‘Orange Is The New Black’ Director Andrew McCarthy Talks Season 4 And His Favorite Episode

Andrew McCarthy has had quite the successful career following his acting days in the ’80s, which included films like Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire, and Weekend at Bernie’s. Although McCarthy has been involved in a number of projects lately, from his work on Happyish and Grace and Frankie to acting in ABC’s new series The Family, his most successful venture lately centers on his directing the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black.

With Orange Is the New Black coming off the release of its third season and heading into its fourth, McCarthy recently admitted to Deadline that the show consumes the majority of his time.

“I love all my children equally, but my head is totally in the Orange is the New Black world now. [T]he blend of drama and comedy–they sneak up on you when you least expect it. It just sort of blends those two and you just have to ride that wave back and forth.”

One element that has become a staple in the show is the character flashbacks that delve a little deeper into the back stories of the ladies at Litchfield prison. In that regard, McCarthy stated that his favorite episode on the show was back in Season 2, where the episode “Low Self-Esteem City” featured a flashback of Gloria (Selenis Leyva).

“It’s like you think know somebody, then you have these crazy flashbacks and think, ‘Oh wow.’ It’s a bit like knowing someone, then suddenly they sit down and play piano and they play beautifully and you’re like, ‘Oh my God there’s a whole other facet of this person I’ve never considered.’ That’s one of the wonderful things about the show.”

At the same time, McCarthy also revealed how directing is “a great relief” for him and how communication is one of the things he focuses on when directing, especially considering his own acting past.

“I have every actor neurosis in the world, so if I can’t talk to an actor, I’m in trouble,” McCarthy stated in the interview. “There’s certain camaraderie that I already have built in with an actor. I walk in with a strike in my favor already because they know I’m sort of one of them. You just want to create an ally and you want to make the environment as good as possible so they can do as well as they can do.”

Orange Is the New Black Season 4 will premiere on Netflix in 2016.

[Photo Courtesy: Rob Kim for Getty Images]