Kate Mulgrew talks Star Trek and Orange Is The New Black
I'm in bliss, you only get this a handful of times in a career.. At this point in my life, it's absolutely heaven
Kate Mulgrew joins us ahead of the new series of Orange is the New Black. Kate originally appeared in Star Trek as Captain Janeway, the first leading female Star Trek captain.
Appearing in Orange In The New Black, Kate loves the grittiness of Orange Is The New Black characters. 'When there's an original mind creatively behind (the show) you recognise it instantly. This is why (the show) has surpassed all expectations.'
She plays Galina "Red" Reznikov. 'I do love her,' she of her formidable character. 'Fiesty's complimentary, she's rather frightening.'
The cast all love their characters: 'We're captivated by our own characters. We know how lucky we are.' That's the appeal of Orange Is The New Black: 'We're used to watching television looking at people so far above us that we can't possibly relate to them, and anyway why would you want to? They're too perfect to look at, too perfect to listen to!'
Kate says of leading lady Taylor Schilling: 'That takes great dexterity, she's walking a fine line. She's the white upper-middle class pretty girl who's in prison for 15 months and so of course she's universally despised, certainly by us. But the fact is as an actress she carries it so beautifully.'
Kate's new memoir Born With Teeth tells the story of her life, starting with her rare case of being born with teeth which were 'very dangerous.'
I was born with teeth and I had no sense of pain. Shakespeare would have had a field day
She's now working on a new novel, saying 'it's almost a perfect life.'
Orange is the New Black is on Netflix on June 17th.