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You played so many different characters onOrphan Black.
Was it especially hard say good-bye to any of them?All of them were difficult.
The last scene I did as her was this Skype call with Cosima.
I couldnt hold it in.
Then my nose started bleeding on camera, gushing.
Whatever tension that I carry as Alison just fell out of the front of my face.
So we had to stop rolling.
Myself and Jay Duplass are the leads in it.
To me that was a massive challenge, working with my partner.
Its not necessarily like I was looking to play something new or something like that.
It was more like, What emotional territory havent I navigated through yet?
Any time we can take a little more time with it, Im very happy.
You were going to be inPose, and thenRyan Murphy recast the role with Charlayne Woodard.
Dont worry, you’re able to swear.Okay, great.
Its fucking … its amazing!
The recasting makes so much more sense than me in that part.
Shes an amazing and powerful woman who just brings a different thing than I would certainly bring.
Theres a life experience there that makes so much more sense, and thats so much more helpful.
Now youre doingMary Page MarloweOff Broadway.
Six actresses play Mary Page Marlowe at different ages, and we explore her life at big pivotal shifts.
Theres so many factors that were like, Of course Im going to do this.
Being onstage is something I havent done in seven years, and its my absolute happy place.
Theres a real connection to the audience, its so different than TV or film.
Its my total dream come true.
Im in heaven right now.
We could come in to watch the other Mary Pages rehearse.
We look at each others gestures, we venture to vocally warm up together.
Then, when Im on set, Im like, This is all Ill ever do.
It seems like theres a common resonance inMary Page MarloweandOrphan Black.
Theyre both about how women live in ways society wont recognize.Absolutely.
How those roles betray who we really are, or why those roles are so ingrained in us.
Gender and our roles and all that, thats my shit.
I could talk about it all day.
I do think its still, like, the puberty stage of this movement.
Its slowly making its way into the light a bit more.
You do still get offered things that youre like, Really, were still here?
She only has this many lines?Shes nude, always, for the first ten pages?
Because weve got to ensure that were sexually attracted to this character first and foremost.
Have you seen any evidence of the #MeToo movement propelling people away from that thinking?No question.
Being able to say the #MeToo movement defines it in a way that is really important.
Did winning an Emmy forOrphan Blackchange anything for you?It was a wild experience.
I did not expect it whatsoever and I was very grateful for it.
It does open doors for you, those accolades or whatever, they definitely give you a boost.
I couldnt name, like,thats because of the Emmy win.
But I think it was also a cool thing for Clone Club.
Our weird little show, thats what we called it.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
