“Having the opportunity to work on set with actors I had previously watched on my computer screen is a trip.”
Rebecca Knox, LSTFI alumna on working on “Orange is the New Black”
Born to Colombian and German parents, Rebecca Knox was born and raised in New York and immersed in the arts from a young age. After her grandmother began taking her to the opera and the theatre, she found herself diving into the world of singing, dancing, and acting. After hearing about method acting her whole life, she began studying at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. “My mother studied with Lee in the 70s,” Knox said. “And she only said great things about what she learned there.” Since leaving Strasberg, Rebecca Knox’s career has taken off, and she recently landed a recurring role as Tina Swope on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black.
“It has been a dream come true,” Knox states of her time on OITNB. “Having the opportunity to work on set with actors I had previously watched on my computer screen is a trip.” Knox’s character Tina Swope is an inmate working in Litchfield’s laundry room who gets caught up in an oxycontin smuggling ring. “I did a lot of research on what Oxy feels like as my character is on it a lot,” she says. In describing the dedication she had to finding a three-dimensional human on screen she says, “I always have the method in my back pocket.”
During her time at Strasberg, Knox learned many valuable lessons not only about acting but also about life. Geoffrey Horne, Susan Grace Cohen, Hope Arthur, and Lola Cohen number among the teachers Rebecca Knox cites as some of her biggest influences. Knox talks at length about the importance of discipline and dedication in an actor’s work. “One of the most valuable things I learned was the importance of practicing and making time for rehearsals,” she says. “Your work improves so much when you rehearse!”
As of right now, Rebecca continues to work on different projects, and she hopes to soon be able to share her short film Cavity. Knox wrote, acted in, and produced Cavity, and she continuously praises the team she worked with who “made [her] dreams come true. Outside of the business Rebecca Knox is a fantastic cook and meditates every day, which helps to keep her grounded in a chaotic industry. “The acting world is tough,” she says. “I hope that I am fortunate enough to keep working. Keep writing, keep making art. I love what I do and I wish to do just that.”
Rebecca Knox can be seen on Orange is the New Black. You can find more info on her at therebeccaknox.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @therebeccaknox.
Alumni News is written by NYU Tisch at Strasberg alumnus Will Brockman.
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