laura prepon played alex vause in orange is the new black.
laura prepon played alex vause in orange is the new black.
who plays alex vause in orange is the new black?
laura prepon
laura prepon and yael stone were next to join the series, as alex vause and lorna morello, respectively. abigail savage, who plays gina, and alysia reiner, who plays fig, had auditioned for role of alex vause. prepon initially auditioned for piper chapman, however kohan felt she would not worry about her [in prison], noting a "toughness and a presence to her that wasn't right for the character." kohan instead gave her the role of alex. stone had originally auditioned for the role of nicky nichols, but she was not considered "tough enough" for the character; she was asked to audition for lorna morello instead. likability was important for morello, whom casting director jen euston deemed "a very helpful, nice, sweet italian girl." natasha lyonne was to audition for alex, but was asked to read for the character nicky nichols; "[kohan knew] she could do nicky with her eyes closed. she was perfect," said euston. laverne cox, a black transgender woman, was cast as sophia burset, a transgender character. "the advocate" touted "orange is the new black" as possibly the first women-in-prison narrative to cast a transgender woman for this type of role. uzo aduba read for the part of janae watson but was offered the character suzanne "crazy eyes" warren. taryn manning was offered the role of tiffany "pennsatucky" doggett. "this american life" host ira glass was offered a role as a public radio host, but he declined. the role instead went to robert stanton, who plays the fictional host maury kind.
orange is the new black
tim surette of tv.com said that vause's season one flashbacks fit the character well, and "instantly gave us a story to be interested in", as they provided a more rounded view of the character than chapman's purview allowed. j.m suarez wrote in "popmatters" that the character of vause is "fearless and intimidating" as well as street-smart, contrary to chapman who is "sheltered" and "often afraid and deferential", and it is "in highlighting these differences in prison, that their eventual backstories have even more impact." greco patti of "vulture" complimented prepon's "nuanced" portrayal, and noted that, notwithstanding vause's illicit occupation and her role in chapman's imprisonment, she is a woman who "came from nothing, who loved and lost, and who maybe got used", and she seems more loyal and genuine in her love for chapman. "the a.v. club"s myles mcnutt considered vause's relationship with her crimes to be "complicated"; he appreciates when the show does not filter character development solely through chapman, deeming it "productive" when vause had "a chance to open up to nicky [nichols]”. mcnutt also said that vause's conflict with doggett, who saw her as "coming from privilege", is meaningful for vause as it is a trigger for her "past struggles with class hierarchies". according to mcnutt, vause's despondency regarding her absent father "could either gain [her] new perspective and put her life on the right track or [she could] try to fill the absence as quickly as possible", the latter of which she chose. mahn deliberated that, growing up poor, a free ride wasn’t a possibility in vause's world. vause "left her scruples at the door" when she built her worldly life on an alliance through her father's drug dealer, mahn assessed. "she worked hard, gambled big, and lost everything". "autostraddle" posited that vause hates and fears vulnerability, and the scene where she is locked in a dryer and pleads chapman to stay echoes the past, when vause pleaded with chapman before chapman left following news of vause's mother's death. additionally, vause is a complicated character for the writer, primarily because she found her sexual threat to doggett "troubling", while seeing vause as a young girl "who would do anything for the life she was cheated out of" was something with which she empathized.
alex vause