POPSUGAR: It always seems like the cast has such a blast on set, and that you guys are all really close friends in real life. What is it like for new actors, like Blair Brown
(who plays Judy King), to come in?
Taryn Manning: We love Blair! She's a great woman.
Lea DeLaria: What an asset she was to the set, and to the entire cast.
TM: It's hard to come into that set.
LD: Right? We're tight-knit. We're a family, so it's rough to come into this group of people who are set in their ways and already have this thing. But, you know? That's the thing about Blair. She's been around a long time, she doesn't give a f*ck, she sits down, and she joins the party.
TM: She's a great actor.
LD: Yeah, amazing.
PS: Does being so tight-knit have an affect on your acting process?
TM: I've often wondered – and this might be my own conspiracy, because I have those – that sometimes maybe we're too close. We're all friends, so if you're not a great actor, it can come off like we're too chummy. I think it's written in a way to keep us divided. Not in real life, but to make sure that it's understood that in prison, not everyone gets along. You do fight for the stupidest little things, like a cigarette or the phone.
