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Cleary Wolters, the basis for an 'Orange Is the New Black' character, will write a memoir

The character of Alex Vause, portrayed by actress Laura Prepon on the show, is based on Wolters.

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Eric Thayer/Reuters
Actresses Taylor Schilling (l.) and Donna Prepon (r.) star on the show 'Orange Is the New Black.'
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

Cleary Wolters, who inspired Laura Prepon’s character Alex Vause on the hit Netflix show “Orange Is the New Black,” will be writing her own book. 

“Orange” is based on the memoir of the same name by Piper Kerman, who is the basis for the main character on the show portrayed by actress Taylor Schilling.

Wolters’ book will be titled “Out of Orange,” according to USA Today, and will be published by HarperOne. The book will be released in May, according to USA Today.

According to the Associated Press, the book will examine the “complicated” relationship between Wolters and Kerman. Wolters called her life an “unbelievable saga.” 

Wolters had spoken about the TV show before – she told Vanity Fair that "Piper and Jenji [Kohan, the show's creator] stick with the fun little tidbits" of the relationship between herself and Kerman.

“Orange” has aired two seasons on Netflix, which releases all 13 episodes of each season at the same time. The second season debuted this past June. “Orange” is nominated for several awards at the upcoming Emmy Awards, with the show earning a nod for Best Comedy Series and Schilling receiving a Best Actress in a Comedy Series nomination, while actress Kate Mulgrew received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and actresses Natasha Lyonne, Uzo Aduba, and Laverne Cox were all nominated for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

Prepon has received critical praise for her role on the show as the fictionalized version of Wolters, with Boston Globe critic Matthew Gilbert calling her turn on the show “a revelation” and Huffington Post writer Maureen Ryan writing that her performance is “terrific.”

The actress had previously starred on the Fox sitcom “That ‘70s Show” and appeared on the TV shows “Are You There, Chelsea?” and “How I Met Your Mother,” among others.

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