Main cast
Who ran the prison kitchen?
Orange Is the New Black
 Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman: Piper is a bisexual woman who is sent to prison for carrying drug money for her former girlfriend Alex 10 years ago. Piper navigates the stresses it creates in her life and with her fiancé Larry. While in prison, Piper tries to understand and find her place in the hierarchy and re-examines her relationship with Alex, who is also an inmate.  Laura Prepon as Alex Vause: Alex is Piper's ex-girlfriend, who is serving time in the same prison. While growing up in a low socioeconomic class, with a mother working four jobs and a washed-up rock star as a father, Alex was constantly bullied. She eventually wound up working for an international drug cartel. Upon reuniting with Piper in prison, the two re-examine their relationship. Prepon auditioned for the role of Piper, and Jenji Kohan praised her, saying her audition set the bar, and Kohan asked her to read for the role of Alex.  Michael J. Harney as Sam Healy: Healy is a correctional officer and social worker. He claims to understand Piper, although he acts passive-aggressively towards her. He is married to a Ukrainian immigrant who has two years left until she gets her green card.  Michelle Hurst as Miss Claudette: Piper's cellmate who is very strict and feared by the inmates. Miss Claudette ran an illegal immigration and child-labor cleaning service; the very one she herself had worked in when she came to the United States as a child to pay off her parents' debt.  Kate Mulgrew as Galina "Red" Reznikov: Red runs the prison's kitchen as its Master Chef. She owned a restaurant with her husband and worked with the Russian mob. Red is the go-to woman in the prison and runs her racket behind the scenes. She is seen as a mother figure for a group of women, some of whom are former drug users.  Jason Biggs as Larry Bloom: A struggling writer trying to climb the journalism ladder, Larry finds out his fiancée Piper has to go to prison. Larry initially believes their relationship can make it through Piper's sentence.