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Uzo Aduba, left, ‘Suzanne’ on Orange is the New Black, says the show draws viewers who want to see a variety of women portrayed.JoJo Whilden

Although summer is supposed to be the sleepiest of television seasons, the next few months promise an overload of hyped series, including the third season of Orange Is the New Black. Before Netflix unleashes all 14 new episodes on June 12, we spoke with Uzo Aduba, who plays the breakout character Suzanne ("Crazy Eyes") Warren, about spoilers, sexism and binge-watching.

In almost every interview you and your castmates have done, the first thing you're asked about is spoilers for new episodes. Does that get frustrating?

It doesn't, because here's the thing: I don't feel like anybody actually wants me to spoil the show for them. Think of that language: nobody wants to spoil someone's day, no one wants to ruin something. They ask because they kind of want to know, but deep down, they really don't.

The show also isn't one that relies on huge plot twists, or where audience expectations are primed for huge spoilers, like House of Cards.

It's a hard show to spoil, yeah. But, if last year I told people that Vee got hit with a car at the end of the season, that might do it. But with our show, there's this beautiful way that [showrunner Jenji Kohan] has chosen to tell the story. Each piece is critical, and I don't mean just episodes, but minute-to-minute, second-to-second moments that she's laid in the series. It's all these bedrock nuggets of information and character that advance the story, and help us understand the personality of each character. You can't just reveal something about one character without it affecting everything else. It's not that easy.

The show is a woman-driven production, both in front of the camera and behind. With the ACLU accusing studios of discriminating against women and more conversations happening around sexism in Hollywood, where do you see Orange Is the New Black fitting in?

It's forced everyone to lean in to the conversation of representation. I've been excited to see that people are tuning in to see a different offering of women, not just in terms of gender, but also race, sexual orientation, size, anything. It's not just our show, either. I can place it along the work of Shonda Rhimes, or Empire. We're heading in that new direction.

Have we hit a breaking point in the culture, then, or is it still early days?

The fact that we're having this discussion means we're still at the beginnings of it. We'll be there when it's not a talking point any more.

Do you think that conversation affects the show, or Jenji's process?

Jenji is just one of the smartest women I've ever known, period. She has created this welcoming environment where the tone is, 'We're all in this together.' She is invested in this.

Do you watch the show once it's aired?

I watch it in a different way, in that I know what happens. It's like looking through a photo album or yearbook for me, because these are my friends. It takes a while before I can just watch it as a person.

So many of the show's fans seem to binge-watch it over a weekend. Do you think Netflix has taken that behaviour to a new level?

Yeah, I mean, I'm obsessed with House of Cards. I will be MIA for that weekend. Also, I didn't watch Lost when it was on the air, only when it was on Hulu. Same thing for The Sopranos – I watched that on-demand and caught up to the last season when it was airing. It's become such an ingrained part of our viewing habits. I can't imagine going back to waiting each week.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

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