Every streaming service has its own mega hits, and those with a Hulu subscription have been treated to The Handmaid’s Tale. We’re currently in the middle of its sixth and final season on the air, and Handmaid’s Tale fans have had strong emotional reactions to the dystopian drama. And Moira actress Samira Wiley recently spoke to CinemaBlend about how her work on the show and Netflix’s Orange is the New Black has affected LGBTQ+ fans.
While fans figure out how to watch The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6, I’m already dreading the show coming to an end. As you can see in the above video, I had the privilege of speaking with Wiley, where I asked about the way fans have responded to her work on Handmaid’s and OITNB. She got honest about her feelings, saying:
It’s overwhelming. I feel so honored, but I also feel like sometimes it’s just a job. And then I have these interactions with people and I see the impact and I feel the impact. And I understand what visibility can do, representation.
This is a refreshingly candid take. While no one could blame Wiley for wanting to simply do her job and clock out, she also understands the way her work has affected audiences for both The Handmaid’s Tale and Orange is the New Black. One can only imagine the conversations she has on the street with fans as a result.
Wiley became a household name for portraying Poussey Washington in Orange is the New Black (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription). She was a strong lesbian woman, and Poussey’s death is arguably the most devastating moment of the entire series. Since then, she’s spent almost a decade portraying Moira in The Handmaid’s Tale, who is a queer woman, survivor of sexual assault, and someone who was forced into sex work by Gilead. In our same conversation she shared how her characters’ trauma has influenced fans, saying:
Because the kind of interactions I have on the street with people. Having women tell me they’ve let their queer son or daughter back in their home because of understanding the humanity of Poussey. Hearing stories about women’s trauma from Handmaid’s Tale. I know how important that is now. We’re not just making TV, which is some times what I think. We’re storytelling and those stories are changing lives. And making them feel seen.
Talk about powerful. It sounds like Wiley has had some intense conversations with fans of her TV shows, which I can imagine is emotionally grueling in its own way. But she’s obviously seen first-hand the power of representation in the media, particularly when it comes to queer fans and their families.
We’re currently halfway through the final season of Hulu’s Emmy-winning drama, as Episode 5 “Janine” just premiered. The pressure is on for The Handmaid’s Tale series finale to deliver for the fans, who have spent years following Gilead and hoping for a happy ending. And I’m definitely hoping to see June and Moira both survive the final season.
The Handmaid’s Tale airs new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. All eyes are on what how spinoff The Testaments is set up in the final episodes.
