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Actress Laverne Cox On The Music That Gets Her Dancing

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Laverne Cox, one of the other stars of the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black," said she wasn't offended by actress Julianne Hough's blackface Halloween costume. But she said, quote, if you want to make a choice like that, I think it's important to understand the historical context you're walking into, unquote. Well, this past summer, Laverne Cox walked into an interview with us. And after she talked about the show and her career, she shared the music that inspires her for the occasional feature we call In Your Ear. Here she is telling us more about her playlist.

LAVERNE COX: Hi. My name is Laverne Cox, and one of the songs that I'm really loving right now is Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE")

COX: And the reason I love that song is that it's a great reminder to me that usually, the men who come into my life who are trouble, they show me right away.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE")

COX: So it's my job to just listen, to see the red flags, listen to what they're saying to me and run the other way. So I love that Taylor Swift song for that reason.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE")

COX: Another song I'm listening to right now and loving is from an independent recording artist by the name of Mila Jam. And the song is called "Masters of the Universe."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE")

COX: It features a sample from the old, like, '80s Tetris game, and the song is such a great workout song for me, and just makes me feel empowered, and like I'm the master of my own universe. Mila Jam, "Masters of the Universe." It rocks.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE")

COX: Another song that I'm listening to and loving is an old song by Beyonce called "Dance for You." And I put the video on and, like, dance to the song in my apartment, and it makes me feel really sexy. It's great when, like, I have a date coming up or something, and it just makes me feel really sexy and strong and wonderful.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DANCE FOR YOU")

COX: "Dance for You," Beyonce. So good.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DANCE FOR YOU")

MARTIN: That was actress and transgender activist Laverne Cox telling us what's playing in her ear. To hear our previous conversation with her, you can go to NPR.org, click on the programs tab and then TELL ME MORE. And that's our program for today. I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Let's talk more tomorrow. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.