By Evil Jenji

You see the success of a series by the amount of fans that appear around the world even after a long time of having finished. It’s like that with Orange is the New Black. I’ve been following one of the biggest FaceBook groups about the series and just every month there are ever more followers. As Netflix, Lionsgate or none of the official profiles in the series are updated, a lot of people publish about OITNB, and I am one of them. But I, as a journalist, have some criteria for checking information before publishing. There is a lot of fake news about Orange, be careful where you read the information! One of the sites I like best to get real information is IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base). In it I found a lot of interesting information about OITNB. I invite you to test your knowledge of the series! Come on!

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Orange is the New Black Trivia

• Based on the 2010 memoir “Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison,” Piper Kerman’s book about the 13 months of a 15-month sentence that she served at a federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut. The show changes Kerman’s last name to Chapman.

• When Piper (Taylor Schilling) first enters prison, another inmate explains that people tend to stick to their own “tribes”, racial or ethnic groups. The book describes the same phenomenon, and provides the demographic breakdown she experienced in prison “The minimum-security camp at Danbury housed approximately 200 women at any given time, though sometimes it climbed to a nightmarishly cramped 250. About half were Latina (Puerto Rican, Dominican, Colombian), about 24 percent white, 24 percent African-American and Jamaican, and then a very random smattering: one Indian, a couple of Middle Eastern women, one tiny Chinese woman in her sixties.”

• The title of this series and the memoir on which it is based is a reference to a common American saying that originated in the fashion industry: “(Non-black color) is the new black,” meaning that another color (such as gray or navy blue) is that season’s basic wardrobe builder in the same way that black normally is. Bright orange is a common color for American prisoners’ uniforms.

• When Chapman is heading to her cell while the party is going on, they show a shot of her books on the table. One book you see, The Depths of Despair by James Bolenbaugh, is not real; Bolenbaugh is an assistant art director on the show.

• Galina ‘Red’ Reznikov (Kate Mulgrew)’s nickname could refer to her red hair, her Russian background, or the inmate of the same name in The Shawshank Redemption who smuggles contraband.

• De Red’s dialogues have literary refinements.  In my opinion, She and Nick starred in the best written texts.  Enjoy the quarantine and watch Orange once again!  Notice what the two say!  It is incredibly well thought out… love it!

• Every time Piper (Taylor Schilling) goes to the phone, the same crying woman is at another phone.

• Kate Mulgrew (Red) and Taylor Schilling (Piper Chapman) worked together before on the short-lived TV series Mercy as mother and daughter, while Michael Chernus (Cal Chapman) coincidentally played her brother on the same show.

• The title sequence features close-ups of the faces of real former inmates, including a brief shot of Piper Kerman, whose book was the basis for the TV series. Kerman has blue eyes and is the one who blinks.

• One of Larry Bloom (Jason Biggs)’s major first-season storylines is the Modern Love column he writes for the New York Times. In real life, Larry Smith, Piper Kerman’s real-life fiancé (now husband) actually wrote such a column for the Modern Love section of the Times, about his experience being Piper (Taylor Schilling)’s fiancé while she was incarcerated. It was published on March 28, 2010, and unlike the fictionalized version of the column, it was titled “A Life to Live, This Side of the Bars”, and it didn’t mention any anecdotes about Piper’s fellow inmates.

• Natasha Lyonne (Nicky), Constance Shulman (Yoga Jones), and Lorraine Toussaint (Vee) all have the same birthday, April 4th.

• For a while, Big Boo (Lea DeLaria) has a dog in prison. Many US prisons have programs that allow inmates to foster and train dogs for discrete time periods. These programs have several benefits for both the inmates and the dogs. They help alleviate animal shelter overcrowding, reduce the number of dogs that have to be euthanized. They provide a basic level of training and socialization for the dogs, preparing them to become pets or to continue training to become assistance dogs. The programs also provide training for potential post-incarceration jobs in animal services fields, companionship, and therapeutic and mental health benefits.

• Lorraine Toussaint (Vee) opted to do her sex scene topless, even though she had a no nudity clause in her contract, because she felt it made sense to the character.

• The names of inmates in the show are changed from their nicknames in the memoir; “Red” was “Pop” and “Taystee” was “Delicious.”

• Litchfield is a stand-in for Federal Corrections Institute Danbury, in Danbury, Connecticut.

• Based on Danbury Prison and from the creator of Weeds: on Weeds, Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) enters Danbury prison for three years and appears in a cell wearing a blue uniform. This show takes place in the same location but the name has been changed to Litchfield and the inmates wear khakis.

• Jason Biggs, Natasha Lyonne, and Deborah Rush have worked together before in the “American Pie” series. Lyonne was in American Pie, American Pie 2, and American Reunion). Rush was in American Wedding playing a similar role as Biggs’ character’s future mother-in-law.

• All of the cast members have said multiple times that they are all very close friends and the show is like a big family.

• In September 2014, Lauren Morelli, one of the show’s writers, announced that she and her husband of two years were divorcing because she had started a relationship with Samira Wiley. Jenji Kohan later joked about the situation while a panelist at the New Yorker Festival, saying “I turned [Morelli] gay. I made her gay. I felt there wasn’t enough balance in the [writing] room, so I have a magic wand and I make people gay. But, you know, I can turn her back. I can make people Hispanic. I can make them black.”

• Laura Prepon originally auditioned for the role of Piper. Yael Stone originally auditioned for the role of Nicky Nichols. Abigail Savage originally auditioned for the role of Alex Vause.

• Laura Prepon (Alex) and Lauren Lapkus (Officer Fischer) previously starred together in the short-lived sitcom Are You There, Chelsea?

• The first scene Laura Prepon and Taylor Schilling shot was the shower scene from the pilot. According to Prepon, the two had such natural chemistry that after one take, Schilling turned to her and said, “Thank God it’s you!”

• Alysia Reiner auditioned for the roles of Alex Vause and Polly Harper.

• The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Teresa Giudice, who has previously appeared in an episode of Mercy (2009) in which Taylor Schilling was also the lead star is set to serve time in January 2015 at Danbury Federal Correctional Institution. It is the same facility that this show is based on and where Piper Kerman has previously served time.

• Samira Wiley, Jason Biggs, Natasha Lyonne and Lea DeLaria have all appeared as guest stars in the hit TV show Will & Grace.

• In real life, Dascha Polanco is only two years younger than Elizabeth Rodriguez, who plays her mother.

• The reasons behind Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren (Uzo Aduba)’s crazy antics and wild personality are unknown. Fans have theorized that she has a combination of severe mental illness, autism, an intellectual disability, and a range of social and emotional issues. The writers of the show have not confirmed anything.

• Season 4 of the show was announced on the 15th of April 2015, just two months before the release of season 3. Filming began in June 2015 for 2016 release.

• The Turkish drug dealer is called Kubra Balik. ‘Kubra’ is a girl’s name and ‘Balik’ means fish.

• The majority of the outdoor scenes are filmed at a mostly abandoned mental hospital in Rockland County, New York. The rest of the outdoor scenes are filmed all around the county’s suburbs.

• In the episode “Bora Bora Bora,” when Piper (Taylor Schilling) and Larry (Jason Biggs) first meet, Larry is watching Weeds – another show created by Jenji Kohan.

• One of the filming locations is on Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, Orangetown.

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• Filming for season 4 began on the 15th of June 2015, 3 days after the release of season 3.

• Many of the guest stars in supporting roles are actors who found fame during the 1970s to 1990s.

• Uzo Aduba (Crazy Eyes)’s character was only meant to appear in the first three episodes. After seeing her performances, the writers and producers made her a recurring character.

• Both of the actors who play Piper’s (Taylor Schilling) parents Bill and Carol Chapman (Bill Hoag and Deborah Rush) can be seen in In & Out, a movie about a high school teacher outed by one of his former students.

• The only show in TV history to receive Emmy nominations for Best Comedy Series (in 2014) and Best Drama Series (in 2015). This was due to a change in Emmy rules stating that all shows running longer than 30 minutes per episode are classified as dramas. Shows longer than 30 minutes per episode that considering themselves as comedy can appeal the classification. This show lost the appeal in 2015 and remained in the Emmy race as a drama.

• Pablo Schreiber (George “Pornstache” Mendez) guest starred in 9 episodes of the show Weeds, another Television series that was created by Jenji Kohan. His character appeared in 8 episodes of Season 7 and 1 episode of Season 8. He played a drug dealer named Dimitri Ravitch. His character was also the lover of Nancy Botwin who was one of the main characters of the show.

• Jenji Kohan revealed at a DGA event for the series that she had met with Katie Holmes about playing Piper, but scheduling conflicts prevented Holmes from accepting the part.

• Ryan Murphy had the rights to Piper Kerman’s memoir before Jenji Kohan, but admitted he could never figure out how to do it the proper way. He then ended up letting the option lapse and it became what it is now.

• Uzo Aduba (Crazy Eyes) became the first actress to win two Emmys in consecutive years in different categories; the first was in 2014 in Comedy and the second was in 2015 in Drama.

• Uzo Aduba (Crazy Eyes) actually auditioned for the role of track star Janae Watson (Vicky Jeudy), but the producers loved her and gave her the role of Crazy Eyes instead.

• Taylor Schilling injured herself while filming a sex scene at the beginning of season three. While taking off her shirt, her prison name-tag caught the side of her mouth, leaving a small gash. Filming had to be halted for an hour to ensure that the injury wasn’t too severe. The gash can be seen in the final cut.

• Taylor Schilling’s mother’s name is Patricia Miller, which is also the name of the inmate played by Madeline Brewer.

• In a conversation between Red (Kate Mulgrew) and Nicky (Natasha Lyonne), Nicky says: “I thought I was like your Spock”. This of course is a reference to Mulgrew’s role on Star Trek: Voyager.

• Most of the actors have been in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Emily Althaus and Laura Gómez (inmates Kukudio and Flores) starred together in an episode. Natasha Lyonne who plays Nicky and Michael Chernus who plays Piper’s brother Cal have also appeared in the same episode; their characters knew each other but were not in the same scenes.

• Seasons 5, 6 and 7 were greenlit together.

• Jessica Pimentel is the lead singer of a heavy metal band named Alekhine’s Gun.

• Nicky (Natasha Lyonne) was originally supposed to be in six episodes only.

• Partially based on the true story of Piper Kerman.

• Six of the actors from Seasons 3 & 4 appeared in Season 17 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – Adrienne C. Moore as Cheryl McCrae in episode 3, Jessica Pimentel as Manuela Ozuna in episode 4, John Magaro as Keith Musio in episode 4, James McMenamin as Ralph Volkov in episode 11, Abigail Savage as Nina in episodes 17 & 18, and Germar Terrell Gardner as a security guard in episode 20.

• Samira Wiley (Poussey) and Nick Sandow (Joe Caputo) were cast in the same episode of Law & Order: Special  Unit, Perverted Justice 05/06/2015.

• The elaborate tattoos that inmate Stella (Ruby Rose) has in the series are not makeup effects for her character, but actual tattoos that Ruby has in real life.

• Uzo Aduba (Crazy Eyes) is one of two actors to win Emmys playing the same characters in both Drama and Comedy categories. Edward Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant) is the other.

• In the season four episode, Doctor Psycho, Healey (Michael Harney) mentions that he is watching a documentary about sushi chef who works in a subway station. He is referring to Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a documentary that follows a three-star Michelin winner and his life.

• In an ironic twist Michael Harney (Sam Healy) once played a prisoner in the TV show Lack of Candor.

• In Season 1; Episode 7 (Blood Donut), Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) confronts Piper (Taylor Schilling) about wanting new teeth. She mentions her cousin receiving a set of teeth while serving 15 years at Lexington. The Bureau of Prisons operates Federal Medical Center-Lexington, located in Kentucky.

Another Cool Posts

• 10 Years of OITNB – What Can We Expect From This Anniversary?
• Interview with one of the Inmates of the OITNB Opening!
• What Actress Danielle Brooks Think About Taystee On OITNB?
• I Got Addicted to Orange is the New Black in Season Five
• Orange is the New Black Season 1 Trivia. Did you Know This?

• Season 5 of the series was leaked more than a month before the date of its official release. The initial date of release as set by Netflix was June 9 2017 but was leaked by a hacker using the name “thedarklovelord” on 30th April 2017. This was after the hacker had demanded a ransom from Netflix with a threat to leak the episodes if they failed to meet the hackers requests. Netflix did not respond to the threats thus prompting the hacker to leak 10 out of 13 episodes from Season 5.

• In 2017, the long-running children’s program Sesame Street ran a parody of Orange Is the New Black titled “Orange Is the New Snack.” In the parody, a small, blonde Muppet named “Piper Snackman” starts at a new school and introduces her fellow students to a new, healthy snack: oranges. The Sesame Street parody boasted a new interpretation of the show’s theme song (“You’ve Got Time [for Snacks]”) and Muppet versions of many of the real show’s characters (“Googly Eyes,” “Forlorn-a” “Mr. Mustache,” etc.). The Muppet characters often mention the school’s dreaded punishment, being sent to the SHU–which turns out to be an actual shoe.

• Laura Prepon (Alex) and Brad William Henke (Piscatella) both starred on October Road.

• Poussey (Samira Wiley), Taystee (Danielle Brooks) and Cindy (Adrienne C. Moore) all share last names with former US presidents (Washington, Jefferson and Hayes, respectively). Suzanne (Uzo Aduba)’s last name is the first name of former President Warren G. Harding.

• A few members of the cast have starred on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire.

• Despite prominent billing, Michael Harney (Sam Healey) does not appear in a single episode of season 5.

• Season 6 aired on July 27th which is Taylor Schilling’s birthday.

• Season 5 airs on the same day of the series as star Taylor Schilling (Piper)’s birthday.

• During the course of the series run, actress Alysia Reiner (Natalie) has said that one of the most rewarding aspects of the production experience was the opportunity to work with the actual “Women’s Prison Association” in New York. Many of her fellow actors volunteered their time to pack backpacks, meet the children of female inmates and, in conjunction with “Habitat for Humanity,” spent a day painting a new building used to house women awaiting discharge from prison.

• Matt McGorry (John Bennett) & Alysia Reiner (Natalie Figueroa) also worked together on How to Get Away with Murder as Asher Millstone & D.A. Wendy Parks respectively.

• Laura Prepon (Alex Vause) & Amanda Fuller (Badison Murphy) also worked together on That ’70s Show as Donna Pinciotti & Tina Pinciotti respectively.

• CO McCullough’s first name is stated to be Artesian. However, in her first appearance in season 6 the name on her uniform says “B. McCullough”. That’s because she uses her middle name. The character has said her first name is Bambi.

• Samira Wiley (Poussey Washington) was forced to come out of the closet due to a slip-up by a cast member when talking about out gay actors in the cast. Wiley’s name was mentioned, which forced her to confirm the news.

• In 2017, Samira Wiley married OITNB writer Lauren Morelli. They first met on the set of the show and got engaged in 2016.

• Samira Wiley (Poussey Washington) & Madeline Brewer (Tricia Miller) also worked together on The Handmaid’s Tale as Moira & Janine respectively. Emily Althaus (Maureen Kukudio) also starred on one episode as Noelle.

• In October 2018, it was announced season 7, airing in 2019, would be the final season of the series.

• in season six, Josh Segarra appeared as a corrections officer. He previously appeared on two other series involving police officers, Sirens and Chicago P.D.

• Taylor Schilling has appeared in every episode but one (Looks Blue, Tastes Red, #2.2), making her the main series regular

• Several real-life, off-camera relationships were created on the set of Orange is the New Black. Actress Samira Wiley (Poussey Washington) and writer Lauren Morelli met when the show started and were married in 2017. Vicci Martinez (Dominga “Daddy” Duarte) and Emily Tarver (CO Artesian McCullough) met and started dating on the set of the show. In 2018, Martinez told the Tacoma News Tribune, “We are super in love….And we have a music group together.”

• When asked about her sex scene with Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon said: “One of the first scenes we had to do, we were naked and in a shower together. But the cool thing is, we’re so comfortable with each other, so that’s really great. We totally trust each other, which is awesome.”

• Initially, Laura Prepon didn’t want to do the nude scenes. She said in an interview: “The nudity was a problem for me. It’s one of the reasons I was originally unsure about taking the role. I’d done it once before [in Karla (2006)], but it was for a very specific reason and for this I didn’t know if I wanted to do it. So we talked about it and Jenji [Kohan] made the point that in the prison it’s basically like a women’s locker room. You walk around naked and it’s like ‘Whatever, we all have the same equipment.’ So we talked and she assured me it would never be gratuitous and whenever we’d do nudity we’d talk about it and make sure it’s done in a way that I’ll be super comfortable. And it always has been.”

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If you’ve made it this far, it’s because you’re really a big fan of Orange is the New Black. Congratulations. Let’s keep fighting for the spin-off! And when you see any news about the spin-off don’t forget to check the info first! until next Monday!