Laverne Cox has long been an activist for the transgender community and her role as the beloved Sophia Burset on Nexflix’s original series “Orange is the New Black” is happily opening new doors for her to reach additional audiences.
The actress will soon be featured in an episode of Meredith Vieira’s web series, “Overshare,” which will be published on the iconic journalist’s newly-launched YouTube channel, and Laverne says she took the term “Overshare” to a new level during her time with Meredith!
“We just shot my episode of ‘Overshare’ yesterday and I really overshared!” the “OITNB” star told Access Hollywood at the launch party for Meredith’s YouTube channel, Lives with Meredith Vieira, in New York City on Tuesday. “I talked about things that I’ve never talked about before on camera.”
The stunning actress bravely shared private images of herself prior to her transformation – something she was a bit hesitant to reveal.
“There are photos that I revealed of myself pre-transition that I’ve never shared with the world before, so I’m really nervous about it,” she said. “But it’s called ‘Overshare,’ so I thought I’d go for it.”
Adding, “And it’s Meredith Vieira, so if you’re not going to do it for Meredith, who are you going to do it for?!”
The episode was shot at NYC’s LGBT Center, a location that holds meaning for Laverne.
“I wanted to do it somewhere that was close to my community and that was really authentic to my experience as a New Yorker and as a transwoman,” she explained.
As for the wild (and ever-growing!) popularity of “Orange is the New Black,” Laverne said she’s been thrilled by the overwhelming fan support and is focused on remaining grounded.
“It’s crazy! I was at a party last week and I was like, ‘Three months ago I probably wouldn’t have been able to get into this party.’ It’s important for me to remember that,” she told Access. “It’s important for me to remember where I’ve come from, and that the reason I’m here is because of amazing writing on a show that’s really connected with people in a real way, and because of years of work as well on my craft as an actress.
“I’m just so happy that people are responding to the show the way that they are responding to my character and my work the way the way they are,” she continued.
Laverne’s episode of “Overshare” will be available on October 7 on Meredith’s Lives channel on YouTube.
“Orange is the New Black” Season 2 is currently in production and is expected to premiere in 2014; “OITNB” Season 1 is currently available on Netflix.
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