The Handmaid’s Tale: June faces torture from Lieutenant Stans
Moira Strand (played by Samira Wiley) was loved by fans for her resilience and unapologetic attitude against the Gileadean state. After a jaw-dropping season finale of The Handmaids Tale, the actress spoke out about the Hulu series and about her character’s storyline.
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Moira was introduced as June Osborne’s (Elisabeth Moss) best friend and before Gilead came to power she was living life as an openly queer woman.
Unfortunately, due to her sexuality she was deemed a gender traitor, and was forced to become a Handmaid in the oppressive state.
Before being assigned to a household, the captured women were taken to the Red Centre to undergo training to become a Handmaid in season one.
This is where Moira escaped, however as punishment for being rebellious she was sent to Gilead’s brothel called Jezebel to become a prostitute.
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Before her final escape, Moira was forced to dull down her sexual identity as it was punishable by death.
This was seen in episode one when Handmaid Emily Malek was caught having an affair with a Martha.
The pair were found guilty of being gender traitors, the Martha was punished to death and Emily’s life was only spared because she was fertile and one of Gilead’s goals was to increase the state’s birth rate.
However, she was forced to go undergo clitoridectomy as punishment, to destroy the possibility of pleasure during sex.
As for Moira, she understood that the chances of getting caught having a fling were high and the risks weren’t worth losing her freedom.
Eventually, fans were relieved as they watched her successful escape to Canada in the season one finale.
Later in the most recent instalment of the dystopian show, fans were introduced to Moira’s girlfriend Oona (Zawe Ashton).
Actress Samira Wiley recently spoke to ELLE.com about the show and the storyline. When asked about portraying a queer character on-screen she said: “It’s something I've been wanting for so long, for Moira to have a girlfriend, so it’s very satisfying.
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“It’s so amazing and fulfilling to have a queer relationship on television that’s not highlighted like, ‘Oh look, they’re queer people!’," she added.
Star Samira identifies as a lesbian, so she also revealed what it felt like playing a queer character: “We’re just queer people, it mirrors my life, it definitely shows the progress we’ve made as a society and also in media."
She also noted: “I’m just so honoured to be a part of portraying that."
Although Moira’s relationship with Oona didn’t last, there’s a possibility that she could find love again in the upcoming season of The Handmaid’s Tale.
After a shocking end to the series, a number of the cast took to social media to announce that Hulu had renewed the show for season five.
As the previous instalment ended last month, it’s safe to assume that the next series could hit the screens in 2022.
Express.co.uk will be updated with further information about the show’s release news.
All episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale are available to stream on Hulu