explained that because she films scenes that are difficult on such a regular basis, she likes to unwind with reality TV, specifically the "Real Housewives" franchise. "I mean, I think I do some hard s**t on 'The Handmaid's Tale,' but it was difficult maintaining that level of tension and drama and hyperness and speed," she said. "I think that's why I love my reality TV and my comedies." Moss works hard, so unwinding with some reality television is just what she deserves.

Throughout her impressive career, Elisabeth Moss has continued to act her heart out and has starred in some major roles. And while Moss likely enjoys all of the projects in which she's been involved, as well as all the different characters she gets to take on, there was one particular part in 2020 that really spoke to her.

In an interview with Deadline, Moss explained that her role as the titular character in "Shirley," based on the life of horror writer Shirley Jackson, was a really great experience. And more than that, she actually related to the dark character. Well, sort of. "I loved how honest she was sometimes, and I loved how she didn't take anybody's s**t," Moss said. "She expected the people around her to be smart, and expected people around her to be able to keep up with her." And while Moss admired the female antihero, she also clarified, "I think that in my life, I'm probably a little kinder and less abrasive."

Despite her many roles, Elisabeth Moss is probably best known as the leading character in Hulu's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale." The dystopian show has truly been a huge success, but Moss doesn't just act on the series: During Season 4 of the show, she made her directorial debut on the show. Originally, Moss explained that she was supposed to direct one episode of the series before production shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, but then she wound up directing three total when shooting restarted.  

"So all of the sudden I was the sort of director on hand," Moss explained during an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon." Making your directorial debut on a show as popular and intense as "The Handmaid's Tale" is no small feat, so we imagine Moss was excited to direct those episodes! To host Jimmy Fallon, she went on, "By the end, we were joking that I was just gonna be this journeyman director now, like off to do my ninth episode of 'Law & Order,' clocking in, clocking out."