Laverne Cox says her transgender role
in the upcoming series Orange Is The New Black has “humanity.”
The series, which premieres Thursday on
Netflix, is based on Piper Kerman's 2010 memoir, Orange is the New
Black: My Year in a Women's Prison.
Cox, who first gained notoriety on the
reality show I Want to Work for Diddy, plays Sophia, a transgender
woman.
“I don't know of a trans character on
television played by a trans person that has as much humanity as this
character,” Cox told Buzzfeed.
Cox added that she can relate to how
her character gets misgendered.
“It's not unusual for me to walk down
the street and have someone yell, 'That's a man,'” Cox said. “I
transitioned 15 years ago, I've gotten a pretty thick skin, but
there's a part that just hurts. If someone looks at me and doesn't
see me, it's hurtful. As an actor I can actually experience the hurt
of it, that's why acting is so healing for me.”