Things You Didn't Know About Elisabeth Moss

Moss met SNL comedian Fred Armisen in 2008; they got engaged four months later, and married in October 2009. By June 2010, they separated; two months later, Moss filed for divorce.

It was a whirlwind courtship-marriage-split, and according to both Moss and Armisen, a terrible experience. Moss has called their union and subsequent breakup "extremely traumatic and awful and horrible." In an interview with Howard Stern, Armisen confessed to being a "terrible husband."

Of her ex, Moss once said, "One of the greatest things I heard someone say about him is, 'He's so great at doing impersonations. But the greatest impersonation he does is that of a normal person.'"

Born into a Scientologist family, Moss grew up in the church and remains an active member. In interviews, she has politely, but firmly refused to discuss her religion. In an earlier interview, however, she sang the praises of the controversial faith:

I feel it has given me a sanity and a stability that I am not sure that I would have necessarily had. It has taught me so much about the importance of communication. In my line of work, I am often in very stressful situations, in which you would often get totally nervous or clam up - you know, going on stage in front of 2,000 people.

It's an applied philosophy. And L. Ron Hubbard definitely believed, and as Scientologists we believe, that the arts inject the spirit of life into our culture.

Through her work on The Handmaid's Tale, a dystopian drama with major social and political commentary, Moss has become an unlikely activist.

"I'm a staunch believer in women's rights," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "I don't really give a sh*t about anybody who isn't."

Some have criticized Moss's advocacy efforts, however, since they feel her activist views contradict her faith. The Handmaid's Tale takes place in a secret, oppressive society - these adjectives also reportedly describe Scientology. Since Moss no longer comments on her religion, it's difficult to gauge if this public opinion has affected her.

The Academy nominated Moss for an Emmy six times before she scored a win the seventh time for her work on The Handmaid's Tale, both as an outstanding lead actress and producer. She previously received five nominations  for Mad Men, and once for Top of the Lake.

During her acceptance speech, she thanked her mother - and fabulously dropped an F-bomb in the process: "You have taught me that you can be kind and a f*cking badass."

Like many young actresses, Moss initially wanted to become a dancer. But the occasional dance lesson did not satisfy her interest. As with most projects she undertakes, Moss committed fully to her passion for ballet. She studied at the School of American Ballet in New York City, and renowned ballerina Suzanne Farrell took Moss under her wing at Washington, DC's Kennedy Center.

"I loved ballet," Moss later said. "I was a bunhead for 10 years."

Moss grew up in a so-called "a hippie enclave" of Los Angeles, CA. She eventually had homeschooling, not because of any particular hippie sensibilities, but her career started to take off when she was young. Her choice of roles and clever performances demonstrate how she was an outstanding student. She graduated high school at age 16.