Litchfield's newest inmate cooks up delicious drama in 'Orange Is the New Black' Season 4

In Season 3 of Orange is the New Black, the inmates at Litchfield Penitentiary are captivated by the case of Judy King -- the famous cooking show host whose bad behavior quickly caught up to her. 

As the new season begins, they (and viewers) will follow her story not through media coverage, but inside the prison itself. 

"I had a good beginning and now it gets even better," Blair Brown told Mashable about portraying Judy. "It was odd in Season 3 to be going to work and not being with anybody. It was just the strangest thing." 

It was also odd for the rest of the cast, whose characters were following Judy's case through TV coverage, but never saw Brown's acting until the season aired. All their reaction shots were played against blank green screens that would later be filled with footage of Brown as Judy.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Once inside the walls, Judy is quick to make friends both unlikely (no spoilers) and expected. Among those in the latter category are many of the inmates who followed her case and now find themselves starstruck, like Samira Wiley's Poussey. 

"Blair and I have a lot of screen time together," Wiley teases. "She's delightful -- and I'm not just saying that." 

Not everyone inside the prison is a fan, though, especially as it becomes clear Judy isn't being treated like the average inmate. 

"This season, because there's so many new people coming in and new guards coming in ... there's a lot of pressure on [the core groups] for them interact with other groups," says the Fringe alum. "So it's really a pressure cooker this year for old relationships and new relationships. It's interesting that way."

When it comes to the cast, though, Brown says joining a club with four years of bonding behind them was easier than expected. 

"Samira and I had done a reading of a play at Lincoln Center, so she kind of broke the ice for me," says Brown. "But coming into a show that's this established and running this well, you think there's going to be pushback for the new girl, but literally people just came up to you and put their arms around you to welcome you, so it's a great job." 

And the rare great job, she adds, where you get to tell stories that matter. 

"There's every kind of woman there. There's every race, every size, every shape, there's different ages, different beliefs, different faiths -- there's everything there. And every character is always treated with respect and dignity and interest," Brown says. "There's nobody who's more interesting or more important than the next. And I think for women to see that -- and men to see that -- is real important."

Orange Is the New Black Season 4 premieres Friday at midnight PT. 

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