Yael Stone of ‘Orange Is the New Black’ discusses desperate past, wearing masks

One of our favorite things about “Orange Is the New Black” are those episodes when the back stories of the Litchfield inmates are revealed in enlightening, tragic and sometimes shocking ways. Did you, for instance, have lovely Lorna Morello pegged as someone who would build and plant an explosive device? And not just plant it anywhere, but underneath the car that might be driven by her beloved fiance, Christopher.

Yael Stone, the Australian actress who plays Lorna, dropped by The Times recently to talk about that great episode, which, it turns out, surprised her as much as it did us.

“That was unexpected,” Stone says. “In the case of Lorna, it was ... motivated from a place of desperation. She was very lost at that time in her life. I think all of us have felt a little bit of Lorna when there is that element of a desperate need to be loved, a need to connect. She takes it 12 steps too far, obviously. But this sense of unrequited love takes over.”

Stone strongly believes in spoiler alerts (do not, under any circumstances, talk to her about “Game of Thrones” until she gives you the proper clearance), so she wanted to be a little vague about the new “Orange” season. She has only watched three of the episodes herself. But she was happy to share about how Lorna continues to evolve.

“What’s so important about Lorna is that she works from the outside in,” Stone says. “She uses masks to make herself feel better. I think a lot of people in the world do that, and it’s a very valid way to be. It’s interesting to play somebody like that because you have to find something in the deep, dark murky stuff and then layer it over with something shiny and bright.”

“And in Season 3, Lorna’s a little lost and ... she’s trying out different masks. And she’s trying to project whatever everyone else wants and she’s trying to be that. That’s a fascinating thing to play.”

Twitter: @glennwhipp