Taylor Schilling Finds Her Unglamorous Role OITNB ‘Liberating’

Taylor Schilling says that her role on Orange Is The New Black is ‘totally liberating’ because she doesn’t have to worry too much about her looks

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by Sophie Cullinane |
Published on

One of the most frustrating things, we’ve got to assume, for any young actress to deal with is the constant analysis of the way they look. For women in the film and television industries, it seems like no matter how talented and amazing you are (hello, Lena Dunham) a conversation about your career inevitably turns into a conversation about your looks.

No wonder, then, that Taylor Schilling is so grateful for her role in the Netflix show Orange Is The New Black, because the (comparatively) unglamorous role allows her to concentrate on doing her job, rather than worrying about how she looks on screen. Speaking to Allure magazine, she said that wearing overalls and no make-up is ‘totally liberating. There’s freedom in not having to make it about how my jeans fit or what my boobs look like in a top. All I have to do now is play.

‘I don't feel bound by my face or my body. I don't feel like that's the biggest gift I have to offer the world. I feel like there are more parts of me to offer than that.’

Although we’re not exactly convinced that she doesn’t wear ANY makeup, we definitely agree that the reason why OITNB is so fantastic is because its predominantly female ensemble castare given the room to just get on with producing an amazing body of work. Unlike other series that have gone before it, the nature of the programme means the cast aren’t necessarily expected to be sex symbols, which is a pretty refreshing change, isn’t it? It’s sexy, but it definitely isn’t all about sex.

Taylor went on to talk about some of the issues she had with self-esteem when she was younger. ‘It was tough at home, and it was tough at school. And my experience was painful, so painful. There was a period of time I had very short hair, and I had glasses, and I was very tall for my age.’

Who can’t relate to going through a bit of an awkward stage when they were younger? Taylor, we salute you!

Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophiecullinane

Picture: Getty

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.

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