Piper Chapman

Piper Elizabeth Chapman is a fictional character (played by Taylor Schilling) and the protagonist of the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. She is based on Piper Kerman, author of the non-fiction book Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, upon which the series is based. Schilling was nominated for awards in both comedy and drama categories for this role. 2History Jenji Kohan had initially considered casting Katie Holmes but decided against it since Holmes had too many commitments. Ultimately Kohan cast Taylor Schilling. 2Basis A Boston-bred Smith College grad, Kerman got involved in a relationship with an international drug smuggler. Chapman's girlfriend Alex Vause is based on Catherine Cleary Wolters, whom Kerman met in approximately 1991 in Northampton, Massachusetts. Eventually, 24-year-old Kerman flew a suitcase of money from the United States to Belgium for a West African drug lord and was named five years later as part of the drug ring. In fact, as part of her plea bargain, she has declared that she made three overseas trips on behalf of the drug ring. After breaking up with Wolters, Kerman met Larry Smith and got engaged before being charged by the feds in 1998 and striking a dea