Samira Wiley
{{short description|American actress}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Samira Wiley
| image = Samira Wiley (cropped).jpg
| caption = Wiley in 2013
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S.
| education = Temple University
Juilliard School (BFA)
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 2011–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Lauren Morelli|2017}}
| children = 1
| relatives = Asante Blackk (nephew)
}}
Samira Wiley 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 (2017–2025), 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
Wiley was raised in Washington, D.C.{{cite news|url= https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2016/07/05/orange-is-the-new-black-star-samira-wiley-on-how-black-lives-matter-inspired-the-show.html|title= 'Orange is the New Black' star Samira Wiley on how Black Lives Matter inspired Poussey Washington|work= Toronto Star|first= Victoria|last= Ahearn|date= July 5, 2016|access-date= March 26, 2017|archive-date= July 6, 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180706132528/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2016/07/05/orange-is-the-new-black-star-samira-wiley-on-how-black-lives-matter-inspired-the-show.html|url-status= live}} Her parents, Christine and Dennis W. Wiley, were co-pastors of the [http://cbuccdc.org 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.{{Cite web|url = http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/out100-2014/2014/11/11/out100-oitnb-samira-wiley-ingenue-year|title = Out100: OITNB's Samira Wiley, Ingenue Of The Year|date = November 11, 2014|access-date = April 2, 2015|work = Out|last = Berlin|first = Mike|archive-date = February 15, 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170215034017/http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/out100-2014/2014/11/11/out100-oitnb-samira-wiley-ingenue-year|url-status = live}} She has two siblings, Aiyana Ma'at{{cite tweet |last=Wiley |first=Samira |user=samirawiley |number=512502669991510016 |date=September 18, 2014 |title=Lol, that is Aiyana Ma'at. She's my sister. |access-date=August 6, 2017 |url=https://twitter.com/samirawiley/status/512502669991510016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806224545/https://twitter.com/samirawiley/status/512502669991510016 |archivedate=August 6, 2017 }} and Joshua Wiley.{{cite tweet |last=Wiley |first=Josh |user=imjusjoshin |number=596047536399462401 |date=May 6, 2015 |title=Watch my sister @samirawiley on Law & Order SVU tonight! |access-date=August 6, 2017 |url=https://twitter.com/imjusjoshin/status/596047536399462401 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806225329/https://twitter.com/imjusjoshin/status/596047536399462401 |archivedate=August 6, 2017 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?n=doris-w-wiley&pid=129309689|title=Wiley, Doris W.|via=Legacy.com|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 5, 2009|access-date=August 6, 2017|archive-date=August 6, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170806225810/http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?n=doris-w-wiley&pid=129309689|url-status=live|quote=Also survived by three grandchildren, Aiyana Ma'at, Samira Wiley and Joshua Wiley...}}
Wiley attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, D.C., and the Juilliard School, New York City,Wiley in {{cite web|url=http://voice.fan.tv/2013/12/27/exclusive-interview-samira-wiley-orange-new-black/|title=Exclusive Interview: Samira Wiley on Orange is the New Black|publisher=Voice.Fan.TV|date=December 27, 2013|archive-date=September 15, 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140915035330/http://voice.fan.tv/2013/12/27/exclusive-interview-samira-wiley-orange-new-black/|quote=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.|url-status=dead}} graduating in 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.juilliard.edu/journal/1309/fame-new-reality-orange-actress?destination=node%2F31796|title=Fame Is the New Reality for 'Orange' Actress|publisher=The Juilliard School|first=Yassmeen|last=Abdulhamid|date=September 2013|access-date=April 25, 2014|archive-date=April 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426201643/http://www.juilliard.edu/journal/1309/fame-new-reality-orange-actress?destination=node%2F31796|url-status=live}} At Juilliard, she trained in theater performance, and worked mainly in theater in her early career.{{cite web|url=http://www.wetpaint.com/news/articles/2013-07-29-orange-is-black-samira-wiley|publisher=Wetpaint|date=July 29, 2013|title=Orange Is the New Black's Samira Wiley on Playing Poussey and Tweets From Regina King—Exclusive!|first=Rebecca|last=Martin|access-date=April 26, 2014|archive-date=November 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113034358/http://www.wetpaint.com/news/articles/2013-07-29-orange-is-black-samira-wiley|url-status=live}}
Career
Wiley's first major acting role was in the comedy film The Sitter (2011). In 2011, Wiley played Maria in a theater production of Love's Labour's Lost by The Public Theater.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/theater/reviews/loves-labors-lost-at-public-theater-review.html?_r=0|date=October 31, 2011|title=O, That Rowdy Passage From Celibate to Celebrate|first=Ben|last=Brantley|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 26, 2014|archive-date=November 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113035311/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/theater/reviews/loves-labors-lost-at-public-theater-review.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}
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.{{cite web|url = http://www.blackfilm.com/read/2013/10/exclusive-samira-wiley-talks-orange-is-the-new-black/|publisher = Blackfilm.com|first = Wilson|last = Morales|title = Exclusive: Catching Up With Orange is the New Black's Samira Wiley|date = October 22, 2013|access-date = April 26, 2014|archive-date = October 21, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181021082158/http://www.blackfilm.com/read/2013/10/exclusive-samira-wiley-talks-orange-is-the-new-black/|url-status = live}} Wiley's future wife, Lauren Morelli, was also a writer on the show. After discovering that fellow Juilliard alumni and friend, actress Danielle Brooks, had also auditioned for, and won, the role of Taystee, 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), 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.{{cite web|url=http://screencrush.com/orange-is-the-new-black-season-2-interview-samira-wiley-poussey/|first=Kevin|last=Fitzpatrick|title='Orange Is the New Black' Interview: Samira Wiley Talks Taystee-Poussey, Netflix Model and Season 2|date=October 28, 2013 |publisher=ScreenCrush|access-date=April 26, 2014|archive-date=April 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426215044/http://screencrush.com/orange-is-the-new-black-season-2-interview-samira-wiley-poussey/|url-status=live}} 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.{{Cite web|url = https://newrepublic.com/article/118491/samira-wiley-interview-orange-new-blacks-poussey|title = Interview: Orange Is The New Black's Poussey on Playing the Season's Tragic Heroine.|date = July 1, 2014|access-date = April 2, 2015|website = NewRepublic|last = Breger|first = Esther|archive-date = November 9, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181109134606/https://newrepublic.com/article/118491/samira-wiley-interview-orange-new-blacks-poussey|url-status = live}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.pajiba.com/celebrities_are_better_than_you/everything-you-need-to-know-about-samira-wiley-the-extraordinary-poussey-on-orange-is-the-new-black.php|title=Everything You Need to Know About Samira Wiley, The Extraordinary Poussey on 'Orange is the New Black|work=Pajiba|last=Rowles|first=Dustin|date=July 8, 2014|access-date=January 10, 2015|archive-date=March 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317195756/http://www.pajiba.com/celebrities_are_better_than_you/everything-you-need-to-know-about-samira-wiley-the-extraordinary-poussey-on-orange-is-the-new-black.php|url-status=live}} 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 peaceful protest in the prison.
In between seasons of Orange Is the New Black, Wiley filmed Rob the Mob (2014), an independent crime film directed by Raymond De Felitta. She appeared in an advertisement for the digital monetary service PayPal in 2014.{{Cite web|url = http://www.bustle.com/articles/37334-oitnb-cast-ricky-gervaiss-emmy-commercial-is-hilarious-unexpected-video|title = Bustle|date = August 25, 2014|access-date = April 7, 2015|website = Bustle|last = Kay|first = Ariel|archive-date = July 2, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150702080420/http://www.bustle.com/articles/37334-oitnb-cast-ricky-gervaiss-emmy-commercial-is-hilarious-unexpected-video|url-status = live}} 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.{{Cite web|title = 'Walking Dead' Just Cast An 'OITNB' Actress As Michonne|url = http://www.mtv.com/news/2680748/walking-dead-michonne-game/|website = MTV News|access-date = December 31, 2015|archive-date = January 15, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160115071741/http://www.mtv.com/news/2680748/walking-dead-michonne-game/|url-status = dead}} In 2017, she narrated one of two versions of Max Brooks' book, Minecraft: The Island: A Novel.{{Cite magazine|title=Let Jack Black and Samira Wiley transport you to Minecraft: The Island|url=http://ew.com/books/2017/07/14/max-brooks-minecraft-island-jack-black-samira-wiley/amp/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=September 17, 2017|archive-date=September 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918020935/http://ew.com/books/2017/07/14/max-brooks-minecraft-island-jack-black-samira-wiley/amp/|url-status=live}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadway.com/shows/daphnes-dive/cast/|title=Daphne's Dive - Off-Broadway {{!}} Cast|website=Broadway.com|access-date=December 31, 2018|archive-date=December 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231194238/https://www.broadway.com/shows/daphnes-dive/cast/|url-status=live}}
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.{{cite web|url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2016/10/27/laverne-cox-samira-wiley-slay-lip-sync-battle|title=Laverne Cox & Samira Wiley Slay on Lip Sync Battle|magazine=Out|first=Glenn|last=Garner|date=October 27, 2016|access-date=February 23, 2019|archive-date=February 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224115828/https://www.out.com/popnography/2016/10/27/laverne-cox-samira-wiley-slay-lip-sync-battle|url-status=live}}
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."{{Cite web|url = http://superselected.com/samira-wiley-rocks-high-fashion-looks-for-maniac-magazine-images-by-april-hubal/|title = Samira Wiley Rocks High Fashion Looks For Maniac Magazine. Images by April Hubal.|date = October 31, 2014|access-date = April 2, 2015|website = SUPERSELECTED Black Fashion Magazine Black Models Black Contemporary Artists Art Black Musicians.|archive-date = March 21, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150321213216/http://superselected.com/samira-wiley-rocks-high-fashion-looks-for-maniac-magazine-images-by-april-hubal/|url-status = live}} 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. {{cite news |last1=Campione |first1=Katie |title=The Handmaid's Tale Star Samira Wiley on Moira's Rise to the Resistance |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/handmaids-tale-star-samira-wiley-moiras-rise-resistance-1131680/ |access-date=September 25, 2024 |date=August 7, 2018}} She portrayed the playwright Lorraine Hansberry in the docu-series Equal in 2020. {{cite web |last1=Lamb |first1=Stacey |title=Samira Wiley on portraying Lorraine Hansberry and Her Own Coming Out Journey |url=https://www.etonline.com/samira-wiley-on-portraying-lorraine-hansberry-and-her-own-coming-out-journey-exclusive-155001 |website=etonline.com |access-date=September 25, 2024}} In 2022, she co-produced a documentary about body positivity with the Gratitude Project. {{cite news |last1=Callahan |first1=Chrissy |title=Samira Wiley Opens Up About Being Body Shamed On A Photo Shoot |url=https://www.today.com/style/beauty/samira-wiley-body-shamed-photo-shoot-rcna15729 |access-date=September 25, 2024 |publisher=Today.com |date=February 10, 2022}}In 2024, she was cast as a CIA agent in the Sky Original series Atomic. {{cite news |last1=Ford |first1=Lily |title=Alfie Allen, Shazad Latif,Samira Wiley to Lead Sky Original 'Atomic' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/alfie-allen-shazad-latif-samira-wiley-sky-atomic-1235901048/ |access-date=September 25, 2024 |date=May 16, 2024}}
Awards
In 2014, Wiley was named Out magazine's Ingenue of the Year. 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.{{Cite web|url = http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/orange-is-the-new-black-actress-receives-hrc-visibility-|title = Human Rights Campaign|date = February 25, 2015|access-date = April 2, 2015|website = Human Rights Campaign|last = Miller|first = Hayley}}{{dead link|date=April 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
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.{{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2017/09/2017-emmy-award-winners-full-list.html|title=Big Little Lies, The Handmaid's Tale Lead the 2017 Emmy Winners|work=Vulture|date=September 17, 2017|access-date=September 18, 2017|archive-date=September 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918110958/http://www.vulture.com/2017/09/2017-emmy-award-winners-full-list.html|url-status=live}}
In November 2017, Wiley was nominated to Out magazine's "OUT100" for 2017 in recognition of her work and her visibility.{{cite web |url=https://www.out.com/out100-2017/2017/11/08/out100-2017#slide-30 |title=OUT100: Samira Wiley, Actress |work=Out |date=November 8, 2017 |access-date=November 9, 2017 |archive-date=December 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229040716/https://www.out.com/out100-2017/2017/11/08/out100-2017#slide-30 |url-status=live }}
Personal life
On October 4, 2016, Wiley announced her engagement to Orange Is the New Black writer Lauren Morelli and they married on March 25, 2017.{{cite web|url=http://m.eonline.com/news/799659/samira-wiley-is-engaged-to-orange-is-the-new-black-writer-lauren-morelli|title=Samira Wiley Is Engaged To Lauren Morelli|publisher=E! News|last=Macatee|first=Rebecca|date=October 4, 2016|access-date=October 6, 2016|archive-date=October 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027090528/http://www.eonline.com/news/799659/samira-wiley-is-engaged-to-orange-is-the-new-black-writer-lauren-morelli|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/611583/samira-wiley-lauren-morelli-married-wedding-photos|title=Exclusive: Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli Are Married!|first=Shira|last=Savada|date=March 23, 2017|work=Martha Stewart Weddings|access-date=March 26, 2017|language=en|archive-date=December 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229203825/https://www.marthastewartweddings.com/611583/samira-wiley-lauren-morelli-married-wedding-photos|url-status=dead}} Morelli gave birth to their first child, a daughter, on April 11, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/10/entertainment/samira-wiley-lauren-morelli-baby/index.html|title=Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli welcome a baby together|work=CNN|date=May 10, 2021|access-date=June 20, 2021|archive-date=June 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621021254/https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/10/entertainment/samira-wiley-lauren-morelli-baby/index.html|url-status=live}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Sitter | Tina | |
| 2012 | Being Flynn | Asha | |
| 2014 | Rob the Mob | Agent Annie Bell | |
| rowspan="2" | 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=
| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
| 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" |
| rowspan="2" | 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 |
| 2017–2025 | 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 |
| rowspan="3" | 2019 | Drunk History | Bessie Coleman | Episode: "Trailblazers" |
| Love, Death & Robots | Lieutenant Colby (voice) | Episode: "Lucky 13" | |
| Will & Grace | Nikki | 3 episodes | |
| rowspan="2" | 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=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Voice role ! Notes ! {{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference}} |
|---|
| 2016
| Michonne | Nominated—BTVA Video Game Voice Acting Award for Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Video Game | |
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|4148126}}
{{EmmyAward DramaGuestActress}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiley, Samira}}
Category:Actresses from Washington, D.C.
Category:American film actresses
Category:American stage actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:GLAAD Media Awards winners
Category:Juilliard School alumni
Category:African-American LGBTQ people
Category:LGBTQ people from Washington, D.C.
Category:American LGBTQ actresses
Category:21st-century African-American actresses