Matt Peters – Orange Is the New Black

By starrymag | July 7, 2016

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) Other than “Orange,” I guess the thing I’m most excited about is a Seeso show “Hidden America with Jonah Ray.” It’s a small bit I did in one episode, but it’s a really great show. Seeso is NBC’s Digital Comedy station. I think a lot of episodes are on YouTube now and it is a really well done show.

Q) How was Luschek originally described to you?

A) I knew that he was a slob. That was the first thing I gathered. He’s actually based off the character in the book. Obviously, the material of the show is varied substantially from the book, but I had a baseline idea of who he was. He was an unhappy, rude character that didn’t really enjoy his job, but didn’t mind abusing his little bit of authority.

Q) Was there anything that you added to him that wasn’t scripted for you?

A) There was no breakdown, per se. I like to say that as we have done more seasons and we have seen more of the character that there is added dimensions to him – that he is not the one dimensional bully. This season he was very open and honest about what happened between him and Nikki (Natasha Lyonne). So, I think it was good to see that he was not a sociopath.

Q) What made you want to be a part of the series?

A) I think he gets a lot of great lines. The writers are really generous with the character and I’m really lucky in that regard. I think I can do comedy pretty well. It’s the field that I know best. I just thought he was funny so that was the initial appeal.

Q) Luschek gets some great lines. He does seem to enjoy antagonizing. My favorite line this season was about the vanilla flavored coffee.

A) Obviously, the purpose of that joke was to show how insensitive he was and how he was able to distance himself from what everyone else in the prison experiences. It was this really heavy thing that happened with Poussey (Samira Wiley) and he just seems completely distant from all of the drama that happens in the prison. He’s a very selfish character. He’s stuck in his head at that moment so he’s going to bitch about whatever nitpicky thing is in front of him.

Q) Do you think Luschek has any emotions surrounding the loss of Poussey?

A) I don’t want to say in case the writers have any idea of how he is going to react. I would imagine, just because there hasn’t been much interaction between the two characters, that he doesn’t give a shit. He reacted to a character’s suicide in the first season very insensitive. So, he has a blasé attitude about death in the prison so I can’t imagine this would be any different. It seems to me he would use it as ammo against Bayley (Alan Aisenberg). I don’t think he cares about Bailey at all. I think he would make fun of him for accidentally killing someone. It’s a horrifying thought, but I think that is probably accurate.

Q) There is great rapport on screen with you and Natasha Lyonne. Did you notice that immediately when you started working together?

A) I hope so! Natasha is great. She is obviously super talented. She’s also really funny offset and kind of fun to hang around. She is pretty easy to get along with. If you are able to get along off-screen, then I think it is a little bit easier to establish chemistry on screen. She’s just really good! If it appears that we have chemistry, I can’t take any credit for it because she is so talented.

Q) Why does Luschek suddenly feel guilty about what he did to Nikki?

A) I think because he genuinely enjoyed her company. He has sort of missed it. I think he understands addiction so he understands the motive behind leaving drugs and wanting to get back involved in drugs.

Q) Is it because he has been there long enough that he realized he had a somewhat genuine friendship that he screwed up?

A) Certainly. Just based on earlier episodes, Nikki was the only character (definitely prior to Judy King) that he would hang out with. And he certainly has more in common with a character like Nikki.

Q) We see Luschek paired up with Judy King this season. Was there instant chemistry when you and Blair Brown began working together?

A) I didn’t know beforehand that I would be working with Blair Brown all that much. I just get the scripts a few days before we start shooting and I think the first episode of Season Four I was with her all day. I think the writers thought we had a good, decent chemistry so they kept going with it. Blair is amazing. She is a really, really great actress and I felt like a fraud trying to act with her because she is so good. I had a lot of fun working with her.

Q) What were your first thoughts when you read the threesome scene?

A) One of the producers called me and said there was something crazy I had to do for the next script. So, I was a little anxious because I thought I had to do nudity or something like that. So, I was worried. They sent over the script and I read it and I thought it was funny. I didn’t really have a problem with the make out session. [laughs] Any time you have to do one of those scenes, you don’t want to be crude. You want to be sensitive to the other people involved. That kind of stuff was funny to me. My bigger concern with that scene was making sure that it looked realistic, the fact I was supposed to be tripping on Molly. I’ve never done Molly so I just wanted to be sure that believable.

Q) He does seem to regret hooking up with Judy.

A) It appears so, doesn’t it? That’s pretty apparent when there is that panning shot when you see me and Constance Shulman (who plays Yoga Jones) are horrified by what we have done. Meanwhile, Judy King seems just pleased with herself.

Q) Does Luschek use drugs as a form of escape?

A) Sure. He seems like a pretty miserable person so I think drugs do provide an escape, especially if he can do them at work. The fact that he will eat pot edibles before going in shows that he needs to change his perspective a little bit before going into a job that he doesn’t like.

Q) How does Luschek feel about the new guards and recent changes at Litchfield?

A) I don’t know if he’s said anything explicitly in the show. I don’t think he cares who else is around him. Although, I would assume that he would be turned off by the more authoritative nature of guys like Piscatella (Brad William Henke). I think what Luschek wants most out of his fellow employees is for them to ignore them.

Q) He does seem to like the amenities of the new houses on site.

A) Every employee needs a lounge.

Q) Luschek did have to do work this season. How does he feel about Piscatella being in charge?

A) I imagine that he hates it because he is actually making him work. I don’t think he jives well with any authority at work. Piscatella seems to be the kind of authoritarian that rules with an iron fist. Even if Luschek plays ball every once in a while by fetching hidden phones and contraband that he would get tired after a while, I certainly don’t think he enjoys Piscatella’s abuse.

Q) Who would you most like to share a scene with that you haven’t gotten to work with yet?

A) There is a ton of actresses I haven’t gotten to work with. It’s a huge cast. I haven’t had that many scenes with Uzo [Aduba], Laverne [Cox] and Danielle [Brooks]. They are all great and I’d like to do some scenes with them. If I can mix it up with the cast a little bit, that’d be great. I don’t really care who I get to work with because everyone in the cast is super talented.

Q) Where is your favorite place in prison to film?

A) I also like the shop from the earlier seasons. We used to do a lot of stuff there. It is a neat little set. That location, as well as a lot of the exteriors of Litchfield, are filmed in Orangeburg, New York. It’s about a fifty minute drive north of Manhattan. It’s an old children’s psych hospital that was abandoned around 2009, or something like that. It’s a big building, but they just left a bunch of stuff around. There is a bunch of paperwork, school supplies and stuff like that all over the place. For the electric shop, the set design put a shelf of binders immediately behind Lushek’s desk. Those binders are actually from the psych center. It’s weird. If you were to actually go through those binders, you would see files on children that were patients there.

Q) Is there anything about Luschek that you would want to see explored?

A) That’s up to the writers. In my mind, I have an idea of Luschek’s background and where he comes from, but if the writers have different ideas I don’t want to say anything that will conflict with that. Obviously, I would love to see him outside of the prison to see what his world is like. I think we would all be pretty grossed out by it.

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming “Orange Is the New Black?”

A) Season Four is really great. I felt like I got to do a lot more. There are certain scenes that stick out to me. Obviously, the threesome scene was a big deal – not only because of the making out, but because we are high on Molly. That was a fun scene to do. Another big scene was his reunion with Nikki at the visitation at maximum. Natasha was great in that scene. It was a lot of fun to do.

Q) You have great comedic timing! Is it something that is a natural ability of yours or have you had to work at it?

A) Thank you. I appreciate that. That’s very nice of you to say. I’ve been doing comedy for over ten years. So, I hope at this point it comes naturally. But I think the more work I get the more acting I do, hopefully, the better I get. The timing improves the more that I do. But I like to think that I have a knack for it.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive about the series?

A) Man, that’s a good question. It’s flattering. It’s great to hear fans respond so passionately to the show and my character. Social media in general, I’m still up in the air about it. I think this Ask Orange was the busiest that I have ever done.

Q) Is there anything about Luschek you want to be sure that fans know?

A) Know that he is thinking about you and that he still loves you.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Thank you for watching. The fans have obviously been great and extremely supportive throughout the entire run of the show. It’s really overwhelming and just awesome. I know that everyone in the cast really appreciates how people have responded to the show and these characters. It’s really awesome.