Laverne Cox Admits There's 'Pressure' as Face of the Transgender Community
The "OITNB" star says she's trying to avoid "other people's expectations."
— -- Laverne Cox says 2015 is "my year."
Not only is the "Orange Is the New Black" star breaking down barriers for the transgender community, she was just cast in a CBS pilot, "Doubt," as an attorney who gets romantically involved with one of her clients.
"It's just a brilliant script," she told ABC News of the new show. "This character is a character I've always wanted to play. She's an Ivy League-educated defense attorney and she's very compassionate but very competitive. And I love to win. So I think sometimes she wants to win at any cost."
Read: ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Star Laverne Cox’s One Wish for America
Cox has been preparing by researching "legal jargon" and added she's going to "learn a tremendous amount about the judicial system."
The 30-year-old star, who was nominated for an Emmy last year for "Orange," admitted that there's pressure being one of the faces of the trans community.
"There is a tremendous amount of pressure and I'm trying not to take that on," she added. "I'm trying to just live solidly and in my truth."
She wants to inspire, of course, but "not take on other people's expectations."
Cox walked the runway in New York at The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women Red Dress Collection 2015 American Heart Month in February to raise awareness for heart disease among women in this country.
"Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women America, so for me, the heart health piece is really a larger piece of loving and caring for ourselves," she said. "This is the year of self-care for me. I work really, really hard and sometimes I forget to go to the doctor. Diabetes runs in my family, so to make sure to get a checkup. That's the ultimate expression of self-love."
