In a new interview with gay glossy The
Advocate, Uzo Aduba reveals that Laverne Cox is the first openly
transgender person she had ever met.
Aduba and Cox co-star in the Netflix
comedy Orange is the New Black.
In the series, which returns for its
fourth season on June 17, Aduba plays inmate Suzanne “Crazy Eyes'
Warren, while Cox portrays Sophia Burset, a transgender hairdresser.
When asked how Orange is the New
Black has educated her on LGBT issues, Aduba responded that
working on the show has informed her on transgender issues.
“I've definitely gained a wealth of
knowledge when it comes to the trans conversation,” Aduba
answered. “I didn’t know anything about the murder rates of
trans women of color and the health care issues that trans people
face. In fact, Laverne Cox was the first trans person I’d ever met,
and now I’ve met so many, which is amazing. Working with a wide
cross-section of women with so many different stories has reinforced
what I already knew: We’re all just the same.”
Aduba also discussed her character's
sexuality: “I just see her as someone who wants to give and receive
love, and she's not that concerned with the package in which that
love comes. I don't think sexual orientation enters her mind. She's
looking for her soul mate and heart partner.”
She also advised folks thinking about
binge watching the show's upcoming season to “call out sick from
work.”