All those hardcore fans of the ladies of Litchfield Correctional, rejoice! Orange is the New Black returns to its Netflix home today (June 12th) with a third season guaranteed to impress.
Following on from the events of Season 2 where fans were introduced to the terrifying Vee (Lorraine Toussaint), had our hearts broken with the back story of Suzanne/Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba) and battled with our love/hate feelings toward protagonist Piper (Taylor Schilling), it seems like OITNB fans are going to be getting more intense storylines, lady lovin’ and general hilarity from the inmates we’ve come to love. One of our favourites is of course, Lorna Morello, played by the wonderful Yael Stone. Morello’s history was explored in the second season in brilliant fashion and as we look forward to a weekend of Netflix binge watching, we can’t wait to see what is in store for our prison bus driving sweetheart.
We spoke with Yael earlier in the year as she returned to Australia to star in the stage version of TOMMY that premiered at the Adelaide Festival of the Arts and she commented on the way OITNB has changed her career. Being surrounded by such a tight knit cast that has now become like family, she notes the show’s impact on audiences and how she’s been able to further explore Morello’s character and give her the justice the storyline depicts.
“It’s great to have a job and it’s great for us to keep going, because it means that people like it! The added bonus is that I like it to and I like being part of it. That’s just another great gift on top of that. The gifts are innumerable, really. I mean, yes, getting to hang out with Lorna for a bit longer – I feel really attached to her character and I really like her a lot, I am grateful for that opportunity. That has a lot to do with what the writers want to do and where they’re taking her and what Jenji‘s vision of the show is. Really, I am a small part of a very large show.”
As an actor, Stone mentions that having performed both on stage and now in television quite extensively has presented its own challenges and highlights, but having an ongoing role in a show like OITNB has given her the opportunity to become more comfortable as a performer.
“I’ve had really interesting experiences in TV; I think on Orange is the New Black, the opportunity to work with the same group of actors and the same writers, changing crew, but same production team, has allowed me to get to a place where I’m much more comfortable and much more relaxed. Every time I try and do something, it always presents its own challenges and I feel like, ‘Oh this is impossible!’; sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.”
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Orange is the New Black is available on Netflix in its entirety from June 12th. Stay tuned to the Iris for updated reviews!
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