Where does this interview find you currently?

At this very moment I’m leaving New York for a few days, heading to London!

Though you achieved your industry breakthrough with Netflix, theatre has always been an essential part of your acting journey. In what ways did the stage prepare you for a successful career in front of the cameras?

Theatre is essential not only to preparing you for a career as an actor or in any artistic medium, but I think it prepares you for a more full life. Doing theater especially from a young age taught me discipline, expanded my mind and my imagination, and ignited my creativity and empathy.

From your TV debut in Orange Is the New Black to your latest leading role in the horror short film Pruning, giving voice to prominent political and social issues seems to be a common feature among the productions you’ve starred in. Do you consider yourself an activist?

I think that there is an element of activism in the content of the work I choose to do. I have been lucky to be a part of projects that have something to say beyond being entertaining. I love the work I do to have a longer life, a more important point of view, beyond the time you’re watching it in a theater or at home.

Each character you personify is unlike anyone you’ve played before, particularly when it comes to appearance. From cornrow-donning Tricia in OITNB, one-eyed Janine in “The Handmaid’s Tale”, to the eccentricity of Down in “Hustlers” — it feels as though you’ve lived a dozen different lives. Have any of them left a trace in your personal style?

I take something from every character or rather, they each give something to me that I take along. They’ve each helped me become a better actor, better woman, and a better person.

Speaking of personal style, a while ago you shared that “a dress can be an entire attitude, total armour.” Can costume really exude that kind of power?

It absolutely can. Clothes can be just clothes if that’s all you ask of them. But when creating a character, when bringing a new person to life, deciding on their personal style is essential character building in my opinion. An extraordinary part of my job is working with many other artists who put pieces of themselves and their histories into their department. One of my favorite days in a new job is the costume fitting. Clothing can be armor, if that’s what’s needed. Clothing, fabrics, shoes, shapes, etc. they are all information about who this character is and informs the world we’re building.