There’s no question that Orange is the New Black has been a pretty significant success for Netflix, demonstrating that the streaming service is at the top of the content game. Of course, a big part of its success has been its stellar cast, all of whom consistently bring their formidable talents to their performances.
Of course, this show isn’t their first appearance on the screen, and some of these actresses have actually been appearing in various films and television shows for quite a while, all of which no doubt prepared them for the challenges of this very compelling drama.
Taylor Schilling - Dark Matter (2007)
Before she was Piper Chapman, the actress Taylor Schilling appeared in the drama film Dark Matter, about a brilliant but troubled Chinese college student who is responsible for a school shooting.
The film is, given the subject matter, very dark indeed, but it does have the advantage that it stars none other than Meryl Streep as the woman who tries to help the main character adapt to American culture. Schilling plays a character named Jackie.
Kate Mulgrew - The Wide World of Mystery (1975)
Kate Mulgrew is definitely one of the best parts about this show. She plays the character of Red to the hilt, and it’s absolutely impossible to take one’s eyes off of her.
Way before she played this character (and long before she played her most notable role, Kathryn Janeway), she had a small part in this show, which was an anthology series on ABC. It’s a good reminder that even the mightiest of screen talents often have very humble beginnings.
Uzo Aduba - Blue Bloods (2012)
Blue Bloods is, of course, the very popular cop drama that’s been going for quite a while on its network of CBS. Uzo Aduba had a role in one episode playing the part of a nurse.
Though it’s a small role, already one gets the sense that here is a formidable acting talent, one that will go on to sink her teeth into such meaty roles as Suzanne and the formidable political firebrand Shirley Chisholm.
Danielle Brooks - Modern Love (2012)
Danielle Brooks is well-known to viewers of the show, who love her in her role as Taystee. Her first screen credit is in the television movie Modern Love (not to be confused with the later film of the same name).
She landed her part on Orange very soon afterward, though she continued to make guest appearances in a number of other very popular television series, all of which showcase her considerable talent as an actress.
Dascha Polanco - Unforgettable (2011)
Before she became one of the stars of Orange, Dascha Polanco had a couple of very small roles in television shows, including the crime procedural Unforgettable.
Those who are familiar with this show no doubt know that it had a somewhat troubled production history, having been given the axe not once but twice by its network of CBS before getting a final season on A&E (who, once again, canceled it, this time after only one season).
Selenis Leyva - Taina (2001)
Selenis Leyva is another of those simply luminous talents that seems to light up the screen any time that she appears. She’s also one of those actresses that has a pretty diverse resume, starting way back in 2001 when she had a role on the series Taina. Leyva played the character of Titi Rosa.
Unfortunately, the show only lasted two seasons (and her character was only on for one of those), so the audience doesn’t get to see as much of her as they would like.
Taryn Manning - All That (1994)
Taryn Manning is, of course, the one responsible for bringing the vindictive and judgmental character Pennsatucky to screen.
Like so many of the other members of the cast, she has a pretty diverse resume before her appearance on the show, going all the way back to the early 1990s, when she appeared briefly on this sketch comedy series that was notable for the fact that much of its comedy was directed at younger viewers.
Yael Stone - Me Myself I (1999)
Some stars have the ability to shift quickly from stage to screen, and that is definitely the case with Yael Stone. In addition to her significant amount of work in the theater, she also had a number of appearances as a child actress, and her first credit was the Australian romantic comedy Me Myself I.
Her work on both stage and screen certainly serves her in good stead as she brings the character Morello to life with that glorious accent.
Laura Prepon - That '70s Show (1998)
Laura Prepon is one of those actresses who’s comfortable in almost any genre, and she really owns the character of Alex.
Of course, Prepon was certainly one of those actresses who was already well-known before she appeared on Orange, since she starred in That '70s Show as Donna for its entire run, starting with the pilot in 1998.
Natasha Lyonne - Pee-Wee’s Playhouse (1986-1991)
Like so many other members of the cast of this series, Natasha Lyonne has had a very eclectic career during her time in Hollywood, appearing in a wide variety of films and television series.
She got her start, however, way back when the very strange (yet surprisingly popular) show Pee-Wee’s Playhouse was still on there. It just goes to show that it really is possible to work one’s way up through the ranks of Hollywood.