GALO: So which role would you say was the hardest for you to play?

MH: You know, I don’t look at it that way. They’re all difficult. Everything I did is impossible when I look at it. For me, wanting to live through a character really has a lot to do with the art of it, which is basically, ‘What can I do? What do I want to communicate?’ Playing someone who’s a bigot; playing someone who’s homophobic…what people need to really understand is: what does that look like? People who are fighting against bigotry, they’re bigoted against those who are bigoted. We’re all f**ked up and I think it’s important to just get that out there, so that we can see it. And I think that’s a big part of our job as artists.

GALO: Let’s talk about Mr. Sam Healy. At first, he’s on Piper’s side. Then he finds out about her affair with fellow inmate and former lover Alex Vause (Laura Prepon), and proceeds to throw her in solitary and tell her fiancé (Jason Biggs) about the affair. In the last scene of season one, he does nothing to stop Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) from attempting to kill Piper. Does Healy think any of his actions are justified and does this guy have any redeeming qualities?

MH: Well, of course. You’re living your life and you have intentions you need to fulfill. And your actions are justified to you, right? That’s my work. That’s my preparation work, to get myself to a place where the actions that I commit to, dedicate myself to and live through are justifiable to me. And if that’s not happening, then you’re probably not watching a very good performance. So, yes, the actions are justified — each and every one of them in each and every moment. They change and are affected by the circumstances I find myself in and the relationships I find myself dealing with, which are ever-changing, just like in life. That’s part of Jenji’s world. She’s creating this world where, just like in life, things are changing.

And people have different points of view. Circumstances change, so I have to adjust myself to those circumstances as Sam. The great part about the writing is you get to see not just a small aspect of the individual, but you get to see the whole individual. That’s pretty cool. I was just watching a documentary and this guy was portraying this terrible, bigoted and awful man. But he did so in a very compassionate way. You wound up feeling kind of bad for him. And that’s pretty good when you can do that. Even with the worst characters that we have on the planet. They’re lost. And that can be exposed in a truthful way without judging the character prior to playing it. That can be done.

GALO: You were saying how we get a peek into these characters’ motivations. Last season gave us a glimpse of Sam’s personal life. He had a Ukrainian bride who was using him for a green card. Are we going to see some more of his personal life in season two?

MH: You have to wait for that. And there may be a little bit more to season one. You say she’s using him for a green card. I don’t know about that. And I’m only talking within the structure of season one. I wouldn’t simplify it to that extent.

GALO: Before OITNB, you worked with Jenji Kohan on Weeds. Did you end up having to re-audition, or given your background with her, did she offer you the part?

MH: They offered me the part, which I was very honored by. I was honored because of the people that she has working with her and her herself; you don’t get a chance to work with people like that all the time. What I mean by that is there’s a devotion to telling the truth in a very creative, and not always having to be dramatic, funny way. Using comedy as well, that’s a big plus for me. To be able to be part of that…and then the crew, you know. Everything I’ve done with her runs really well, we’re a family. It runs in a really solid way, a really effective way. We care about each other. So, I was honored and I still am to be part of it.

GALO: You mentioned you did work with prison reform. Is the show’s portrayal of Litchfield’s prison environment accurate?

MH: When I did work in prison reform, it was through the United Church of Christ. It was back in the first two years that I went to college. I worked on a guy’s case who had been incarcerated for many, many, many years. I used to go up and visit him. They used to have his friend, who had been released, come to my university and speak. These guys were involved in the [Attica Prison riot in 1971]. There were several films about that. We showed the film, we had people talk. I had people do everything but spit in my face and tell me, “Why are you helping these animals?” Things like that. I would go and experience the waiting room of a [local penitentiary].

I wasn’t really super involved in the inner workings of the prison. I was more involved in dealing with this guy’s case, and dealing with people that were really working on their lives. People who’d really wanted to make a difference in society after they’d done their time. I’ve watched a lot of footage and listened to a lot of interviews. I was talking to Piper Kerman and she said that she’d talked to [real guards], and they said that it was the most realistic show they’d seen. My job is to live through the life of this human being, in the circumstances that I find myself in and in the environment that I find myself in. Quite frankly, I do different things to prepare for every episode.

GALO: Let’s talk a little bit about True Detective. You most recently appeared on the first season. It garnered a lot of critical acclaim and an endless amount of fan theories, thanks to the Internet. It’s a very intense show. Could you talk about the atmosphere on set?

MH: [Creator] Nic Pizzolatto is a really talented guy. When I say that, I mean he’s gone inside himself and done the explorations necessary for writers to do. We had several conversations and I was really blown away by what he’s done in that regard. Matthew and Woody really immersed themselves in who they were living through. So, for me, I had done all my preparation and when I got there, it was a very dedicated set — meaning that everybody was really dedicated to truly living through the circumstances in front of them.

I think that the rhythm of the writing — the rhythm of what you saw on the screen — the pacing of it, was happening for us too, in a sense. What I mean by that is there was this genre that’s been done many times before. But it was done in such a different way that we knew that we were part of something special. So there was a real dedication and commitment to being true.

GALO: As an actor, you never seem to be slowing down. What new projects are you working on now?

MH: I just finished a film in New York called Bad Hurt. It’s a really wonderful film; a lot of people from the Actor’s Studio. I was really honored to be asked to be part of it. It’s a really great script.

Season two of “Orange is the New Black” will be released on Netflix on June 6, 2014.

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Featured image: Actor Michael Harney. Photo Credit: Bryony Shearmur.