Elisabeth Moss has admired Kate Hudson’s work for years, so sharing the screen with her in Shell, a genre-blending film premiering in Toronto and directed by Max Minghella, was an exciting experience.
In Shell, Moss and Hudson tackle themes like aging and society’s emphasis on appearance. Moss plays a struggling actress, while Hudson portrays the charismatic CEO of a wellness and beauty company. According to Moss, her role was to keep the film grounded amidst its thematic explorations. “One of the things Max and I discussed a lot was how my character needed to anchor the film as much as possible,” Moss explained. “Kate’s character represents one end of the spectrum, and my job was to maintain a sense of realism and take the audience through the journey without losing the groundedness of the story.”
The movie blends various genres, including thriller, horror, and comedy, delivering both entertainment and thoughtful commentary. Moss described it as a self-aware drama with moments of dark humor. “It’s a drama, but there’s something painfully funny about it at times,” Moss said, adding that the film also has strong thriller elements.
She compared the tone of Shell to popular ’90s films like Death Becomes Her, noting that it allowed her to explore a type of comedy she hadn’t often done in her career. “The tone was something I really embraced,” she shared.
One standout scene features Moss’s character at a film audition, waiting in a room full of younger, attractive actors. Moss drew from her own experiences for this scene, recalling the stress of countless auditions over her career. “I’ve been auditioning since I was six, so I’ve sat in a lot of waiting rooms thinking, ‘There’s no way I’m going to get this part,’” she said.
Despite these doubts, Moss’s talent led her to roles in major productions like Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale. Reflecting on her Mad Men audition, Moss recalled feeling a strong connection to the character Peggy. “I just knew that character, I knew who Peggy was. I felt so good about myself in that audition,” she said, noting that while she didn’t land another role she had auditioned for at the time, booking Mad Men was a turning point.
Moss explained that her experience with auditions influenced her portrayal in Shell. “It’s a great lesson in how your path can be unexpected,” she said. “I’ve lived that experience of not fitting into a certain ideal, and it was fun to tap into that and represent it for an audience.”
Moss also expressed her love for genre films, stating that she enjoys horror, sci-fi, and action. When asked about the recent trend of body horror films, Moss commented on how certain themes often resurface in cinema. “There’s always a point when certain ideas become part of the cultural conversation,” she said, citing past examples like Armageddon and Deep Impact being released in the same year. “It’s exciting to revisit genres through a modern lens and see them evolve in new ways.”