You aren’t the only one missing the binge-watching sessions of ‘Orange Is The New Black’. But, how much of the revolutionary series is a true story?
We still miss the weird and wonderful inmates of Litchfield Penitentiary, their GSOH, their scariness, their next-level name-calling. In between missing Pennasatucky’s new teeth, Red’s hair, Crazy Eyes’ eyes, are you still wondering if Piper is real? Is the prison depicted in the series actually like that?
Highlights —
- ‘Orange Is The New Black’ is based on real-life events
- Did all that craziness happen to the real Piper Kerman
- What Catherine Wolters said about the reality of OINTB
‘Orange Is The New Black’ is based on real-life events
OITNB not a docudrama, even though it was initially based on real-life events. Lots of what happens in the show is inspired by an American woman named Piper Kerman, who wrote a memoir on which the series is supposed to be based.
Did all that craziness happen to the real Piper Kerman?
Well, the answer is simple, a lot of the crazy shit depicted in the series actually did happen to Piper Kerman. She went on to write a book about it and named it “Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison”. The book, published in 2010, accounts for how Piper spent a year in jail because she was convicted for money laundering and drug trafficking.
Is the series a 100 percent adaptation of the book?
The real Piper was seduced by Nora’s (Alex in the show) lifestyle. She was so influenced that she soon started smuggling herself – carrying a total of $10,000 from Chicago to Brussels. Ten years before she was happily living in New York with boyfriend Larry Smith. Writers loved this story and Netflix, which was new at that time, picked it up and bent the story to suit their needs.
The real Piper Kerman once said in an interview to NB that the Netflix series OINTB is an adaptation, and is not entirely based on real-life events. The series has taken tremendous liberties which means that when you watch the show, you aren’t watching Piper Kerman on screen. But there are moments that are almost similar to what happened with Piper Kerman in her life, like Larry Bloom’s proposal to Piper Chapman in the series. Piper Kerman said that the scene is not so very different from the way her husband, Larry Smith, proposed to her. And the scene where Piper Chapman insults Red is actually very much what’s in the book and from Piper Kerman’s life. A large part of the show is a tremendous departure from the real story and is pure fiction.
RELATED: What Makes Orange Is The New Black So Important?
What is the real Piper doing now?
Piper Kerman is now a totally legit US citizen again and is having a good life because she has the fame and fortune of having Netflix’s no.1 show based on her. Currently, she works as a communications consultant for non-profits.
What Catherine Wolters said about the reality of OINTB?
Catherine Cleary Wolters, who plays Alex in the series, was asked about the reality of life in a US penitentiary. She has questioned whether or not the reality is at all like it’s depicted in the show. Catherine told “Washington Post” that she has no idea because, fortunately, she lacks personal experience of being an inmate.
Where was ‘Orange Is The New Black’ shot?
If you thought Litchfield was a true prison, you are living in a fantasy. There is a place called Litchfield in upstate New York, but a federal penitentiary doesn’t exist there. In reality, the series is filmed in an old Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center in Rockland County, New York.
Let us know if you are excited to learn more interesting facts regarding ‘Orange Is The New Black’. Drop your thoughts about OINTB in the comments box below.
