Beth Dover Opens Up About Playing Linda In ‘OITNB’
“Orange is the New Black” star Beth Dover recently opened up about her character, Linda, in the hit Netflix series.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Dover said that she feels some empathy towards Linda even though she knows that a lot of viewers hate the character. “I have some type of weird empathy for Linda. I know she’s not the most likeable character, but I like to think of her as a survivor just trying to ride up the corporate ranks, even though she has some type of sociopath tendencies,” she said.
Read: “Orange Is the New Black” Star Dascha Polanco Opens Up About Season 5 Success
Dover’s Linda experienced a shift between Season 4 and Season 5 when the character traded her corporate blazer for a prison uniform. While at Litchfield, Linda was caught in the middle of an ongoing riot and had to pretend to be one of the inmates so that they won’t target her.
The actress recounted what it was like going from working with just Nick Sandow in Season 4 to sharing scenes with a majority of the actors in Season 5 while her character was in prison. “When I came to set for season five, I was nervous. It’s one of those very tight-knit casts that have been together for five seasons. I was coming in thinking, ‘Oh, I hope everyone likes me.’ And all my nerves were unfounded. Everyone is so cool,” she said.
While Linda was in prison, she was told that it was necessary to find someone who could protect her. This was the reason why Linda developed a close relationship with Lea DeLaria’s character, Boo. In some of the scenes, Linda and Boo flirted with each other. They also engaged in sex and had a falling out towards the end of Season 5.
Talking about DeLaria, Dover said that she and her co-star have become good friends in real life. “Lea is a lesbian icon. I did not see that storyline coming, but it was so fun. And Lea is so great, she’s such a great scene partner, she’s so funny. We really had the best time on set,” she said.
“Orange is the New Black” has been renewed by Netflix for Seasons 6 and 7. The upcoming season is expected to premiere in June 2018.
Will Linda (Beth Dover) have interactions with the inmates in “Orange is the New Black” Season 6? Photo: Netflix
Related Articles
