subject: Elisabeth Moss: Quiet Star Of Satellite Tv [print this page] When you hear the term character actor, generally you think of a stout middle-aged Italian guy who is routinely cast as memorable Mafiosos in mobster movies but somehow never manages to become a household name. Or you think of the ubiquitous Steve Buschemi (who is a skinny, middle-aged Italian guy who has played a Mafioso before, by the by!). You tend not to think of young, beautiful Hollywood actresses who have starred in two of the most critically acclaimed dramas on satellite TV. But that is exactly who Elisabeth Moss is. She has managed to have a wildly successful career without becoming a major celebrity or household name. Everyone from your grandmother to your kid sister would probably see her on an airplane or in a grocery store and think to themselves Man, that girl is so familiar, only realizing when it is too late to say something who she is. So the next time you turn on your satellite TV, see Moss, and wrack your brain trying to figure out who she is or where she is from, consult this list of the actresss greatest triumphs to date:
1. Peggy Olsen on Mad Men
Mosss character Peggy has grown in importance on the hit AMC show Madmen right as the character herself has grown in importance throughout the course of her career in advertizing. Peggy is the go-getter young woman at the office, trying to be taken seriously in New York in the 1960s, when the business world, as it is today, was still dominated almost exclusively by men. While her outfits are not the most exciting to watch in high definition (certainly not like Joans!), she gives a depth to the complex female psychology that is spread equally between representations of different women of the time. She provides an interesting contrast to characters like Betty, Sally, Trudy, and Joan, and various secretaries.
2. Zoe Bartlett on West Wing
In the history of satellite TV, few shows were as popular as the fictionalized Democratic White House of Aaron Sorkins The West Wing. Moss played President Bartletts youngest daughter Zoe, who featured more prominently than her older sisters. She emerged in the first season largely due to her relationship with Charlie, her fathers African American personal assistant. Their interracial relationship ends up causing an assassination attempt on the President at the end of Season 1. She comes back throughout the shows seasons, and is actually kidnapped at one point after being slipped ecstasy by her quasi-well-intentioned boyfriend.
3. Girl, Interrupted
Many Peggy Olsen fans might be shocked to see the actress who plays her featured prominently in reruns of Girl, Interrupted that play on their satellite TV sets. Moss played Polly Torch Clark, who suffered some kind of accident that nearly burnt off half of her face. Whether the incident and the subsequent scarring caused her craziness, or the other way around, Moss does a great job of portraying this whining and juvenile character, making her seem at once so innocent and yet a bit creepy. The scars are great to see in high definition, as well.
