Amanda Fuller Orange Is the New Black Interview 2018
The 1 Reason Why OITNB's Amanda Fuller Connected With Badison, Despite Her Being a "Monster"
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Fuller is the first person to admit that her character is "an awful person," but she wants viewers to give Badison another chance. We know it's pretty difficult to renege judgments on someone who literally breaks another inmate's nose for entertainment, but Fuller wants us to consider the circumstances and understand that Badison herself is struggling. "It's hard for me because everyone wants to be liked , including Badison, and even though I don't think she's making the right choices in her life, I have a connection with her," she said. "When people attack her, it's hard for me not to be defencive. I want to be like, 'Yeah, I get it. I know she's a bully, and she sucks in that way,' but also, it's because she needs friends. She's alone and she's scared, and that's human to me."
In fact, Fuller thinks that one of the biggest problems is people attacking Badison for her hurtful actions, creating a vicious cycle of hatred. "Maybe don't hate her so much. Maybe the point is to learn that being hateful doesn't help. Maybe we could try to understand these kinds of characters," she said. "It's good to react to them and have a strong opinion, but compassion is also key in life. Maybe if Badison were more understood, she wouldn't be so awful. It's hard for me not to be defencive. But I also totally get hating on her."
For Fuller's own real-life struggles with insecurities, she had to understand that the "roar of hatred" following Badison's debut was "the point of the character."