Laverne Cox’s brother M Lamar played her character pre-transition (Netflix)

Laverne Cox has revealed that her twin brother had “regrets” about playing the pre-transition depiction of her character in Orange Is the New Black.

The Emmy-nominated actor was speaking on NPR’s Fresh Air to promote her new memoir, Transcendent, released earlier this week.

In the Netflix series Cox played Sophia Burset, and flashback scenes showing the character before transition were performed by her brother M Lamar.

Cox explained that producers had initially planned to hire another actor for the role. “[I] asked my brother if he’d be open to it. And he said, ‘How much does it pay?'” she recalled.

“And then he ended up going in for the audition, but he had an advantage because he kind of looks a little bit like me.”

She added that the experience was not entirely comfortable for him.

“So he booked it and did it and he had regrets about it for a while because he has his own work and his own life and he wants to be defined by his work and not mine,” she said.

Cox said their relationship is now “healthier than it’s ever been”.

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