As we eagerly await the return of the Netflix original series, Orange is the New Black, you might be searching for new ways to get your crazy prison inmate fix.
You could browse Jail Exchange for real inmates in prison to make contact with or you could take a look at this list of things you probably didn’t know about the show and its actors, to tide you over until summer 2015 when season three is rumoured to air…
1. The series is based on a memoir of the real Piper Kerman’s experience going to prison, for laundering drug money.
After getting mixed up with the wrong woman and the international drug ring she worked for, the real Piper ended up in prison like the character on the show and made friends with many of the inmates inside, many of which are portrayed by the show’s characters. However, her ex girlfriend (Alex in the series) wasn’t held in the same prison as her but Piper did see her when she was moved to Chicago for the trial.
2. The real life Piper Kerman is very involved with the show’s script.
According to an interview with the show’s creator, Jenji Kohan, she says that Kerman reads the scripts and they talk over email. She lets her know when something in the script simply couldn’t happen but also allows them to change the direction of the story.
3. Matt McGorry, aka Officer Bennett, was a trainer and weight lifter before he became an actor.
And he was pretty good at it. He entered competitions and had a physique comparable to a miniature Arnold Schwarzenegger – well not quite, but he was pretty muscly.
4. The costumes are the real deal.
The show’s costume designers ordered the costumes from an inmate apparel provider. Everything from the officer’s uniforms to the scrubs to the hideous underwear is all authentic prison clothing bought from actual suppliers.
5. The actor who plays Taystee (Danielle Brooks) has never read the Harry Potter books.
So her constant Harry Potter references mean absolutely nothing to her when she says them in the series.
6. Laverne Cox’s real life twin brother played her in the flashback scenes, as pre-transition Sophia.
That episode was also directed by Jodie Foster.
7. Kate Mulgrew (Red) also starred as Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek.
She also played Taylor Schilling’s (Piper) Mother on the TV show Mercy, a medical drama that only lasted one season.
8. Laura Prepon (Alex) actually applied for the lead role of Piper.
But Kohan didn’t see her as the vulnerable type in prison, so she was given the role of the feisty Alex.
9. Annie Gordon (Norma) is definitely not a mute in real life, she is actually in a band called The Shirts.
Here she is rocking out back in 1979, you’ll agree after watching that she really needs to sing more in the show.
10. Mendez’s porn star style moustache isn’t real.
We know, so disappointing.
Now it’s time to go out and share your knowledge with fellow OITNB fans, wait patiently together until Season Three arrives and anticipate whether (SPOILER) Vee survived, Miss Rosa got away and what will become of Bennett now that he has revealed Daya’s baby is his…
