Samira Wiley
| Samira Wiley | |
|---|---|
Wiley in 2013
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| Born |
Samira Denise Wiley April 15, 1987 Washington, D.C. |
| Alma mater | Juilliard School |
| Occupation | Actress, model, producer |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Partner(s) | Lauren Morelli (2014–present; engaged) |
Samira Wiley (born April 15, 1987) is an American actress and model best known for playing Poussey Washington in the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black.
Wiley was born in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Burgundy Farm Country Day School and The Juilliard School. Her parents, Christine and Dennis W. Wiley, are the co-pastors of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ. Wiley's parents have been referred to as "pillars of the LGBT religious community," as the Covenant Baptist Church was the only Baptist church in Washington D.C. performing same-sex unions in 2007. She has two siblings: Aiyana Kai Ma'at and Joshua Wiley.
Wiley studied drama at the Juilliard School in New York, and graduated in 2010. She trained in theater performance and worked mainly in theater in her early career. In 2011, she played Maria in a production of Love's Labour's Lost by The Public Theater.
When the Netflix television series Orange Is the New Black—based on Piper Kerman's memoir of the same name about her experiences of being incarcerated in a women's prison—came into development, Wiley was told about the auditions by a friend from Juilliard, Marco Ramirez, who was a writer for the show. After discovering that another Juilliard friend, Danielle Brooks, had won a role in the show, Wiley asked Brooks to rehearse lines with her to prepare for her audition for the role of Poussey Washington, the on-screen best friend of Brooks' character. Wiley's audition was ultimately successful; she appeared in all twelve episodes of the series' first season and was featured prominently throughout the second season. The darker and more violent plot of the second season allowed for the growth of Wiley's character, whose evolved story lines lead to Wiley's prolonged screen exposure and ultimate development as a "fan-favorite." She was promoted to series regular for the third season. The fourth season revolves heavily around her character. Wiley's fiancée, Lauren Morelli, is a writer on the show. Morelli wrote the 12th episode of Season 4, which featured Wiley's character. Wiley was also featured in the 16th season 21st episode of Law & Order SVU Perverted Justice Wiley portrays Michelle Thompson, a young adult wishing to recant her rape accusation of her father when she was 6 years old, and set him free. The episode received lots of positive feedback, making it a substantial part of her acting career.
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