Elisabeth Moss Warns Fans Not To Binge On Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ Plus Margaret Atwood’s Cameo Explained

Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale is set to premiere on April 26. Already, the early reviews are praising this new series based on the novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood. However, Elisabeth Moss, who plays the main character, Offred, warns the audience not to binge on the series all in one hit.

If you haven’t yet read Margaret Atwood’s book, here’s the official synopsis for Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

“The Handmaid’s Tale is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted fundamentalism in its militarized ‘return to traditional values.’ As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household, one of the castes of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate the world. In this terrifying society, Offred must navigate between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids – where anyone could be a spy for Gilead – all with one goal: to survive and find the daughter that was taken from her.”

As you can see from the synopsis, this series — as is quite often the way with dystopian works — is heavy fare. For those who have read the book, The Handmaid’s Tale might be something you can binge on once Hulu airs the series in its entirety. However, Elisabeth Moss warned viewers not to do so when she spoke to USA Today.

“I think you actually can binge-watch it, I just think that it’s important in a show like this to watch, step away and think about it. Every episode is so jam-packed with so much that I think it would almost be a shame to overdose too quickly on it. I think it’s something to be enjoyed and savored. It’s filled with nuance, it’s complicated.”

Elisabeth Moss further adds that The Handmaid’s Tale is a show that needs to be pulled apart and dissected with others to gain its full effect. For fans who like their television dished out weekly, Moss also reveals that each episode of The Handmaid’s Tale will finish on a relative cliffhanger, so, besides the content, viewers will be able to discuss exactly what might happen next, leading to ever-present anticipation as the series unfolds on Hulu.

However, regardless of Elisabeth Moss’ warning, fans might find it hard to keep to her instructions in the first week as, the Hollywood Reporter has pointed out Hulu will be airing the first three episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale on April 26.

Elisabeth Moss will star as Offred, one of the Handmaids tasked with bringing forth life thanks to her fertility. While many fans of the book are excited to see Elisabeth’s interpretation of this much-loved character, it is Margaret Atwood’s cameo in the series that is really getting book fans worked up.

It wasn’t until the early reviews came out that Atwood’s cameo was revealed. New Republic revealed in their review of The Handmaid’s Tale that Atwood’s cameo would involve her slapping Offred.

When Entertainment Weekly attended the Tribeca Film Festival on Friday, Handmaid’s Tale director Reed Morano explained how Margaret Atwood — who plays an Aunt in the show — ended up slapping Elisabeth Moss.

“Actually, the Aunt [she was playing] was going to slap somebody else, and we were like, ‘No, she can slap Offred!’ She didn’t want to and then [Elisabeth Moss] was like, ‘No, really hit me.'”

The trailer for Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale is below.

Are you looking forward to Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale? Will you be saving up the series to binge on or taking Elisabeth Moss’ advice? Let us know by commenting below.

The Handmaid’s Tale will air exclusively on Hulu from April 26. Viewers outside of the U.S. will need to tune into their local providers to find out if The Handmaid’s Tale will be screened locally.

[Featured Image by Hulu]