“She has a lot of fight left in her”: Elisabeth Moss reveals if June will appear in The Handmaid’s Tale spin-off The Testaments

With six gripping seasons, The Handmaid's Tale concluded with a finale that was both satisfying and left viewers with lingering questions. June Osborne, the character portrayed by Elisabeth Moss, was at the center of that discussion, as her strength formed the emotional core of the show.

With the Hulu series coming to an end, all eyes now turn to The Testaments, the upcoming spin-off based on Margaret Atwood's 2019 sequel novel.

Will June return in The Testaments? Is there more of her story left to tell? Elisabeth Moss recently addressed these questions in an interview with Forbes, offering insights into June's journey, the creative decisions behind the finale, and whether fans can expect her character to appear again in the new series.

She said:

"Maybe one day…Hopefully, if we get a second season. June is not dead, and she has a lot of fight left in her, and there's a war to be won. We know that June will never give up on Hannah."

She added:

"She has work to do. She won a battle, but she hasn't won the war. And she has not gotten her daughter out. Her battle will never be over until that happens.”

Elisabeth Moss on June's future in The Testaments

In her Forbes interview, Moss described the ending of The Handmaid's Tale as "open-ended," noting that June's odyssey is only halfway complete, both emotionally and thematically. She emphasized that while June's journey has more depths, her role in The Testaments is currently uncertain.

Moss acknowledged the fan support for reviving June but is unsure about her inclusion in the spin-off. According to Forbes, she said:

"I know fans would love the version where they all live in Hawaii together and have this blended family, but if you saw that episode, you would tear us apart. We’d never live it down. Fans would kill us. It had to happen. I love that Nick and Lawrence get on that plane for different reasons."

The connection between The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments

The Testaments, set around 15 years after The Handmaid's Tale, introduces three new narrators—Aunt Lydia, Agnes Jemima, and Daisy. June is mentioned only by name in the novel and does not play a central role. This shift in storytelling suggests that if June is included in the spin-off, her role could be more peripheral or symbolic rather than central.

The possibility of continuation

Although nothing is decided, Moss did not entirely exclude leaving her character behind. As per Forbes, she stated:

"As we set up that final shot, I realized I had to memorize the speech in the cadence I said it in the first episode. I logged onto my Hulu account, watched that scene over and over, and memorized how I said it. There’s an eeriness because subconsciously, it felt like I was listening to the original recording.”

Information about The Testaments' production schedule and development has been kept under wraps, but June's spirit—her sass and struggle—certainly persists in the world Atwood created, even if she's not actually present in the next book.

What lies ahead for The Testaments

The Testaments is in development at Hulu, with Bruce Miller producing again. Elisabeth Moss is an executive producer, but her acting status remains uncertain. Moss's interview clarifies rumors but does not confirm her role.

With new characters and a narrative exploring Gilead's long-term consequences, June's arrival will create a different show. Whether she appears or not, her legacy—resistance, trauma, and survival—will likely influence The Testaments' events.

Elisabeth Moss neither confirmed nor denied her role in The Testaments but expressed emotional readiness and artistic willingness without a solid promise of return.

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With the public eagerly anticipating casting announcements and production rumors, one certainty is that June's presence, whether real or symbolic, is a vital aspect of the world that The Testaments will bring to life.

Also read: The Testaments: Everything we know so far about The Handmaid’s Tale sequel

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