Corrections officer George Mendez will not be returning for the third season of “Orange Is The New Black” — and, more importantly, neither will the iconic mustache that earned him the nickname “Pornstache.”
Pablo Schreiber, who plays Mendez on the hit Netflix series, set the record straight in an interview with The Post on Wednesday while promoting his new movie, “After,” a drama about a family with a dark secret that hits theaters Aug. 8.
“I’m not taking part in the third season,” he says. “I’m a member of a show called ‘The Brink’ that’s going to be on HBO. It’s a half-hour comedy with Jack Black and Tim Robbins and me [as] the three leads. I’m really excited about it.”
He also clarified that the decision to part ways was his own.
“Yeah, I was never a series regular on ‘Orange Is The New Black.’ I was always a guest star. The role that I have on ‘The Brink’ is a starring role, and it’s a no brainer,” he says. “Absolutely, I chose to jump on board with that show. It was a better move for me as an actor.”
Schreiber was a major force on the first season of “OITNB,” but he appeared in only a small (but beloved) arc on the second season due to his commitment for the now-cancelled “Ironside” remake.
“I feel so grateful to ‘Orange.’ [Creator] Jenji [Kohan] obviously means a ton to me,” he says. “I respect her to no end. I think she writes the best dialogue on TV right now. While season three is out of the picture, beyond that is open.”
“I’m not a part of the third season of ‘Orange Is The New Black,’ but going forward after that, we just don’t know,” he says. “I would go anywhere that [Kohan’s] working, and I know that our paths will cross again soon, whether it’s on ‘Orange’ or on a future project.”
Ease the pain of this news by checking out Schreiber in the trailer for his next move, “After,” below.