A transformative TV role
“There’s a lot to Laverne Cox,” said the actress Monday afternoon when asked to describe her upbringing. In an interview with Brianna Suslovic ’16 and Maddie Studt ’16, Cox, one of the breakout stars of the acclaimed Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black,” spoke about everything from her Southern roots to her activism and rise to fame as a transgender African-American actress. “Growing up in Alabama, I didn’t have the language, but I knew I was feminine,” she said. “I was bullied as a kid from preschool on, chased home from school everyday.” Being transgender and black has made her work harder to be taken seriously in her craft, Cox said. “I’ve sometimes overcompensated out of insecurity, or fear that I’ve not been good enough, or people are going to make these assumptions about me anyway,” she said. “Now I’m learning that I am enough as I am. When we hustle for worthiness,...