Elisabeth Moss Unpacks Major ‘The Testaments’ Finale Reveal — and Expects Your Reaction

Elisabeth Moss, executive producer and star of the Hulu series "The Testaments," has revealed that her character, June Osborne, was always planned to appear in "The Handmaid’s Tale" sequel series, despite her casting being kept secret prior to the premiere.

Following the release of the season one finale, titled "Secateurs," Moss addressed the lack of a reunion between June and her daughter, Hannah. In the finale, Hannah—who was renamed Agnes in Gilead and is played by Chase Infiniti—learns her mother’s true identity from Daisy (Lucy Halliday), a resistance spy working for June.

"The most important thing was that the overall idea of how Handmaid’s ended dovetailed into The Testaments and that it made sense," Moss said. "I’ve said this since season one of Handmaid’s — but June’s story is never over until she makes sure that Hannah is safe. That’s all. That’s the end of it. Period."

Responding to anticipated viewer reactions regarding the continued separation of June and Hannah, Moss stated: "I get it. I would like them to get back together, too. But I do think there is a way of getting there that where, if we’re going to do it, we’re doing to do it in the right way."

"The Testaments" is adapted from Margaret Atwood's sequel novel of the same name. The season finale was written by series creator Bruce Miller, Maya Goldsmith, and Gianna Sobol, and was directed by Mike Barker. The series has already been renewed for a second season, and the writers are currently developing the scripts.

Moss was originally scheduled to direct the beginning of "The Testaments." However, after she was hired to direct the first two and final two episodes of "The Handmaid's Tale" while caring for her newborn, the production team decided she should focus on the flagship series, and Mike Barker was brought in to direct instead. Moss finished filming "The Handmaid's Tale" in mid-February and shot her scenes for "The Testaments" in April. She was also unable to direct in season one of the sequel series due to her commitment to start filming "Imperfect Women" for Apple in May, though she noted she may be available to direct in season two.

Moss and Miller collaborated extensively on how much June would know about Hannah's circumstances. They decided that while June knows Hannah’s Gilead name is Agnes MacKenzie and has suspicions about her location, she did not have absolute confirmation of her exact whereabouts or her friendship with Daisy until the revelation on screen.

Regarding whether June is working in cooperation with Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), Moss indicated the show is maintaining a deliberate ambiguity. She noted that when Agnes mentions June to Lydia, Lydia exhibits a brief moment of panic before they continue speaking in code.

Moss expressed a desire to continue playing June as long as the series runs. "As long as there’s a Gilead, she’s never going to stop fighting," Moss said.

The final scene of the season featured Agnes, Daisy, and Shu (Rowan Blanchard) walking to Alt-J's song "Hunger of the Pine." Moss described filming the scene on a dock with Barker as a highly collaborative experience, noting that directors Barker, Dana Reed, and Jane Campion inspired her to become a director. All episodes of the first season of "The Testaments" are currently streaming on Hulu.