Miriam Morales – Orange is the New Black

By starrymag | June 9, 2017

By: Kelly Kearney

 

Q) Without spoiling anything, what can you say about how the inmates are handling Poussey’s death this season?

Miriam: They really show two sides of this: how Poussey’s (Samira Wiley) death had an impact on the inmate population overall and also her crew, you know Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba) and Taystee (Danielle Brooks). The inmates have not backed down and they’re voicing their concerns and you really get to see all the emotions that are going on. Then, on the flip side of it, you really see how the people working in the prison deal with it too. I don’t know how to explain it [laughing] without giving too much of it away. I guess to a degree everyone has come together. There’s still a little separation between the groups of ladies here and there but really, they seem to be rooted in this unity.

Q) We haven’t seen Pidge’s backstory or how she wound up in Litchfield. What kind of backstory do you envision for her?

Miriam: That’s so interesting because I felt like every episode I had a different idea. Every episode is different and written by a different writer so every time I think I know or have a cool idea something else is written that makes me think, “Oh, maybe not.” In general, I think Pidge is so loyal, even loyal to a fault. I think she could have done something for somebody else and maybe got herself caught up in a big mess that landed her in jail. I know that’s super vague, but I feel like that would be it. That, or she finally snapped one day and maybe killed someone and finally got out all her aggression and anger. That’s another side of Pidge that I think is there but hasn’t been explored yet but I feel like there’s something in her that is super violent.

Q) The cast seems to have a lot of camaraderie. Are there any funny behind the scenes stories you can share with the fans?

Miriam: There are just so many good times so let me think, wow…what can I even share? [Laughing] Everyone is just so funny, but you know who’s really funny – Francesca [Curran]. When Francesca and I get together we have a lot of fun. The cast jokes around a lot and we sometimes break out in dance or come up with stupid little songs to sing, just to kill time in between takes. We talk a lot about life stuff and whatever it is anyone of us may be going through now in our personal lives. We talk about our characters and what we might be struggling with or trying to understand in a different way. Daniella [De Jesus], I call her my little entertainer because when she opens up, she’s a little performer. She’ll sing a song or dance and she’s facetious, which I am too but I think she’s more so than me. There’s a lot of downtime with filming and we always make the best of it and have a lot of fun when we’re together.

Q) What was it like being directed by fellow actress Laura Prepon, this season?

Miriam: Oh my gosh that was so amazing. She’s an actor so she just gets it. She knows how to communicate what it is she’s looking for. She’s able to let you do what you do and let you play, which is great. It was honestly such a great time that I wished she could direct every day. Not that I don’t love the other directors, but it was just nice to have someone that is on the same side with you and then on the other side of it. It was a lot of fun and a very freeing experience because she just let us do what we knew to do for our characters, whatever came to us naturally. That’s what made it a really amazing experience. Laura was there since day one so she’s seen the evolution of these characters and even though Season Five is only my second season, she just trusted us in that we could do our work.

Q) Is there an actress on “Orange is the New Black” that you haven’t gotten a chance to work with yet, that you would like to?

Miriam: Oh…hmmm…Kate Mulgrew! I mean, she is such a legend. I would love to work with her, who wouldn’t? There are others too, but she’s the only one I haven’t had a scene with yet.

Q) How has playing Pidge these last two seasons changed your life, both personally and career-wise?

Miriam: It’s hard to say career-wise because I don’t play a huge character, but I’m definitely auditioning a lot more. Auditioning wise it’s great. As for personally, learning to manage certain relationships was tricky. I also felt in a way it made me a little more guarded, which I don’t necessarily like. This business obviously can come with some major life changes and sometimes you don’t always know how to deal with it. Season Five, in particular, was so challenging and a lot of overnight and weekend shoots so it can be hard to keep up relationships at times.

Q) You’ve done “Orange is the New Black” for two seasons. Are you getting recognized in public? Do you have any funny stories about fan interactions you can share?

Miriam: No, I haven’t and I’m not complaining about that. I remember after last season came out I was leaving my apartment to go to the gym and my boyfriend gave me this whole speech about having to be careful now and I laughed and said, “What are you talking about? No one is going to recognize me.” But no, I haven’t been really recognized. I don’t know if it’s because on the show we don’t have any make-up on or my eyebrows are super exaggerated, but I don’t think I look that different. I don’t know what it is, but maybe people do recognize me and they aren’t sure? Usually, if I’m with the other girls, they get recognized and then they will say, “…and this is Miriam who plays Pidge,” and then they recognize me. If I’m just out and about on my own, no I don’t get recognized.

Q) If you could choose your dream inmate to come to Litchfield, who would it be and why?

Miriam: A dream inmate? Wow… man… the only thing I’m thinking about is men! Ok, I’ll give you my male and female dream inmates. Jake Gyllenhaal because I have a little crush on him and he would be good to look at all day [laughing]. For women, it would have to be Viola Davis or Gina Torres. That would be so amazing.

Q) What’s something you’ve learned from playing Pidge that you will take with you to other projects in the future?

Miriam: Regardless of what is going on in your personal life, you get to say you have work to do. I have always been like that, but it’s different being a recurring on this show, you know working so many more days than say working a normal weekday job. I’ll take with me the sense that you come into work, you’ve done the homework and you’re prepared regardless of how tired you are, regardless of what the night before was like, regardless of the argument you may have had with your sister or boyfriend. Once you are on set, it’s time to leave that all behind and be a professional and do your job to the best of your ability. Sometimes on set there are a whole bunch of things going on that don’t have anything to do with you and you just have to stay focused and just go there to work.

Q) Do you have any advice for young women looking to get into acting? Something maybe you wish someone would’ve told you when you were first starting out?

Miriam: Oh, that’s a good one! I’m glad that you asked me that because it’s something that I have thought about a lot lately and that is you are enough just the way you are. I say that because there’s something amazing about watching a child play, they’re so free and they don’t have any boundaries. As you grow up, life happens and other people throw their shit on you and you change. You lose that freedom, that creativity and limitless possibilities that you had as a kid and you start to think you’re not enough or you need to change for someone. I mean, I can’t tell you how many times someone told me, “You know, maybe you could change your last name or wear your hair straight more often or can you lose 20 more pounds,” and that is so hard, especially if you’re trying to remain positive about yourself. When someone tells you that you have to change to be enough, that’s a hard thing to deal with. So, I would tell any young women or man that you are enough. I don’t think we even hear that enough in our society, you know what I mean? When it comes to things like losing weight, I totally get it if the role calls for it, but when someone just wants you to lose it just to lose it and it doesn’t have anything to do with the storyline and it’s irrelevant I wonder why do we do that to one another. We wonder where body positivity comes from and why so many people feel ashamed of their bodies and struggle with eating disorders. We need to think about our words and how they impact people and not just in that moment but words can stay with you forever. I’m trying this with myself, feeling good about myself is a daily process.

Q) With our current political climate, what kinds of things can actors and entertainers do to push the boundaries and promote more representation and resistance in the media?

Miriam: Wow, that’s a great question! I think something very simple that we can all do is speak up and not stay quiet when there’s an injustice going on. I think that’s the easiest thing you can possibly do because so many people stay quiet and you have to wonder if you are silent on an issue, where is it that you stand? Maybe some people struggle to voice their opinions for whatever reason and I get that, but you have to speak out. As an actress, there are times where you have to say no to a project or role because it doesn’t align with your values or not representing a group in a particular way. In this business especially we are always looking for the next job and you never want to say no, but one thing I learned years ago is you don’t have to say yes either.

Q) Like most people in this business, you are on social media. What has your experience been like on with social media since joining the cast of “Orange is the New Black?”

Miriam: Fans are so invested in this show! I remember back when I was working for an advertising agency I thought this thing with digital media and social media is going to be something and I loved it. I wanted to know everything about it. As its evolved it has been great in so many ways. You can form friendships and communities and spread a message and awareness about issues and bond over your favorite shows and bond over your favorite actor and characters. Something has happened in the last few years where we have somewhat lost touch with reality. There is this notion that if you post something, you have to be open to the possibility that someone is going to say or react to something and I feel while that’s true, it’s still a lame excuse to just be a mean person. I think sometimes people forget that we are human just like you and just because we might not be talking face to face that doesn’t mean we don’t all have feelings. I like to say social media is wonderful but it can also give people false courage.

Q) Besides “Orange is the New Black” are there any other projects you are working on that the fans can look out for?

Miriam: No, but I do have a film being sold at Barnes and Noble that I didn’t even know was being sold there. I shot the film a very long time ago, like six or seven years ago, it’s called True Story. So, while it’s not new, it’s new to me that it’s being sold at Barnes and Noble. I’m still working on my book, that’s my passion project and I recently rebranded and merged my blog with my official site so it’s now a one stop digital destination to find info about my acting and other things I’m really passionate about. I like to keep myself creative outside of acting. I think it’s important to stay creative. I also wrapped pilot season in April and it was pretty intense and kind of stressful, but I am so grateful for it because, I mean, I auditioned a lot and I’m still auditioning a lot which I’m not used to! I just so grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way.