Casting director Jen Euston explains how she assembled the ladies (and guys) of Litchfield. Because with five actresses up for Emmy nominations, it’s pretty clear she did a good job.
Netflix
When Orange Is The New Black hit Netflix in July 2013, viewers around the world became increasingly addicted to the female prison dramedy and before long, a cult-like following had formed around all things Litchfield.
But while the story of a white, upper-middle class woman who was imprisoned for carrying drugs for her girlfriend a decade prior was what originally lured audiences in, it was all of the characters behind bars with Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) that kept them watching.
Many of the cast members were relatively unknown actors — with the exception of a few (Laura Prepon, Kate Mulgrew, Taryn Manning, and Natasha Lyonne) — and that was exactly what casting director Jen Euston, who's also worked on Girls and Veep, was going for. "I never want someone in Litchfield who is recognizable," she told BuzzFeed. "As soon as you do that, you cross the line and you're not in prison anymore."
While Orange creator Jenji Kohan and the writing staff have done an excellent job detailing the inmates' backstories, Euston knows the stories behind the actors' auditions better than anyone. Below, she reveals how the hugely successful ensemble (particularly as Schilling, Mulgrew, Lyonne, Uzo Aduba, and Laverne Cox are all vying for Emmys this year) came together.
Netflix
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