Home / Authors / Jenji Kohan

Jenji Kohan

Jenji Kohan Quotes

Television writer

Jenji Kohan is a celebrated television writer, recognized for her work on hit shows like 'Weeds' and 'Orange Is the New Black'. Born on July 5, 1969, she has made a substantial impact on the television landscape with her distinctive storytelling and character development.

Filter quotes by topic

All People Want Thinking Ifs Stories Next Rooms Shows Wanted Character Fun Might Prison Use Writing Black Black Women Challenges Deals Ends

Famous Jenji Kohan Quotes

“On the other hand, we worked a year on this and some people are going to watch it in a night and go, "We want more!" And there is something I miss about the longing and the anticipation for the next episode.”

People Want Years Hands Night Next Watches Missing Longing Anticipation Episodes

Author:Jenji Kohan

“We're also talking a lot in the room about planting seeds that can grow over the course of the season, knowing that people might be watching them in bulk. We'd like to bury some Easter eggs and let people find them, later on.”

People Might Courses Grows Rooms Talking Knowing Seasons Seeds Eggs Easter Easter Egg Planting Seeds

Author:Jenji Kohan

“I don't set out to write female lead shows, necessarily. I like deeply flawed characters. When they come to me, or when I'm introduced to them, I follow the stories and the people, rather than setting out to do a female lead thing.”

People Writing Character Stories Shows Female Setting Settings Flawed

Author:Jenji Kohan

“We did tons of research. We went to visit a prison. We had speakers. We have read tons of supplementary material, books and articles. We are constantly emailing articles around the writers' room. We have dipped ourselves in prison culture and lore and media, and the experience and the people. We really want to be as informed as possible.”

People Want Book Culture Rooms Media Materials Research Prison Articles Speakers

Author:Jenji Kohan

“The oppression of it, the sense of helplessness, and really being part of a system and a bureaucracy that is arbitrary. I never thought of the depth of losing your freedom and what that meant. And I was surprised and delighted by ways people maintain their humanity and try to survive.”

People Way Trying Humanity Losing Depth Oppression Bureaucracy Arbitrary Delighted Helplessness Your Freedom

Author:Jenji Kohan

“You want everyone to be a full character. No one is just evil, or very few people are, hopefully. They're characters, so you want to flush them out. You've got to show all sides of them. There is definitely an antagonistic relationship between guards and prisoners, and I do think it flares up.”

People Thinking Want Character Shows Evil Sides Hopefully Prisoner Flare Flare Up

Author:Jenji Kohan

“We watched these auditions and could only pick one. Sometimes we would add new characters 'cause we wanted to use another actress. There were so many people who were just waiting for something like this.”

People Sometimes Character Use Wanted Causes Waiting Picks Add Actresses Auditions Waiting For Something

Author:Jenji Kohan

“I'm always looking for a nexus, where you can put all these diverse people together, see how they respond to one another, see what they learn about each other, and what they like and don't like.”

People Together Diverse Nexus

Author:Jenji Kohan

“We fell in love with different people. Looking back, we might have done it in a different order, but we got invested. We really wanted to do the flashbacks because we wanted to explore who these women were on the outside versus the inside, and get a fuller picture of the masks we wear.”

People Different Done Might Wanted Order Mask Looking Back Versus Different Peoples Flashback

Author:Jenji Kohan

“First of all, I find everything funny, which is upsetting to my children sometimes, and to people in my life, in general.”

People Firsts Children Sometimes My Children Upset

Author:Jenji Kohan

“I think shows that are completely dramatic are a lie. People use humor to cope. That is how we deal with things. In the darkest situations, there's humor. And if you don't show that, you're not being true to real life.”

People Ifs Thinking Real Use Shows Lying Deals Situation Real Life Being True Dramatic

Author:Jenji Kohan

“You spend so much of your life crafting this stuff that you want to laugh in the room. I don't want to sit there and slit my wrists. And I think it reflects reality. People use humor to survive, even in the most horrific situations.”

People Thinking Want Use Reality Stuff Rooms Situation Laughing Wrists Horrific Slits

Author:Jenji Kohan

“As long as there are still interesting stories and still interesting people that we want to meet, I can keep it going. But, we all have to be invested. If the room starts getting bored or I start getting restless, then we'll either have to change something in the show or maybe end it.”

People Ifs Want Long Stills I Can Ends Stories Shows Interesting Rooms Bored Restless Interesting Stories

Author:Jenji Kohan

“I'm always looking for those places where you can slam really disparate people up against one another, and they have to deal with each other. There are very few crossroads anymore. We talk about this country as this big melting pot, but it's a mosaic. There's all these pieces, they're next to each other, they're not necessarily mixing. And I'm looking for those spaces where people actually do mix.”

People Country Bigs Next Space Deals Pieces Pot Badass Melting Mixing Slam Crossroads Melting Pot Mosaics

Author:Jenji Kohan

About the Author

Born: July 5, 1969
Known for: Television writer
Quotes: 28

Related Topics

People Want Thinking Ifs Stories Next Rooms Shows Wanted Character Fun Might Prison Use Writing Black Black Women Challenges Deals Ends

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Similar Authors

Donald MillerBrowse related quotes
Judd ApatowBrowse related quotes
Kristen StewartBrowse related quotes
Miley CyrusBrowse related quotes
David SedarisBrowse related quotes
Madonna CicconeBrowse related quotes
Taylor SwiftBrowse related quotes
Joan JettBrowse related quotes
Sandra CisnerosBrowse related quotes
Stan LeeBrowse related quotes