When we chatted with Schilling about the upcoming season, she wouldn't confirm exactly what is happening with Piper in that violent scene in the trailer, but she did give us some small details about Piper's evolution: "Piper's outsides are becoming less and less important. She's kind of moving further and further away from the idea of what she thought she was. She's becoming more practical. She's becoming a creature of the prison, and there's no space for excess. Her only need is for survival, and brushing her hair doesn't really factor into the equation."
Schilling also teased Piper's upcoming arc during PaleyFest, saying, "She's becoming a little bit of a kingpin and has this swagger, but the feeling I always have about Piper Chapman is that she tries on everything like a piece of clothing — she doesn't quite fit the jacket, but she tries it on. And I love that about her."
