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EXCLUSIVE: Lea Delaria Throws The F*cks Around Talking "Orange Is The New Black," Infamous Subway Preacher Showdown

Lea Delaria is a special guest on Sunday's season finale of Cocktails & Classics, where she'll join Michael Urie and company to spill the tea on all things Private Benjamin.

Delaria is gearing up for the launch of the third season of the hit Netflix series, Orange Is The New Black, which will send its legions of fans into bingefest mode when it is released next Friday (June 12).

Related: Netflix Just Dropped The “Orange Is The New Black” Season 3 Trailer

We chatted with the outspoken actress about OITNB, her infamous subway preacher showdown and her memorable encounter with Liza Minnelli.


NewNowNext: Let's start off the bat with the now-famous subway preacher showdown that sent the internet into a tizzy. Did you have any idea the impact that video would have?

Lea Delaria: First of all, you have to understand what my life has been like since Orange Is The New Black has hit the airwaves. One day I'm walking around the corner to the laundromat to do my laundry and the next day I can't go anywhere. Literally in a 48 hour period my life went completely haywire. I couldn't walk a step without people wanting to take my picture. So I'm kind of embroiled in that thing, in this newfound ridiculous fame. I mean, it's ridiculous.

Not just that, fans love your character.

Oh, they love Boo. They don't know me at all but they all feel like they do. And I guess that's what fame is. You must understand that this thing that happened on the subway is hardly the first time I've approached a homophobe. If someone is speaking homophobia loudly around me, you're gonna get it.

It's just that it happened in this instant-fame moment. So when he said the word homo and I lept to my feet–cause I was pretty much done with him at that point–when he said the biggest problem with the world today is homos, not even homosexuals, just homos, I said "Are you fucking kidding me? Did you fucking just say homo?"

Then immediately, the next thing I say, everyone's got their camera's up. Now, there's about 25 people on that train, all of whom now have their cameras up and in that split second I had to decide whether or not I was going to do this because I knew I was going to get filmed. I decided right then and there that I was not going to let that asshole talk like this anymore.

Do you have a favorite line that you say to him? There's many zingers you throw his way.

I think my favorite moment is "As long as you're talking, sir, I'm talking." The difference is, with the cameras on, I didn't use foul language. I was curt with him, but I was polite. I called him "sir" and referred to him as "the gentleman," because believe me, in my head I was going "You asshole prick, if I could hit you right now, I would."

I called my manager the second I got off the subway, "Look, there was a really homophobic preacher on the subway, I lost it, people filmed it, it might show up somewhere." I walk two blocks to the studio–I was filming that day–and get a phone call saying that TMZ had picked it up. It hadn't even been twenty minutes!

Was there any sense during the filming of Season 1 of OITNB that you had a hit on your hands? At that time Netflix had not yet become the dominating force it is today.

We always knew it was different. As an actor, I have to make so much shit funny that isn't funny. You are given the biggest garbage, especially if you're a comedic actor. Gar-bage. Television makes 95% garrrrrbage. And I know this isn't going to get me any friends in the industry but I don't fuckin' care.

With Orange, we don't have to worry about that. We all knew we had something special. We never say it out loud because it's a fuckin' fucked up business we are in and when you think you've got a hit, that's the one the critics will pan for no apparent reason and throw you off the air. And when you think you're in a piece of shit, that's the one that everybody loves.

Also you don't want to jinx it. We're almost as superstitious as athletes. Kate [Mulgrew], Natasha [Lyonne] and I gathered together a lot in that first season and talked a lot about what was going on. I was sitting next to Kate one day and I turned to her and I must have had a really interesting look on my face 'cause I didn't say anything and she said "Don't say anything. Don't jinx it. Do not jinx what we have."

[caption id="attachment_204798" align="alignnone" width="600"]An Evening With Kate Mulgrew Lea Delaria, Kate Mulgrew and Rosie O'Donnell[/caption]

Let's veer for a moment. Recalling your not-to-be-missed appearance on Conan, I know you're a huge Judy Garland fan. Have you ever had the chance to meet Liza?

I fuckin' love Liza. I've met her on several occasions. In fact, if Liza is in town and I'm doing a concert, she'll show up. I did a really long-running show at Joe's Pub, like 1998, and I had this whole huge Judy Garland section of it and I got a call saying "Liza is coming to see the show. You sure you want to do that Judy Garland section?" I told them, "Of course I do, in front of Liza, are you fucking kidding?"

I went up to her afterwards and she goes, "D sharp," and I said "What?" and she goes "D sharp," and I realize she was talking about the highest note that I hit in the show. And I said, "Yeah...?" and she goes, "Mama's money note was a C." It was the most amazing moment of my life.

Cocktails & Classics airs this Sunday, June 7, at 7pm on Logo TV.

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