Julie Lake – Orange Is The New Black

By starrymag | June 12, 2015

By: Lisa Stienberg

 

 

Q) Last season fans enjoyed your “Edward Pizza Hands” scene. Was that improvised or written for you?

A) “Edward Pizza Hands” was improvised by me, but the rest was written up to that point. I do a lot of improvising in scenes, especially at the end and places where I know I can get away with it since it won’t actually change the direction of the scene. That was one of them that sort of landed. It’s always fun to see what ends up in the show because I’ll do a lot of different takes and different weird things. It’s fun to see that ended up in it.

Q) Your character, Angie, and Leanne have extended their friendship throughout the seasons. What can you tease about what is in store for these prison BFF’s this season?

A) We get into a lot of mischief in the third season, much more than we ever have before. I can’t wait for people to see it so I can talk about it because we had the most fun shooting it. Obviously, I can’t reveal what it is at the moment.

Q) They seem to unintentionally (or unintentionally) get involved in mischief like the hunger strike last season. Talk about that aspect of their friendship.

A) I feel like Leanne is actually pretty smart and pretty strong willed. She kind of knows what she wants and what she is going for. Angie is more just wanting to be friends with her and be safe in prison. I feel she is a bit high school in that way, needy for love and approval. You kind of see a bit more of that in the third season, but it’s always fun going along with these ridiculous things and see how our characters manage in those situations.

Q) A large part of the show are backstories of the characters. Are we going to learn anything about Angie’s background and how she came to prison?

A) I can’t say whether or not I have a backstory, but you do get to see more of Angie this season and learn more about her. I feel like my part has been getting steadily bigger.

Q) Will there be any expanded friendships this season? Will there be a greater relationship develop with Soso (Kimiko Glenn) or any new characters?

A) Angie and Leanne mix it up a little bit this season. You get to see us with different people this season.

Q) Is there anyone you haven’t had many scenes with that you would like to work with more?

A) The first season I had so many scenes with Taryn Manning. She is such a brilliant actress and I feel like I learned so much from her. And I love her because she is the coolest person in the world and the sweetest person in the world. Then, our crew fell apart so we didn’t get to film that much with her anymore. So, I’d honestly like to go back to working with her. It’s kind of hard because you stick with mostly who you work with and hang out with. I’d love to work more with Uzo [Aduba] and I love Samira [Wiley]. She’s fantastic! There are so many great actresses on the show. Whenever we have a group scene it is just so much fun because I feel like I’m watching just a master class of acting of all these geniuses going at it at once.

Q) What are your favorite areas in the prison to film?

A) It’s not like any one particular area is comfortable. I remember my second day on set when we filmed in the bathroom when Pensatucky, Leanne and Angie attack Piper in the bathroom and threaten her. That was really interesting to see that set and I remember the water in the shower actually worked. Things like that seemed kind of amazing to me. Taylor [Schilling] was in the shower for five hours doing the same thing over and over again. Seeing how all that worked was kind of fascinating. My least favorite place is probably the laundry room because it is in this children’s mental institution. In the summer when we were filming last year it got SO hot down there! It was like 100 degrees down there and I remember feeling so lethargic and barely being able to make it through the scene because I was dying of heatstroke.

Q) We talked about Angie and Leanne’s friendship. Were you friends with Emma Miles before filming the show or did you spend time to get to know each other?

A) I met her on set on my first day and I was so nervous that I was dying from anxiety. At first, the Production Assistant sent me down to holding because they thought I was an extra and realized that was a mistake. I felt so out of my league. Then, Emma came in and took me under her wing. She’s so chatty and friendly. She just made me feel so comfortable and introduced me to everybody. We were kind of instant friends. The other thing that is amazing about my friendship with Emma is that we really do have on screen chemistry. At this point, we can kind of read each other’s minds and we’re constantly doing funny little improvs. We just work really well together. I’m so, so fortunate to have her as my best friend on the show.

Q) We last left Litchfield with Caputo taking over. Where do things stand now?

A) Caputo has a pretty interesting run this season. A lot, a lot happens in the prison. He has a lot on his hands this season.

Q) The show has been deemed the first really binge-worthy show. How does it feel to be the originator of this type of programming?

A) I just feel, honestly, really lucky. At first, I thought I was just in one episode. I didn’t realize it would be a reoccuring role. I was in the first season before it came out so I had no idea it was going to be a hit. I t is kind of mind-blowing that it has turned into what it is. I’m lucky. I’m really lucky and really happy about it.

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming?

A) I love episode twelve of the second season during the storm because everyone was on set. Everyone was singing Lisa Loeb on set and everyone was hanging out. We were there for so long that it actually felt like a sleepover party. People would just be huddled in one person’s dressing room talking, laughing and watching stupid videos on YouTube. I remember being there filming for so long that I actually fell asleep on one of the beds on the cafeteria floor. I fell asleep while they were shooting and woke up with part of it over. That was fine because I was supposed to be asleep. It was really fun when Emma and I were going to get the nutmeg. I remember us continually laughing every single take that we were just bowled over laughing.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy being able to interact with fans and get their feedback when the episodes release?

A) Yeah, but I’m not a big social media person in general. It’s not something that I gravitated to before the show, but I love being able to stay in contact with my fans and hear from my fans. They are so sweet and I’m so appreciative of their comments and support. I’m really glad I have that to connect me to them.

Q) Is there anything else you would like to be sure to share with fans?

A) Thank you to my fans for all of your support.  I’ve been doing a lot of writing and working on a  webseries about two best friends who are kind of mental and living barely functional lives. It’s a comedy. I’m writing a pilot and hope to pitch that this summer. I think my ultimate goal has been to create my own show so I’ve been working towards that.