Theres been a significant cast shake-up on Netflixs Orange Is the New Black, which premiered its sixth season Friday. After officers broke up a prison-wide riot in last seasons finale, some characters ended up together again at one maximum-security prison, while others—well, its hard to keep a group text going when youre incarcerated.
This new start has given the show an opportunity to introduce several new inmates and guards—as well as a few celebrity guest cameos. Youll recognize one of those figures immediately in the season premiere, as long as we provide the answer in the form of a question. (Who is Alex Trebek?) The other requires that we get funky (funky funky).
When unknowing guards withhold Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warrens (Uzo Aduba) anti-psychotics, she sees the entire psych ward (guards and all) perform the dance to “Casper Slide Part 2,” a song better known as the “Cha Cha Slide.” She also imagines the songs performer, Chicago D.J. Willie “Casper” Perry Jr., right there with her, dressed as a prison orderly who happens to have his D.J. kit ready—and wants to break it down. Casper, naturally, plays himself.
After catching the episode, we chatted with the D.J. about his appearance on the series, and how his dance track has been rocking bar mitzvahs, weddings—and, now, inmates psychoses—since the millennium .
Vanity Fair: Do you know the backstory of how you and your song ended up in the Orange Is the New Black season premiere?
Willie “Casper” Perry Jr.: I just got a call from the producers at Orange Is the New Black, and they asked me to come down . . . I guess that was their plan. I was an orderly in the show [for this episode], and then from there we had everybody up dancing in the medication lines.
Did you watch the show before you were on it?
No, actually. The [new seasons premiere on the] 27th will be the first time I really get into it. But I've been watching it lately, because I wanted to know what the show was all about. Im like, wow, you know? Like this is kind of deep here.
Do you have a favorite character?
Crazy Eyes. Come on—you know Crazy Eyes was the character.
Shes the reason you exist on the show now, so that makes sense. Did you have a conversation with the producers about whether you were playing an orderly who actually works at the prison? Or were you supposed to be completely a figment of her imagination?
I think it was just a figment of her imagination. Yeah, thats what they were telling me. She was daydreaming that—and yeah, they did tell me that part.
How accurate was your costume and the D.J. equipment?
It was pretty accurate. I mean, besides the headphones.
Oh. Do D.J.s not wear those kinds of headphones?
I think if I knew exactly what I was going to do, as far as equipment and everything, I would have been a little bit better prepared. I probably would have brought my own headphones and stuff like that. But since I didnt, I had to roll with the punches. Sometimes you know, sometimes you dont.
Was there a conversation about why they used “Casper Slide Part 2” instead of “Part 1”?
“Casper Slide Part 2” is global. I mean, everybody knows it—all ethnicities, all genders. Everybody knows it.
Are you surprised the song took off the way it did in the early 2000s?
Well, actually, Im not really surprised. The song got real hot around 2004. And, I mean, today, theyve been playing it like its brand-new. You can hear it in every stadium, every sporting event. They played it at the Olympics. You hear it everywhere, so Im not really surprised. Im just happy its still going, but Im not surprised.
Are you the best person to have at a wedding now?
Heres something thats real funny: I havent [D.J.d] a lot of weddings. But I think that would be great: if I could surprise the bride and groom and just, when they start playing it, just come out and cut them off and say, “Hey, hey. Lets just do this.”
I also have to ask: how are you feeling? I saw a GoFundMe page from a couple years ago that mentioned your cancer diagnosis.
Yeah, that. Everything right now with the cancer situation is stable and everything. Its in remission. So yeah, Ive been doing a lot of traveling and everything since then.
Oh good. And do you think well see you again on Orange Is the New Black?
Yeah. The producers and everybody [were] pretty happy with the shots that we did, and I told them before I left, “Hey, if you need me again, call me.”
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