Laura Prepon OITNB Character Encouraged Fan to Come Out

For Laura Prepon, her role on Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black is more than just a job.

In this week’s issue of PEOPLE (on stands Friday), the actress, who has starred as Alex Vause in the Netflix series since 2013, opens up about filming the seventh and final season, the emotional goodbye, and the impact the show has had on the fans.

“This young girl came up to me and she must have been 21 years old and she said, ‘Thank you so much for portraying Alex because watching you as Alex gave me the courage to come out to my family,'” says Prepon, 39. “It’s things like that where, not only did the show break so many boundaries and represents so many different types of women, but the fact that people could watch the characters on the show, a character, you know, I’ll speak just for myself, but I can’t watch a character like Alex and not and feel represented. And to watch my character give her the courage to make this huge decision to tell her family about her orientation, like that is huge to me.”

“I mean, as this just wasn’t already worth it being on, so let’s just put on the whole show that transcends boundaries,” she adds. “To have that, is what it really is about. This just happened, like literally a few days ago. So, that type of thing means so much to me. The fact that people feel represented from the show is huge. It’s not just a job, it really is something bigger than that, and it’s incredible.”

OITNB‘s final season follows Piper (Taylor Schilling) struggling to adjust to life outside of prison.

As the show’s official season 7 synopsis reads, “Taystee’s friendship with Cindy still hangs in the balance as her life sentence looms, Gloria and her kitchen staff are confronted by the harsh realities of Polycon’s newest profit stream, while others chase drugs or dreams and grapple with the reality of their place in this world.”

“The final season of a show is always really difficult to wrap up all the storylines, and to make sure the fans feel fulfilled and that we all feel fulfilled after spending so much time with these characters,” Prepon says. “I am really proud of our last season, I think the writers and the actors and the crew and everybody just did such a great job because that’s a lot of pressure.”

“Alex and Piper (Taylor Schilling) specifically are dealing with their relationship now that she’s on the outside and what comes with that. The reality of that situation and how they struggle with that is a very real thing,” she adds.

While Prepon says she’s “really happy with how the show ends,” the idea of saying goodbye hasn’t quite set in.

• For more from Laura Prepon, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on stands now

“I really was preparing myself,” Prepon says of filming the last season. “That ’70s Show was for eight years, so I already went through this once, fortunately, so I knew what to expect. Because the cast and the crew does become your second family, you’re there all the time, you spend so much time with these people and you create these really strong bonds. So when it’s ending, it’s sad. It’s a loss for sure.

She adds: “But there’s so many great relationships that I’ll take from the show and there’s so many wonderful experiences. I just knew what to prepare myself for because of ’70s. And I knew we’d all be crying and really it is a loss, but it was so wonderful. “It’s been an incredible experience. So for such an incredible experience, you have to just honor that, you know?”

The final season of Orange Is the New Black is currently streaming on Netflix.

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