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Samira Wiley

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Samira Wiley
Wiley in 2013
Born
Samira Denise Wiley

(1987-04-15) April 15, 1987 (age 37)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
EducationTemple University
Juilliard School (BFA)
OccupationActress
Years active2011–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2017)​
Children1
RelativesAsante Blackk (nephew)

Samira Denise Wiley (born April 15, 1987) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Poussey Washington in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019) and as Moira in the Hulu dystopian drama series The Handmaid's Tale (2017–present), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

Wiley also had starring roles in such films as The Sitter (2011), Nerve (2016), Detroit (2017), and Social Animals (2018). She also narrated the Netflix documentary Night on Earth (2020).

Early life

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Wiley was raised in Washington, D.C.[1] Her parents, Christine and Dennis W. Wiley, were co-pastors of the Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ (CBUCC) until 2017; they have been described as "pillars of the LGBT religious community", as the CBUCC was the only Baptist church in D.C. performing same-sex civil unions in 2007, prior to the eventual legalization of same-sex marriage.[2] She has two siblings, Aiyana Ma'at[3] and Joshua Wiley.[4][5]

Wiley attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, D.C., and the Juilliard School, New York City,[6] graduating in 2010.[7] At Juilliard, she trained in theater performance, and worked mainly in theater in her early career.[8]

Career

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Wiley's first major acting role was in the comedy film The Sitter (2011).[9] In 2011, Wiley played Maria in a theater production of Love's Labour's Lost by The Public Theater.[10]

When the Netflix television series Orange Is the New Black —based on Piper Kerman's memoir of the same name— came into development, Wiley was told about the auditions by a friend from Juilliard, Marco Ramirez, who was a writer for the show.[9] Wiley's future wife, Lauren Morelli, was also a writer on the show. After discovering that fellow Juilliard alumni and friend, actress Danielle Brooks,[7] had also auditioned for, and won, the role of Tastee, Wiley asked to rehearse her lines with her, as she was auditioning for the role of Poussey Washington (the on-screen best friend of Brooks' character),[9] a role for which she was ultimately cast. After winning the audition, Wiley appeared in all twelve episodes of the series' first season, and featured prominently throughout the second season.[11] The darker, more violent, plot of the second season allowed for the growth of Wiley's character, whose evolved storylines and level-headed, peaceable nature led to Wiley's prolonged screen exposure and ultimate development as a fan-favorite.[12] Her character's childhood and adolescence as a traveled, educated and strictly-disciplined "military brat" are explored, in addition to the chain of events leading up to her incarceration. Wiley was promoted to series-regular for the third season.[13] The fourth season revolves heavily around her character, leading up to the stunned and saddened reactions within the prison upon her beloved character's untimely passing at the hands of a young prison officer, while being detained during a prison riot.

In between seasons of Orange Is the New Black, Wiley filmed Rob the Mob (2014), an independent crime film directed by Raymond De Felitta.[9] She appeared in an advertisement for the digital monetary service PayPal in 2014.[14] In 2015, Wiley featured in the 21st episode of the 16th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, "Perverted Justice", portraying a young adult wishing to recant her rape accusation of her father when she was 6 years old, and set him free. In December 2015, it was announced Wiley had been cast to voice the titular character in the video game The Walking Dead: Michonne. The game was released by Telltale Games in February 2016.[15] In 2017, she narrated one of two versions of Max Brooks' book, Minecraft: The Island: A Novel.[16] Wiley also starred in a film called 37 (2016), a true story of thirty-seven people who witness a murder and none call the police or intervene. In 2016, she starred in a new play by Quiara Alegría Hudes called Daphne's Dive.[17]

She competed against New Black co-star Laverne Cox in an episode of Spike's Lip Sync Battle. With performances of "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton and "O.P.P." by Naughty by Nature, Wiley emerged victorious.[18]

Wiley was featured in Maniac Magazine, appearing on the cover and in an editorial of the 2014 September/October issue displaying "a series of bold, chic, high fashion looks."[19] She was also featured on the cover of 2014 edition of Out magazine, along with Sam Smith, Elliot Page, and Zachary Quinto.

In 2017, Wiley began playing Moira in the Hulu television series The Handmaid's Tale. [20] She portrayed the playwright Lorraine Hansberry in the docu-series Equal in 2020. [21] In 2022, she co-produced a documentary about body positivity with the Gratitude Project. [22]In 2024, she was cast as a CIA agent in the Sky Original series Atomic. [23]

Awards

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In 2014, Wiley was named Out magazine's Ingenue of the Year.[2] In February 2015, she was awarded the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award. According to the Human Rights Campaign's website, Wiley was always accepted and embraced by her parents, regardless of her sexuality, and to this she attributes her success.[24]

In 2017, Wiley received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale, going on to win Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series the following year.[25]

In November 2017, Wiley was nominated to Out magazine's "OUT100" for 2017 in recognition of her work and her visibility.[26]

Personal life

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On October 4, 2016, Wiley announced her engagement to Orange Is the New Black writer Lauren Morelli and they married on March 25, 2017.[27][28] Morelli gave birth to their first child, a daughter, on April 11, 2021.[29]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2011 The Sitter Tina
2012 Being Flynn Asha
2014 Rob the Mob Agent Annie Bell
2016 Nerve Hacker Kween
37 Joyce Smith
2017 Detroit Vanessa
2018 Social Animals Lana
2019 Vault Karyn
2021 Breaking News in Yuba County Jonelle

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2011 Unforgettable Gina 2 episodes
2012 Person of Interest Triage Nurse Episode: "Many Happy Returns"
2013–2017, 2019 Orange Is the New Black Poussey Washington Main role (seasons 3–4); recurring (seasons 1–2); guest (seasons 5, 7); 51 episodes
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2015–17)
2015 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Michelle Episode: "Perverted Justice"
2016 The Catch Captain Nia Brooks Episode: "The Benefactor"
Lip Sync Battle Herself Episode: "Samira Wiley vs. Laverne Cox"
2016–2019 You're the Worst Justina Jordan 6 episodes
2017–present The Handmaid's Tale Moira Strand 27 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (2018)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2017, 2020–21)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
2017 Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Forensic Scientist Episode: "Forensic Evidence" (CSI: Crime Scene Idiot skit)
2017–2019 Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television Jessica Mathers 10 episodes
2018–2021 Explained Narrator 2 episodes
2019 Drunk History Bessie Coleman Episode: "Trailblazers"
Love, Death & Robots Lieutenant Colby (voice) Episode: "Lucky 13"
Will & Grace Nikki 3 episodes
2020 Night on Earth Narrator 6 episodes
Equal Lorraine Hansberry Episode: "Black is Beautiful, Gay is Good!"
2021–2022 Blade Runner: Black Lotus Alani Davis (voice)

Video game

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Year Title Voice role Notes Ref.
2016 The Walking Dead: Michonne Michonne Nominated—BTVA Video Game Voice Acting Award for Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Video Game

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ahearn, Victoria (July 5, 2016). "'Orange is the New Black' star Samira Wiley on how Black Lives Matter inspired Poussey Washington". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Berlin, Mike (November 11, 2014). "Out100: OITNB's Samira Wiley, Ingenue Of The Year". Out. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  3. ^ Wiley, Samira [@samirawiley] (September 18, 2014). "Lol, that is Aiyana Ma'at. She's my sister" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ Wiley, Josh [@imjusjoshin] (May 6, 2015). "Watch my sister @samirawiley on Law & Order SVU tonight!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ "Wiley, Doris W." The Washington Post. July 5, 2009. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017 – via Legacy.com. Also survived by three grandchildren, Aiyana Ma'at, Samira Wiley and Joshua Wiley...
  6. ^ Wiley in "Exclusive Interview: Samira Wiley on Orange is the New Black". Voice.Fan.TV. December 27, 2013. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. I went to a performing arts school for high school and went to Juilliard. ... I went to Duke Ellington School of the Arts in D.C.
  7. ^ a b Abdulhamid, Yassmeen (September 2013). "Fame Is the New Reality for 'Orange' Actress". The Juilliard School. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  8. ^ Martin, Rebecca (July 29, 2013). "Orange Is the New Black's Samira Wiley on Playing Poussey and Tweets From Regina King—Exclusive!". Wetpaint. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d Morales, Wilson (October 22, 2013). "Exclusive: Catching Up With Orange is the New Black's Samira Wiley". Blackfilm.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  10. ^ Brantley, Ben (October 31, 2011). "O, That Rowdy Passage From Celibate to Celebrate". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  11. ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (October 28, 2013). "'Orange Is the New Black' Interview: Samira Wiley Talks Taystee-Poussey, Netflix Model and Season 2". ScreenCrush. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  12. ^ Breger, Esther (July 1, 2014). "Interview: Orange Is The New Black's Poussey on Playing the Season's Tragic Heroine". NewRepublic. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  13. ^ Rowles, Dustin (July 8, 2014). "Everything You Need to Know About Samira Wiley, The Extraordinary Poussey on 'Orange is the New Black". Pajiba. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  14. ^ Kay, Ariel (August 25, 2014). "Bustle". Bustle. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  15. ^ "'Walking Dead' Just Cast An 'OITNB' Actress As Michonne". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  16. ^ "Let Jack Black and Samira Wiley transport you to Minecraft: The Island". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  17. ^ "Daphne's Dive - Off-Broadway | Cast". Broadway.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  18. ^ Garner, Glenn (October 27, 2016). "Laverne Cox & Samira Wiley Slay on Lip Sync Battle". Out. Archived from the original on February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  19. ^ "Samira Wiley Rocks High Fashion Looks For Maniac Magazine. Images by April Hubal". SUPERSELECTED Black Fashion Magazine Black Models Black Contemporary Artists Art Black Musicians. October 31, 2014. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  20. ^ Campione, Katie (August 7, 2018). "The Handmaid's Tale Star Samira Wiley on Moira's Rise to the Resistance". Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  21. ^ Lamb, Stacey. "Samira Wiley on portraying Lorraine Hansberry and Her Own Coming Out Journey". etonline.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  22. ^ Callahan, Chrissy (February 10, 2022). "Samira Wiley Opens Up About Being Body Shamed On A Photo Shoot". Today.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  23. ^ Ford, Lily (May 16, 2024). "Alfie Allen, Shazad Latif,Samira Wiley to Lead Sky Original 'Atomic'". Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  24. ^ Miller, Hayley (February 25, 2015). "Human Rights Campaign". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved April 2, 2015.[dead link]
  25. ^ "Big Little Lies, The Handmaid's Tale Lead the 2017 Emmy Winners". Vulture. September 17, 2017. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  26. ^ "OUT100: Samira Wiley, Actress". Out. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  27. ^ Macatee, Rebecca (October 4, 2016). "Samira Wiley Is Engaged To Lauren Morelli". E! News. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  28. ^ Savada, Shira (March 23, 2017). "Exclusive: Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli Are Married!". Martha Stewart Weddings. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  29. ^ "Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli welcome a baby together". CNN. May 10, 2021. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
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