‘Orange is the New Black’ Stars on What Emmy Nominations Mean to Them
When Indiewire visited with the “Orange is the New Black” cast last month, the potential for Emmy attention came up more than once. And when asked what it would mean to be nominated, Laverne Cox, Uzo Aduba and Natasha Lyonne — who were all nominated yesterday for their work as Best Guest Actresses in a Comedy — were incredibly vocal. For these women, it turns out that recognition from the TV Academy means a lot more than just an opportunity to wear fancy dresses on the red carpet.
Laverne Cox:
“It would be lovely to get the recognition, especially on a show like this, where it’s not your typical show, with not your typical cast. This is a diverse cast.”
“I watch a lot of television. And there are some great roles for women right now, but I have never seen a female cast this dynamic and this talented. It starts with the writing; we can’t do anything if there’s no writing. But every single actress is bringing it hard on this show, so it would just be… I think everyone deserves an Emmy. I would just love to see that because the work ethic is so good and warrants and merits it.”
READ MORE: How the Closing Credit Songs in ‘Orange is the New Black’ Suit Each Episode
Uzo Aduba:
“You know, it’s nice for you to even ask that question, to me. That people would even want to link ‘Orange is the New Black’ to something like that, of course it would be nice. I mean, any actor, writer, director, artist that sits up here and says ‘No,’ they’re lying.”
“But here’s the thing — the truth is, we go to work, and we just make the work. The person I feel responsible to, the thing that I feel is most important to me right now, is Suzanne [her character]. We’re in Season 3 right now, and she’s already somebody who’s on the outs. And I’m trying to honor [her], I’m trying to keep her on the ins. I’m trying to get her to be understanding that she deserves to be on the ins. That’s something that I feel most responsible for.”
“It’s like yeah, it’s nice, and I appreciate the question, I think we all do, but the work is what matters.”
Natasha Lyonne:
“Well, we just came back from the Critics Choice Awards [where ‘Orange’ won for Best Comedy] and it was really pretty fun. We’re just not the usual suspects when we roll in. We’re all very different and we’re pretty loud in the personality department, all of us. And everybody is just so nice to us — all these people who are mind-bogglingly famous and talented and they are just all really excited to see us.”
“Netflix is a new frontier and it just feels like we’re at a table that’s ‘other.’ Not especially buttoned up. Like we’re all just there pretty much doing it our way. And to be rewarded for that is powerful. It’s really deep… I think for everyone in the room is excited that this is being so well received culturally. And I mean if the Emmys shake out that way that would be great. It’s a lot of fun.”
