Visiting the Set of Orange is the New Black

By Nancy Johnson Horn, Editor

I got an incredible opportunity recently. I’m a Netflix Stream Team Ambassador and I was invited to visit the set and meet some of the cast members.

We started our afternoon at the set with lunch at Queens Kickshaw and then made our way to the studios in Astoria. We made our way to a conference room and waited for actress Dascha Palanco, who plays Dayanara “Daya” Torres, and Matt McGorry, who plays CO John Bennett. This is me with them below. Yes, I was totally charmed by them.

We got to ask them questions, which was really cool. While they didn’t tell us anything that was going to happen in season 2, I can’t wait to see what goes on between “Daya” and “John”. Check out hashtag #dayaandjohn on twitter.

We were given autographed copies of Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison (Dascha and Matt signed our books).

We spoke to the head costume designer Jenn Rogien. It was so awesome to see everything goes into the making the looks on Orange is the New Black. We checked out the Costume area, the Uniform Room, the fitting room, the design room and then we got to check out the semi truck that holds the wardrobe when they go to shoot on location in Rockland (for the exterior scenes and for the other location scenes). All the clothes are organized for the day’s shooting with names of the actors. Rogien told us for scenes, she prepares 4-5 looks for the characters (obviously not for anyone who wears a uniform) for producer approval. There’s a full time tailor on the set and they can do laundry right in the costume area and on the wardrobe truck. 

Next, we got to tour the set. We saw Red’s kitchen, the bathroom stalls, the showers, the rec room, the tv room, the visitors room and the room where Piper first slept when she came to the prison. We were only allowed to take pictures in the bathroom, so here’s a few.

Here’s my sad face in the shower pic below. Like I would even last a second in a real prison.

 

Besides meeting Daya (Dascha Polanco) and CO Bennett (Matt McGorry), we saw Samira Wiley (who plays Poussey), Emma Myles (who plays Leanne Taylor), Diane Guerrero (who plays Maritza), Barbara Rosenblatt (who plays Miss Rosa, who is one of Piper’s roommates in the beginning, who has cancer).

We got to take a picture with Matt and Dascha — which I will post as soon as I get it!

Lastly we went on set to watch a scene being shot — unfortunately I had to go relieve my babysitter. I heard I missed seeing star Taylor Shilling, who plays lead character Piper Chapman.

Along with me were some other bloggers, also on the Stream Team: Esti Berkowitz of Prime Time Parenting, Alison Wright of Being Alison, Corine Ingrassia of Complicated Mama, Dave Feldstein of I Love My Kids, Denise Wei-Vital of Boyz Rule Our World, Holly Rosen Fink of The Culture Mom, Jessica Bernstein of Peekababy NY, Melissa Chapman of The Staten Island Family, Rebeccah Wassner of Athlete Food and Stephanie Klein of Stephanie Klein.