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food truck-owner, Sofia— aired its series finale after two seasons. Saddened by the news, Diane tells me that she would've liked another season to flesh out her character's storyline. "It's very rare that you go to work and you like ever y single person and that's exactly what I felt on the show. I loved everyone so much and I learned from ever y one of them." She smiles. "This salad turned out to be pretty good. Not even a real salad —what fancy people eat. Here's a salad. Here's two beets," she quips. While working on Superior Donuts, Diane had the chance to provide input on the episode "The ICEmen Cometh," where Sofia asks Franco for help hiding her undocumented brother from being deported to Colombia. Was that hard to film since it hits so close to home? "No, that's the whole point of why I'm doing this, because I want to tell stories like that, that are difficult. When I first signed onto the show, I talked about my book a lot and I was like, I would hope to see an episode that touches on immigration. There were so many things that I wanted to do with the episode, but literally we only had 22 minutes. I was very proud of it. Not many shows are talking about immigration…and I'm happy to say that it was definitely something I had to do with. I was happy they did that." Though Diane left Orange is the New Black to play Sofia on Superior Donuts, she does not regret it at all. Could you go back? "Who knows? I mean, if they call me, I could pop in. I have no qualms about that. But I don't know how many seasons they have left, but I would love to come back." Her character Maritza Ramos went to another prison, so it's possible for her to return to Litchfield. Would you ever have your people reach out to them? Be like, Hey, well you know… "No, I think that they would know if I would be available or not, or if they would want me in any episodes or even as a quick comeback. That would be great." She speaks affectionately about the family she made during her four years on the show, and credits OITNB for giving her her first real break. "I still go to so many places and people are like, 'Orange is the New Black is my favorite show!' I'm like, that's so wild," she beams. The women on the show are strong and have endured so much, is there any scene or season, that pushed you out of your comfort zone? "I don't think anything was out of my comfort zone, just because I feel like I'm very comfortable in the mess of things, except for sexual things. I'm always really kind of weird about onscreen kissing and stuff like that." She laughs. "Only because I haven't done much of it. I think that once I get more used to it, it will be fine." Being a part of TV shows that break the mold have become a trend for Diane, who also starred in the critically-acclaimed TV series, Jane the Virgin, as Jane's bestie Lina Santillan. "I don't mind being a part of history. No biggie. Or being the first to try things," she says with a smile. She relished her role as Lina, and loved working with a predominantly Latino cast, she tells me. "It was great being a part of something that had never been done before. Hopefully, this will bring about more. When we see it now with shows like Vida and On My Block, that, I'm so into and so supportive of. So yeah, just kinda continue telling those stories." As for what's next for Diane, that's up in the air. "Right now, I'm focusing on what the hell my next job is going to be, because as soon as I heard that my show wasn't getting picked up, I was freaking out. I'm like, 'Ohmygod, that's it! My career is over!' Of course, my agents have to remind me, 'No, you're OK…You're not starting from zero... You're a professional and you can handle this.' So right now, it's just setting up my plan to try to get a new job or to see what my next project is going to be." Diane begins another short book tour for "My Family Divided: One Girl's Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope" in July —her birthday month, she points out. But what she'd really like to do right now is take a nice, relaxing break. "I'm dying for a vacation — you have no idea. I want to go to Miami. I want to go to Colombia. I want to go to the South of France or Italy. I want to go explore and get into an adventure." We're all about self-care too, Diane. Take that vacay stat! ML Plaid Double-Breasted Blazer - FENDI Plaid Pant - FENDI Silver Ankle Strap Sandal - Schutz Large Silver Hoop Earring - Vintage