Taylor Schilling covers the July issue of Allure. Yes, that’s Taylor. I’m usually not a fan of Allure’s covers (they photoshopped Olivia Wilde into oblivion), and they did a number on poor Taylor. Her usual energy has been zapped out of this image, and she looks like she hasn’t slept for days. She usually looks better on Orange is the New Black with her “drab” prison makeup on! I’ve included some red carpet photos from this year to illustrate how gorgeous she really is.

Taylor talks about a few things in this interview. Since this is Allure, they asked her the usual beauty questions. Taylor’s responses are very positive. She loves not having to worry about what she looks like onscreen because her OITNB look is decidedly un-glam. She can simply disappear into her role, which is wonderful because men are allowed to do that all the time onscreen. Usually it’s the actresses who function as arm candy, but this show has stripped all of those trappings away. Some excerpts:

Wearing a prison uniform on OITNB: “It’s totally liberating. There’s freedom in not having to make it about how my jeans fit or what my boobs look like in a top. All I have to do now is play.”

The carryover to real life: “I don’t feel bound by my face or my body. I don’t feel like that’s the biggest gift I have to offer the world. I feel like there are more parts of me to offer than that.”

Growing up was awkward: “It was tough at home, and it was tough at school. My experience was painful, so painful. There was a period of time I had very short hair, and I had glasses, and I was very tall for my age.”

The show’s main strength: “When we walk down the street, we see a huge variety of women, and that’s just not usually reflected in entertainment. Yet this show does that.”

[From Allure]

Taylor’s been giving plenty of interviews lately, but there aren’t soundbyte-worthy headlines because she sticks to promoting her work. There are no diversions into clay-eating territory. Taylor told the Globe and Mail how fun it was to film last season’s rap battle: “I had this moment of, almost dizziness. There were a bazillion extras that day, 60 women and not one man in the frame, and nobody was having sex. When does this happen?” Almost never.

If you haven’t watched OITNB yet, you might remember Taylor from a brief glimmer of screentime in Argo. She played Ben Affleck’s wife, but most of the scenes were cut. Taylor was still thrilled at the opportunity: “I was in the last scene of the movie and it was an incredible experience. I love Ben Affleck so much, he’s an amazing director and his wifewas so generous to me when the role got cut. Honestly to be in a movie that won ‘Best Picture’ at the Academy Awards … It’s one of the highlights of my career so far.” She’s so gracious and just thrilled to be working as an actress. I like her a lot.

Photos courtesy of Allure & WENN