Laura Gómez’s Orange Is The New Black character Blanca is involved in a huge immigration storyline in season 7 (Picture: Netflix)

Orange Is The New Black’s finale season couldn’t be more topical as it explores the US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) and deportation from a number of different circumstances.

Last series, audiences saw Laura Gómez’s character Blanca Flores arrested for illegal immigration after being freed from Litchfield early and the closing chapter follows her desperately trying to gain her American citizenship back.

Metro.co.uk caught up with Laura to discuss Blanca’s emotional storylines, including how she played from the heart, why she didn’t expect her character to end up in Honduras and of course her longstanding romance with Diablo (Miguel Izaguirre).



‘It was such a wonderful gift for me to play as an actress and to have the opportunity to tell this story that is so relevant right now and just feels so important,’ she began.


‘I could never imagine in a hundred years that this was going to be where Blanca ended up. We could never predict from season one, a crazy person talking to her devil boyfriend, having this amazing love story – let alone the political statement.

‘It was challenging and it was announced to me for the first time in season seven. I knew a little bit about what was going to happen but I could never have thought it was going to be that deep.’

Laura Gomez’s character Blanca ends up in an immigration detention centre in season 7 (Picture: Netflix)

Talking about the immigration thread that is a major theme in season seven, Laura explained: ‘We explore the story from three different views from three characters; me, Martiza (Diane Guerrero) and Carla (Karina Arroyave) and we give such a spectrum of the reality that is happening right now.

‘It was powerful and painful and not to mention the fact that this woman, Blanca, didn’t even belong there to begin with – and we discover that.

‘I felt every single one of my senses was so connected to this and there is an energy to this reality in the country right now, especially if you’re in the Latina or Muslim community. We’re feeling it.

‘And even if you’re not a victim of it you can sense it and I don’t think you need to be going through something in order to have a connection or empathy for it. That’s my case, I used it all.

‘I used it all for this character and this performance. I didn’t need to push for much because everything was just there.’

Blanca ends up following her lover Diablo out of the United States (Picture: Netflix)

Laura was surprised to discover that Blanca followed her heart and leaves the United States to be with her lover Diablo, revealing that she’d previously discussed with the writers about going back to the Dominican Republic.

‘The writers called me up at some point and asked me what I thought Blanca’s story would have been from the Dominican Republic.

‘We considered the possibility of her ending up in the Dominican Republic and maybe Diablo would meet her there, but as we discussed it I explained some of the circumstances and differences that there are in Latin America and that it’s not the same reality as it is for Central America right now and the rest of the continent.’



She continued: ‘I was surprised by their choice of her ending up in his country of origin, in the harsh circumstances that exist right now in Honduras of crime and violence.

‘Even after being given her freedom back and her legal status, she makes a choice to follow her love. It’s such an unlikely love story. It’s very poetic, I feel.

‘As odd as this couple always was, I feel that they were the most stable love story that the show had.’

Looking back at Blanca’s rollercoaster of a journey and especially her erratic behaviour in the beginning, the finale season makes sense of it all.

‘To have this retrospective look at Blanca’s journey and understand that she was never even guilty, it makes so much sense that she was such a wild creature at the beginning and so angry and so insane almost.

‘It was a defense mechanism and also a response to injustice and being trapped. It just fascinates me.’

Orange Is The New Black season 7 is now streaming on Netflix.

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