The past television season found Elisabeth Moss leaning in on opposite corners of the earth, enduring plenty of slings, arrows and petty condescensions in two very different male-dominated milieus. She was nominated for both roles: Peggy, the striving mid-century Manhattanite on AMC’s “Mad Men†and Robin, the moody detective in “Top of the Lake,†the the New Zealand-set Sundance crime psychodrama, created by Jane Campion.
“In ‘Mad Men,’ the men have words to hurt you,†Ms. Moss said. “In ‘Top of the Lake,’ they’ve got guns.â€
Ms. Moss discussed the twin nominations, her mysterious “Top of the Lake†accent and sheep. These are excerpts from the conversation.
Congratulations on the twofer.
The fact that it was two is a little bit overwhelming.
Was one more surprising than the other?
No, both are pretty surprising [laughs]. You’re never like, “Yep that’s a lock. I’ve got that one in the bag.â€
Are you going to the Emmy ceremony with the “Top of the Lake†gang or the “Mad Men†crew?
I was just talking to my mom and we were laughing because it’s like, do I get four seats now because its two nominations? Do I go back and forth and sit with “Top of the Lake†for 15 minutes and then get up and sit with “Mad Men†for 15 minutes?
On the surface, the roles are very different. How did you get the “Top of the Lake†one?
I auditioned for it. Jane had seen “Mad Men†and was familiar with my work, but didn’t think I was necessarily right for this role. Because it was so different from Peggy and so different from anything I’ve done.
Yet there are parallels in that they’re both women in male-dominated worlds â€" the 1960s New York advertising offices and rural New Zealand police stations.
I was always in rooms full of men trying to stand up for myself [laughs]. It’s the story of almost every single woman today and then â€" if you’re a strong, powerful, smart woman, you tend to end up at some point in a room full of men trying to prove that your ideas are good. I felt like Robin was Peggy 40 years later. She’s what Peggy would be if she was an Australian detective [laughs]. Another parallel is that they’re women who are strong, but vulnerable. Who are smart and yet make bad choices.
Were you intimidated about working with Jane Campion?
Absolutely. The first time I got on the phone with her I was so terrified, just to talk to her, because she’s legendary and she has a reputation for being a very opinionated filmmaker. But she was very, very nice to me on the phone. Obviously I still have respect for her but now it’s different. Now she’s just Jane; she’s my friend. I can’t believe when a Jane Campion text message pops up on my phone. I’m still a little bit like, “Oh my God, Jane Campion is texting me!â€
What was the key to nailing the New Zealand accent?
Actually it is Australian. I never fault anyone for calling it New Zealand, but it’s actually this weird hybrid mix of Australian, New Zealand and British. We wanted it to be something that was hard to place but was of that world. We didn’t want it to be like, “Oh that’s what Hugh Jackman sounds like.â€
You filmed “Top of the Lake†before the “Mad Men†season. Did the accent ever bleed into “Mad Men†production?
Apparently not enough to ruin it, so that’s good. With my first read-through for Season 6, I found myself translating it in my head. I was so used to looking at lines and translating them into the accent. So I would translate them into the accent and then translate them back into American [laughs].
You filmed in New Zealand for five months. What were some of the hardest cultural differences to get used to?
It’s a different attitude there. It’s peaceful and relaxed. The people are very kind. I’m a New Yorker. I adore New York more than anything but it’s fast, it’s tough. You take too long at the deli and they will practically throw you in jail. Going from that to this little town on the other side of the world, everything is different. And there’s a lot of sheep. Many more sheep in New Zealand than in Manhattan.
