Elizabeth Moss is in the Emmy race, praise be.
The Emmy-winning star of “The Handmaid’s Tale” will be submitted in the guest drama actress category for her reprisal of June Osborne in Hulu’s spinoff “The Testaments,” Variety has exclusively learned. Moss will submit Episode 103, “Daisy,” as her official entry.
Per Television Academy rules, performers are ineligible for guest categories if they have previously been nominated or won in lead or supporting for the same role within the same series. While Moss is an Emmy winner for her portrayal of June (formerly Offred) in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the Academy recognizes “The Testaments” as a separate series, making her eligible to compete in the guest field. Hulu and Moss’ camps were recently notified about the TV Academy’s approval decision after petitioning. The complete list of category submissions will be released at a later date.
Last year, Alexis Bledel withdrew herself from Emmy consideration for the final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” following rule changes to the guest acting categories, which would have forced her to compete again in supporting drama actress, despite a single-episode appearance.
“Daisy,” which premiered on April 8, was written by Bayan Wolcott and directed by Mike Barker. The episode follows a pivotal school trip that triggers Daisy’s memories of Toronto, revealing fragments of her past and a world fractured by violence.
Created by Bruce Miller, “The Testaments” premiered with its first three episodes and will run for 10 episodes in its inaugural season. Based on Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel of the same name, the series is set in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead years after the events of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” It follows two teenage girls: the devout Agnes (Chase Infiniti) and Daisy (Lucy Halliday), a recent arrival from Canada whose presence begins to unravel long-buried truths. Moss appears in three installments, keeping her below the 50% episode threshold for guest-acting eligibility.
The series is expected to be a major contender for Hulu this awards cycle, with a cast that also includes Ann Dowd, Rowan Blanchard, Eva Foote, Kira Guloien and Amy Seimetz.
Its predecessor, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” made history at the 2017 Emmys, becoming the first streaming series to win outstanding drama series. Across six seasons, it earned 77 nominations and 15 wins.
Moss remains one of television’s most decorated multi-hyphenates, with 15 nominations spanning acting and producing. In addition to her wins for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” she received six other nominations for the series, split between lead drama actress and drama series as a producer. Her resumé also includes six bids for AMC’s “Mad Men” and one for the miniseries “Top of the Lake.”
“The Testaments” is produced by MGM Television and 20th Television. Miller serves as creator and showrunner, and executive produces alongside Moss, Warren Littlefield, Steve Stark, Shana Stein, Maya Goldsmith, John Weber, Sheila Hockin, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears and Barker, who directs the first three episodes and the season finale.
This year’s Emmy timeline begins with nomination-round voting from June 11-22, followed by nominations on July 8.
