When Orange Is the New Black returns for its fourth season in June, Red (Kate Mulgrew) will have true struggles as she reclaims control of the prison's kitchen.

Fans saw Red finally win her kitchen back at the end of season 3 and while it's finally hers again, it won't be an easy time for her, moving forward.

Mulgrew spoke with Entertainment Weekly about how Red will try to protect her role in the prison's kitchen even when facing great adversity.

"You know how profoundly important this is to Red. My kitchen is a metaphor for my life, my character. It's a central part of who I am, I have to have it and I have to have it my way," Mulgrew said. "So I think this constant drive to reclaim with excellence, to reclaim it against all odds is at the very core of Red's being and in season 4 you're going to see that severely threatened in a way that it has not been before, in a way that is very unusual for Red and extremely disconcerting and unsettling. It discombobulates her very being, so you're going to see all of that."

Then there's Red's dealings with Healy (Michael J. Harney). The sexual tension between Red and Healy ramped up towards the end of the season, and while things ultimately dissipated in the end, there's still a connection there.

"I think that Red does not lie. There's nothing in lying for Red and he doesn't lie," Mulgrew observed. "So where they meet is in that very sort of vulnerable, marvelous place where we often do in later life: the unexpected."

The season 4 trailer teases a real dramatic turn for the series, especially with Red. While OITNB has always balanced drama with comedy, the new season looks to be more dramatic than ever before - at least based on how the trailer is cut.

Orange Is the New Black season 4 is set for release on Friday, June 17 on Netflix.

Watch the season 4 trailer for OITNB here:

Tags: Orange is the New Black television netflix