Taylor Schilling Talks Playing an Inmate on Orange is the New Black: “It’s Totally Liberating”

The star opens up to the mag

By Emily Popp Jun 24, 2014 4:01 AMTags
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Are you watching Orange is the New Black? Of course you are, because, well, everyone is.

Whether you're devoted to the hit Netflix series or you just started tuning in, you've likely heard of its star Taylor Schilling, who plays Piper Chapman in the show.

Taylor graces the cover of Allure's July issue, looking fresh-faced in minimal makeup and an orange (naturally) top.

Inside the mag, Taylor opens up about her approach to body image and what it's like to play an inmate onscreen. "It's totally liberating," she said. "There's freedom in not having to make it about how my jeans fit or what my boobs look like in a top. All I have to do now is play."

She also got candid about self-esteem issues growing up. "It was tough at home, and it was tough at school... And my experience was painful, so painful. There was a period of time I had very short hair, and I had glasses, and I was very tall for my age."

As for her looks, the blond beauty hardly has an ego, and she always stays grounded. "I don't feel bound by my face or my body," she said. "I don't feel like that's the biggest gift I have to offer the world. I feel like there are more parts of me to offer than that."

Check out more on Taylor's shoot with Allure and pick up a copy of the latest issue when it hits newsstands June 30.