Orange is the New Black is loosely based on the memoir of the same name by Piper Kerman, and while there is no Alex Vause in her account, there is a real life inspiration for the fan favorite character played by Laura Prepon. In the memoir she’s called Nora, but the real woman is 51-year-old Catherine Cleary Wolters, who spoke with Vanity Fair in April about being represented on the popular Netflix show. Even though the show has been a smash sensation, this was the first time a reporter reached out to her.
Orange is the New Black Season 2 is about to be available for binge watching on Netflix (June 6, we can’t wait!) The cast is varied and amazing, and one of the most compelling characters is Sophia Burset, a transgender inmate played by Laverne Cox. In her backstory episode in Season 1, called “Lesbian Request Denied,” which was directed by Jodie Foster, Sophia is seen in her pre-transition phase as a man. It’s not a Louie episode where people playing the same character change willy-nilly, the pre-transition Sophia looks exactly like her. This was possible because actress Laverne Cox has a twin brother, musician M. Lamar. Sometimes he even gets mistaken for her.