One of our favourite shows has returned to the small screen! Season 3 of Orange is the New Black launched on Netflix on Friday, 12th June and we couldn’t be more excited.
In honour of this amazing show – and the fact the kids will all be sent to bed at 6pm that evening – we’ve compiled a list of fun facts your probably didn’t know about this top-class dramedy.
1. Obviously everyone knows Laura Prepon from That 70s Show, but did you know that she’s actually a natural blonde and Scientologist?
2. And while it’s almost impossible to imagine now, Laura actually auditioned to play Piper in the beginning. However creator Jenji Kohan thought Laura was too strong and viewers wouldn't worry about her surviving prison, so instead offered her the role of the much tougher Alex.
3. Yael Stone, who plays Lorna on the show, is Australian. How does she pull off that accent!?
4. In Season 1, Nicky reveals a large scar on her chest from heart surgery needed because of the character's long-tern heroin use. This was a real scar actress Natasha Lyonne sustained following open heart surgery in 2012 after her own years of drug and alcohol abuse. Thankfully Natasha is now sober and doing really well.
5. The cast is actually more talented than you already thought. Both Danielle Brooks (Taystee) and Samira Wiley (Poussey) graduated from Julliard.
6. Uzo Aduba, who plays our beloved Crazy Eyes, is actually a Broadway actress who stared in the revival of Godspell.
7. And speaking of Uzo, her character was only supposed to appear on the show for a couple of episodes. Thankfully producers recognised what an asset Crazy Eyes and kept her on as a series regular.
8. Actress Constance Schulman, who plays Yoga Jones, is actually a lot more familiar to you than you might realise. She voiced one of the iconic cartoon characters of your childhood – Miss Patti Mayonaise from Doug.
9. Pennsatucky may also seem familiar to you. Actress Taryn Manning starred in one of the top movies of your teen years, Crossroards, alongside Britney Spears and Zoe Saldana.
10. And Annie Golden who plays silent kitchen worker Norma Romano, was actually the lead singer of 70s pop band The Shirts. Annie’s song Hang Up The Phone featured on Brat Pack favourite Sixteen Candles and she went on to star in several Broadway musicals, like Hair, On The Town and Xanadu.
11. In Sophia’s flashback sequences, it's Laverne Cox’s twin brother, M. Lamar, playing the character before her transition.
12. When Miss Claudette was taken away for attacking a guard in Season 1, she was supposed to return in Season Two. However, actress Michelle Hurst ended up in a car accident and was in a coma for two weeks, meaning she wasn't able to appear. Thankfully she has since made a full recovery.
13. Proving what a close cast they are, Michelle’s co-stars Natasha Lyonne and Danielle Brooks worked to raise nearly $25,000 for her medical care through social media.
14. Matt McGorry, who plays corrections officer John Bennett, was formerly a body builder, but the most interesting fact about the actor is that as a child, he was the youngest member of the New York International Brotherhood of Magicians.
15. McGorry has also had a few injuries due to his enthusiasm on the set of OITNB. When filming a scene in Season 2 where Bennett flies into a rage, he threw out his shoulder twice. He also hurt his fingers during another impassioned scene where he slams his hand down on a table.
16. We hate to be the ones to break this to you, but Pornstache’s moustache is a fake.
17. The show has had a few famous actors step in to direct episodes. First up is Jodie Foster who directed the third episode in Season 1 to practice for a mob show she was developing for Showtime.
18. Another famous face behind the camera is 80s heartthrob Andrew McCarthy from Pretty in Pink, Mannequin and St. Elmo’s Fire. The actor has directed a number of the hit show's episodes.
19. There are also some nice stories playing out behind the scenes of OITNB. Real-life Piper Kerman and Larry Smith, played by Taylor Schilling and Jason Biggs, are actually married and have a young son.
20. Show writer, Lauren Morelli, was so inspired by Poussey’s storyline, she finally came out as gay and divorced her husband, who was very supportive of her decision. In a sweet twist of events, she is now dating Samira Wiley, who plays Poussey on the show.
21. And finally, ever given any thought to the women who appear in the opening credits? They’re not actresses – they are actually women who were incarcerated in real life.
All episodes of Orange is the New Black are available to watch instantly, exclusively on Netflix
