It’s no secret Orange Is the New Black has found tremendous success on the small screen. And for star Laverne Cox, it’s so much sweeter knowing that such a diverse cast makes up the popular series. Cox recalls in the October issue of Essence magazine, “At one point I looked around and I said, ‘I don’t think anybody is going to go for this, but this is wonderful.’ It felt so good. Lo and behold, people really did go for it in a really big way.” Of the nearly 30 new series premiering this fall, 11 will have an African-American female actress featured prominently in the show. Joining Cox on the gorgeous “Channel Changers” cover of Essence is Nicole Beharie (Sleepy Hollow), Alfre Woodward (State of Affairs) and Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead). All four ladies admit America’s demographic is changing.
