Orange is the New Black star reflects on character’s tragic fate 10 years on
Samira Wiley reflects on the death of Poussey Washington (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
Samira Wiley reflects on the death of Poussey Washington (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
Samira Wiley has spoken about the death of her beloved Orange Is the New Black character, almost 10 years after the tragic scenes first hit screens.
Wiley played inmate Poussey Washington in the hit Netflix prison drama between 2013 and 2016, before appearing in a series of flashbacks.
The character died in the penultimate episode of the fourth season after being improperly restrained by prison officer Baxter “Gerber” Bayley.
During a peaceful protest in the cafeteria to demonstrate against Desi Piscatella’s treatment of inmates, Suzanne got upset and Bayley was given the task of restraining her, only to end up making her more upset.
When Poussey sought to intervene, Bayley knelt on her back while she was face down on the ground, leaving her unable to breathe.
Realising Poussey was dead, best friend Taystee broke down, hugged her lifeless body and sobbed.
Poussey’s death has often been referred to as one of the saddest TV deaths of recent years, an example of both the “bury your gay” and “bury your lesbian” tropes often found in dramas.
Appearing on an episode of Seasoned Sessions, the “podcast equivalent of your favourite group chat” on Saturday (9 August), Wiley recalled that she knew the character was going to die nine months before the rest of the cast.
“I remember I had known what was going to happen to my character because my wife [the show’s co- producer Lauren Morelli] actually wrote that episode.”
Morelli decided not to tell anyone about the death and was “really, really religious about that”.
Wiley, who has gone on to appear in The Handmaid’s Tale, continued: “I was sitting in the hair and make-up chair next to Laverne (Cox) as [she read] the script and she was literally like,” Wiley gasps and gives an exaggerated look, “Samira!
“I think it was much harder on [the rest of the] cast than it was on me because I had such a long time to be able to process it.”
Fans have weighed in on the impact Poussey’s death had on them, with many saying they remained affected to this day.
“I’m still not over Poussey’s death, it was one of the most shocking, most painful deaths of a character on TV,” one TikTok user wrote.
Another revealed: “When Poussey died, I paused the episode and bawled my eyes out for an hour. Couldn’t enjoy it after.”
Someone else said: “That whole show broke my heart and just knowing how spot on they got it makes it even more heart-breaking. Poussey’s death was shocking and so sad.”
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