May 15, 2014. Cast member Jason Biggs attends the season two premiere of "Orange is the New Black" in New York. (Reuters)
NEW YORK – Jason Biggs stars in the Netflix hit "Orange Is the New Black," which starts back up June 6.
But recently he's been getting attention for a very different show: "The Bachelorette."
Biggs came under fire last week for tweeting jokes about Eric Hill, the “Bachelorette” contestant who died in a paragliding accident.
“Crazy rule change- instead of voting off the contestants, this season #TheBachelorette gets to kill them off,” he tweeted.
“Here's what I can tell you without watching- 8 of the 20 guys are in the closet, all of them workout, and 2 can do simple division,” he also tweeted, adding, “And 19 of them are still alive. #TooSoon.”
Biggs doesn’t see the big deal, even choosing to retweet people’s posts of outrage.
“The fact that my tweets can be seen as controversial is fascinating to me,” Biggs told FOX411. “I’m constantly amazed.”
The star cited “the Internet, tabloidy” age and the demand to fill websites, rather than newspapers, as the reason his jokes are considered news.
“We constantly need to come up with stories,” he said. “It’s ridiculous.”
The star of the “American Pie” movies plays Larry Bloom in “Orange,” the fiance of Piper Chapman, sentenced to 15 months in prison for transporting drug money for her ex-girlfriend.
Biggs says this season Larry tries to get some answers about his relationship with Piper.
“I think he gets some clarity on where their relationship is going,” he said. “Certainly at the beginning of the season Larry is trying to figure out if the damage done to the relationship last season is irreparable. Larry will make some decisions. I won’t say if they are good or bad.”
Biggs’ character is the polar opposite of Jim Levenstein, his comedic “American Pie” persona—an awkward high-schooler who does some questionable things with an apple pie.
“My litmus test [for ‘Orange’] was seeing what people recognize me for,” Biggs said. “Usually it’s one movie and one role—and you might argue, one scene in particular. It’s really refreshing because people want to talk about this show."
“I’m playing a character more different than what I’ve done recently,” he added. “It’s more complicated and I’ve had to go to places emotionally—places I didn’t have to go to in my adult roles lately.”
As for jumping from a major movie franchise and a network show (CBS’ “Mad Love”) to a Netflix-only show, Biggs said he didn’t see it as a career risk, but rather one of the most exciting aspects of the project.
He cited the success of top-notch cast and team behind “House of Cards,” as an incentive.
“Clearly, they’re doing something great,” he said of Kevin Spacey and David Fincher. “It doesn’t matter where [the show’s] home is.
The actor said it feels like they’re filming a 13-hour movie.
“Because of all 13 being released at once, it doesn’t need a true ending to each episode necessarily,” Biggs told Fox411. “The narrative is allowed to take time to develop.
“It’s freeing,” he added. “There are still people to answer to, of course. But I do know for a fact that Netflix gives its creators a lot more freedom.”
The show’s many lesbian sex scenes could be seen as shocking to some, but Biggs said the feedback regarding the show’s themes of sexuality, gender and race has been great.
“In terms of how groundbreaking it’s been, it feels really amazing to be a part of it,” Biggs told FOX411. “I stand for everything the show stands for. I work alongside a transgender actress, lesbian actresses, straight actresses, black, white and Latina.”
Biggs said he plans to “binge-watch” the show when it goes online.
“Because I am a small part, I’m able to be fairly objective,” he said. “I really get into it.”
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