7 Things You Never Knew About 'Orange Is the New Black', Courtesy of #OrangeCon

Marie Claire editor-in-chief Anne Fulenwider sat down with the cast and creators of OITNB at #OrangeCon, and you better believe there were tons of big reveals.

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(Image credit: StarPix for Netflix)

The cast of Orange Is the New Black is hardly recognizable out of their prison uniforms, but they interact with each other just as hilariously off screen as they do behind bars. The ladies of Litch sat down with Marie Claire editor-in-chief Anne Fulenwider during yesterday's #OrangeCon fan event in New York, and spoke at length about secrets from set, the show's social consciousness, and their on-set bond. Spoiler alert: general amazingness abounded.

Here's what we learned.

Are we really surprised that a fan asked Laura Prepon if filming sex scenes with Taylor Schilling is awkward? Not so much. Her answer, however, wasn't what we expected. Turns out the duo's first intimate moment was a shower scene in the pilot, and it went off without a hitch. "It was amazing, honestly," Laura said. "Taylor and I—I don't want to speak for you, girl—but our chemistry is so amazing and we're so comfortable with each other."

"The fact that we all really support each other and it's this amazing sisterhood, it gives us that confidence to really be vulnerable, and be raw, and really put ourselves out there because we know we're always going to have each other's back," she added. "It's no different between those kinda scenes that Taylor and I have together versus all the other scenes we do together, we're just there for each other."

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(Image credit: StarPix for Netflix)

Piper Kerman may have married real-life Larry, but that doesn't necessarily mean her TV alter-ego is saying "I do" to the man in her life (thank God).

While talking about her release from prison, Piper said "They took me down to an alleyway door and they were like 'see ya.' And the real Larry was waiting at the front of the prison to take me home—which, by the way, is not a spoiler alert. My marriage is not a spoiler alert."

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How's this for irony: Taryn Manning was arrested just days before landing the part of Pennsatucky on OITNB. "I went to jail and a few days later I got the part," she shared with the audience. "Nothing that I'm proud of, again a mistake. I think in our show, violence isn't the answer, but we all hit a threshold in our lives. It changed me and the show has changed me."

Much like the rest of the world, Laverne Cox spends her free-time binge watching TV. "I loved Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," she said. "I watched that in a day. I watched Transparent in a day. I watched the first three seasons of Breaking Bad in two weeks." Been there, done that.

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(Image credit: StarPix for Netflix)

Fulenwider asked Uzo Aduba how she prepared for playing Crazy Eyes, and it turns out she got a great read off the script description. "When her character was introduced in episode two, they had a description of her in the script that read something to effect of 'she is innocent like a child, except children aren't scary,'" Uzo said, adding that the description "immediately drew this image in my brain of a woman with a pacifier in her mouth and a sledge hammer in her hand." Sounds about right.

Orange Is the New Black is an enormous critical success, yet Piper Kerman still wishes she could have a do-over. "I would go back in a heartbeat and change all of my choices," she told a fan. "The experience of incarceration is deeply traumatic. Despite the fact that it turns into something so engaging as this amazing show, I put my family through hell. The people who loved me the most suffered a great deal, as do all families of people who are incarcerated. And most of all, my own choices furthered other people's substance abuse and addiction, and all of the suffering that goes along with that."

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OITNB has had a positive impact not just on the American prison system, but in the LGBTQ community—and the cast is deservedly proud. "So many of our fans are seeing themselves through these characters on the show," Laverne Cox said. "Being a trans woman playing a trans character that has affected so many people in positive ways all over the world, it is the best blessing in the world...you guys are making change happen by just living visibly and being yourselves. You are the change."

Lea Delaria also spoke about how OITNB is redefining roles that are commonly stereotypical. "Butches have never been portrayed positively," she said. "Finally, someone has put a really positive face on a butch character. Big Boo's not only smart, she's the smartest person in that prison. She loves everybody. She says it herself: She's a lover not a fighter."

Orange Is the New Black's third season is available for streaming now. And get this: The cast starts filming Season 4 on Monday!

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(Image credit: StarPix for Netflix)
Mehera Bonner
Entertainment Editor

Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm. She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.