Elisabeth Moss opens up on "Mad Men" finale
A big year could get even bigger for Elisabeth Moss. She just said goodbye to her Emmy-nominated role on "Mad Men," and now she could win a Tony for a character far beyond the offices of McCann-Erickson. CBS News contributor Jamie Wax reports on how Moss helped Broadway to a record-breaking season.
Television fans have watched Moss grow up from the first daughter on "The West Wing" to Peggy Olson on "Mad Men." But it is her recent stint on Broadway in "The Heidi Chronicles" that is getting her the buzz.
"I don't know, there's something about the Tonys," Olsen said. "I've, you know, been lucky enough to be nominated for stuff before. And there's something about the Tonys that I'm more proud of to be honest."
Moss is nominated for best actress in a play for her role in "The Heidi Chronicles," the story of a woman's feminist journey across several decades. For Moss, there is something that draws her to each project.
"Sometimes it's not choices," Moss said. "Only really more recently have I gotten into a place where I have to think a bit more about, 'I wanna do this or that,' you know, as more things are sort of offered to me. But for many, many years, for most of 'Mad Men,' it was about what I got, you know."
As Wax pointed out, the story of Heidi Holland in "The Heidi Chronicles" - getting to a place where she has the power to make choices - is also Peggy Olson's story.
"I think it's a human issue," Olson said. "I do. I think that women have less choices. But I do think that's changing, and it's getting better, which is good. I mean, if you look at television now, you know, you have, 'The Good Wife,' 'Scandal,' 'Nashville,' like all these huge network shows that are led by women."
Last year, New York magazine ran a cover story on Moss, stating "Peggy Olson was the star of 'Mad Men' all along." Moss had no idea Peggy would be so prominent in the storyline.
"I was incredibly flattered by that New York magazine cover," Moss said. "And I'm happy to be the female lead, but I don't consider myself the lead of that show."
But for now, that part of her life is really over.
"The only thing that's actually bizarre that strikes me as bizarre, is not being-- now nobody cares about what happens," Moss said. "Like, there's no more secrets."
From now on no one will bug her for information, which is a day-to-day change. Thankfully, Moss was very satisfied by the resolution of Peggy Olson's storyline.
"To have her find romantic happiness, to give her that, was actually the most unusual thing that you could do," Moss said. "Because nobody expected that."
Before there was "Mad Men," there was "The West Wing," where a teenaged Moss played Zoey Bartlet, the president's daughter.
"I never really had a plan," Moss said. "So I sort of would never have been able to really think, oh, this is where I'll be. And if I did think that anything was going to happen in a certain way, it certainly has not gone in that direction."
Moss said she loves Helen Mirren and Judi Dench and will watch anything Maggie Smith ever does.
"Those women, those are like my idols," Moss said. "If I could in any way end up anywhere near them, I would consider that a happy existence."
Mirren is also nominated for a Tony this year, but Moss said in no way does she consider herself on her level or a colleague of hers.
"It's been nice to, kind of, being-- been able to get the chance to speak to her a couple of times, you know," Moss said.
If you want to catch Moss in "The Heidi Chronicles," you can't. The show closed after a very short run. It's an example of a play that caught the eye of the critics, but not the audience.