It’s been an amazing two years!
Laverne Cox is opening up about her newfound fame and meteoric rise in a new interview with Yahoo Style.
[ Related: Laverne Steps Out In Fabulous Style ]
The Orange Is the New Black actress still can’t believe how far she’s come ever since the popular Netflix show basically made her a household name.
She said:
“My mental tape is saying ├óΓé¼╦£holy s—!’ I have moments when I’m like, ├óΓé¼╦£Do I deserve this, even as hard as I’ve worked? Am I doing enough? What’s next? Will I lose it all quickly?’ Luckily, I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to think about it too much until this summer, when I’ve had a little more time to breathe.”
But she’s totally humble about it:
“I understand that my rise, if you will, has happened at a specific time culturally. It’s a confluence of a lot of things around diversity and racial politics, and it’s about a whole community of trans people speaking up and being more vocal about who they are. I’m not being delusional about how fabulous or amazing I am. These moments pass.”
The 31-year-old is also extremely aware and appreciative of her circumstances:
“As a black trans woman, it’s not lost on me for one second that just being alive is a blessing in a world where black bodies are under attack. But it’s important I don’t live just in the injustices of the world and try to enjoy some of the perks of the success I’ve worked really hard for.”
Knowing and understanding what other trans women go through has also given her the strength to take on difficult storylines on OITNB.
In season three, her character is the victim of a brutal transphobic attack, which was a very trying scene to film for the actress:
“I was nervous that trans people watching it would be triggered. I didn’t want to retraumatize anyone, but, well, this is the reality that a lot of trans women are experiencing right now, so it was incumbent upon me to honor that and allow those spirits to enter me. It felt more like channeling than acting, opening myself up to what it feels like to experience that violence, that degradation, the injustice related to solitary confinement and no accountability for the people who attacked me or the guards who let it happen.”
Laverne is such an important voice in the trans community, but also in the world at large, and getting to know her the past couple of years has been a pleasure.
We are very much looking forward to getting to know her even better in the years to come!
See more photos of the actress in the gallery (above)!
[Image via Yahoo Style]