create characters that grabbed hold of audiences and wouldn’t let them go.
Now that the series has concluded, it’s a good time to take a look at the various of the cast to see what they are up to in the next stages of their various careers.
Taylor Schilling (Piper Chapman): Pantheon
There’s no question that Taylor Schilling was simply brilliant as Piper, and she managed to convey the many depths to this fascinating (and sometimes irritating character). Given her tremendous talents, it’s pretty clear that Schilling can do whatever she wants with forthcoming projects, and it looks like she’s going to be providing her voice to the science fiction series Pantheon. The series seems to have promise, and there’s no doubt that Schilling will be a big part of whatever success it attains.
Kate Mulgrew (Red Reznikov): Infinity Train
Kate Mulgrew is one of the most talented actresses working in television today, and she’s created a number of powerful female characters (such as Captain Janeway), including Orange’s Red. Given her formidable resume, she’s also in a position to continue pursuing great projects and fascinating parts. As of now, it looks like she’s going to be involved with the anthology animated series Infinity Train (which also features the voices of other great actresses such as Lena Headey).
Uzo Aduba (Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren): Mrs. America
Uzo Aduba is one of those actresses whose powerful abilities seem to dominate whatever screen in which she appears. It’s no surprise, then, that she’d take up the role of another powerful woman in the Hulu series Mrs. America, in which she plays the trailblazing Shirley Shisholm, a Black woman who is determined to run for president. Aduba absolutely owns the role, and the audience can’t help but ire the way that Chisholm is determined to do what she thinks is right.
Danielle Brooks (Taystee Jefferson): Close Enough
Many of the cast of Orange seem to have decided that they wanted to try their hand at being voice actors, and Danielle Brooks is no exception. Close Enough is an animated comedy that looks at the lives of two people struggling to make sense of their lives as they transition from their twenties into their thirties.
It’s quite a charming little comedy, and Brooks fits right in with the rest of the cast as their landlord.
Adrienne Moore (Cindy Hayes): Wonder Woman: Bloodlines
Like so many of the other of the cast, Adrienne Moore showed herself to be a true powerhouse of acting talent in the hit Netflix show. Also like several other cast , she’s begun making the transition to animation, in this case starring in Wonder Woman: Bloodlines. It should be a good fit for her, and it definitely helps that the series also features the vocal talents of other formidable women of color, including Rosario Dawson.
Dascha Polanco (Dayanara Diaz): In The Heights
The film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical In the Heights is certainly one of the most anticipated films of recent years (though the pandemic has thrown its release date into question). Nevertheless, it’s fairly certain that the film will be a hit, given that it stars so many great performers, including Dascha Polanco, famous for playing Dayanara Diaz. She is set to play the role of Cuca in the film musical.
Selenis Leyva (Gloria Mendoza): Diary Of A Future President
Even before she took on a role in Orange, Selenis Leyva had quite the resume, with a career stretching over several decades. It’s not surprising, then, that she’d continue to look for and find work in various projects. Among other things, she is currently appearing in the television series Diary of a Future President, lovely little Disney+ family comedy about a young Cuban-American who dreams of one day becoming President of the United States.
Lea Delaria (Big Boo): Kipo And The Age Of Wonderbeasts
Lea Delaria was famous among queer film enthusiasts long before she appeared as Big Boo (though there’s no doubt that her performance brought her to the attention of many new fans). Now that Orange has finished its run, she’s providing her voice to the animated film Kipo and The Age of Wonderbeasts, which follows a girl as she encounters a postapocalyptic world. Though Delaria has only appeared in five episodes, let’s hope that there are more in the offing.
Samira Wiley (Poussey Washington): The Handmaid’s Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale is one of the most disturbing pieces of television to have appeared in recent years. As each season has unfolded, the audience has seen more of the ways in which Gilead is an oppressive society determined to keep all of its women under control.
Fortunately, not everyone is willing to bow and accept the tyranny, and one of those who actually manages to escape is Moira, played with intensity and grace by Samira Wiley.
Michael Harney (Sam Healy): Project Blue Book
Michael Harney is another of those actors who’s been on television for quite a while, and there’s a good reason for that. He’s one of those actors who really seems to understand and inhabit his characters, encouraging the audience to see them in all their richness and complexity. He’s currently starring in a television series called Project Blue Book, which is set during the Cold War and involves investigations into UFOs.