Spoiler alert! Don’t read ahead if you haven’t finished the latest season of Orange Is The New Back.
Samira Wiley’s character, Poussey Washington has been a fan favorite since OITNB aired, so, needless to say, many were shocked when Poussey died in the penultimate episode of the fourth season. Wiley talked to Entertainment Weekly about her character and Poussey’s shocking death, revealing that she knew months before the rest of the cast. “They came and talked to me before we started the season. So I actually knew for months before the rest of the cast did which means I had to keep it a secret from people that I work with every single day. That was hard.”
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Wiley admits that she was surprised, but felt “honored to be able to be the one who is trusted to tell this story,” adding that Jenji Kohan, the show’s creator, and co-executive producer Tara Herrmann, wanted Poussey’s death to have an impact. She also acknowledges the similarities between Poussey’s death and that of Eric Garner’s. “To have this issue permeate our culture…some people turn a blind eye to things that go on in our prisons and in our world and Black Lives Matter and all of that…It’s the most similar – it’s an homage, in a way, of Eric Garner’s death.”
Still, Wiley assures fans that this isn’t the last you’ll see of her. “I want to let them know I’m still here!…I’m still good. I’m looking forward to working in movies and I’m going to be here. I’m okay.”
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