10.31.2007
Episode 3x06 and 3x07: Photo Finish and Vamonos
Air Date : November 5, 2007
Press Release:
- When an inmate is found murdered, Whistler becomes the prime suspect and Michael must prove his innocence in order to save his life; Michael demands evidence from Susan that Sarah is alive, or he will cancel the escape; Lincoln and Sofia monitor the guards’ morning rituals; Mahone gets an offer that may get him a ticket out of Sona in the two-hour “Photo Finish/Vamonos” episode
Plot Spoilers:
- Michael longs for Sara and freedom.
- Lincoln is forced to tell Michael about Sara’s murder, leading Michael to take drastic action against a fellow prisoner and place the escape from Sona in danger.
- Sucre continues to help Michael and Lincoln.
- Michael confronts Lechero about Tyge’s death and Whistler’s innocence.
Sarah Wayne Callies Will be Back!
Correction:
SpoilerFix recently stated that the “Sara” being cast is only being cast as a temporary lookalike to Sarah Wayne Callies for the purposes of the episodes leading up through Ep.03×03. As seen in the comments below, Nick Santora says:
I had been asked by some fans if, through Season 3, Dr. Tancredi was going to be played by a different actress and I said “No” - and I’ll say it again - I can assure the fans that they won’t be subject to seeing Dr. Tancredi, running through the streets of Panama or the US or wherever played by a totally different actress. That is ridiculous and will NOT happen.
So I can assume that Sarah Wayne Callies is NOT leaving the show.
10.11.2007
Top 5 Sara Tancredi Moments
- Here are what we believe to be the top 5 Sara Tancredi moments from Prison Break (in chronological order). You can cast your vote below for your favorite Sara moment.
- Riots, Drills & the Devil - Pt. 1” (S01E06) – Sara defending herself in the infirmary – So what’s a girl to do when trapped in the infirmary in the middle of a prison riot? Well, if you’re Dr. Sara, you create a make-shift knife from a piece of broken glass and defend yourself against all the bad men who are trying to break down the door you’re hiding behind. I think this is the first time we really saw Sara assert herself and it was pretty good at the time. Sara’s ability to defend herself only got better as the show progressed.
- “Go” (S01E21) - Sara leaving the infirmary door open – Let’s be honest here, ladies…..if Wentworth Miller said to you “leave the door unlocked so I can bust my fine ass out of prison” you’d do it, wouldn’t you? Don’t be ashamed. Maybe Sara truly believed that
- "Bolshoi Booze" (S02E11) - Sara burning Kellerman with the iron - By far the most kick-ass Sara moment ever. EVER. The moment that iron touched Kellerman's chest I was screaming "you go, girl!" That's what you get for trying to drown the good doctor, Kellerman! I was tired of Sara's quiet defiance whenever she told Kellerman that her father didn't leave her anything. I'm happy she realized that the only way to deal with a man trying to murder you is to burn them in retaliation. I know that’s what I’d do.
- "Chicago" (S02E16) - Michael & Sara kiss in the train bathroom - Alright, so I'm a girl. And, like most girls, I love romance. Some may argue that the other two kisses shared by Sara and Michael (in the infirmary or after Sara shot Kim) were better, but I disagree. This is the first time either Sara or Michael finally said the word “love” out loud in conjunction with the other person. Bold move, Sara, and we’re all glad it paid off. Plus, the fact that she got to make out with Michael Scofield? Not a bad day's work.
- "Sona" (S02E22) - Sara shooting Bill Kim - Pop quiz, hotshot: there’s an annoying short man about to shoot the love of your life and/or his brother who has, possibly, the greatest pecs the universe has ever seen.What do you do?Well, if you’re Sara Tancredi, you shoot the hostage…..er, I mean the annoying short man.God, Speed was a great movie, wasn’t it?Back to Prison Break……Sara finally got to be the hero. Up until this point most of Sara's more kick-ass maneuvers were to save herself. When she shot Bill Kim, she did it to save Lincoln (and possibly Michael). Despite the guilt and remorse she felt later over taking a life, there was little hesitation when she shot Kim. Sara's moral boundaries had been tested in the same way that Michael and Lincoln's had, and the fact that she was so willing to kill Kim to save
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Episode 3x05 : Interference
Episode 3.05: Interference
Airs: October 15, 2007
PLOT PICTURES
DOWNLOAD S03E05 : Interference
Airs: October 15, 2007
"Interference" will be th the 49th episode of the American television series Prison Break. It will premiere on October 15, 2007 in the United States on the Fox Network.
Prewiev
A new inmate enters Sona, unnerving Whistler and raising Michael's suspicions; Lincoln plans an ocean getaway with Sofia as Susan moves up the escape timetable; T-Bag tempts his fate with his latest attraction; and Sucre attempts to get the goods into Sona.
PLOT PICTURES
DOWNLOAD S03E05 : Interference
Sona Pics
'Prison Break' Star Robert Knepper
You know you love to hate him. Robert Knepper has proven himself to be great at being horrible as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell, the psychopathic murderer on FOX's Prison Break. This season T-Bag finds himself stuck in prison with nemesis Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) once again, only this time it's the lawless Sona, run by the ruthless Lechero (Robert Wisdom). Thus far in the third season, T-Bag is aligning himself with Lechero, becoming the boss' right-hand man.At FOX's fall press junket, BuddyTV had the opportunity to sit down with the face of evil, and was taken aback by how damn nice he is. Robert Knepper is charming and instantly you forget all about the nefarious character he plays on Prison Break. He spoke about playing the seedy character, comparing T-Bag's role in season 3 to that of Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello, and then got sidetracked by an amusing on-set anecdote about how darn pretty Wentworth Miller, or Went as he's called, is
Hi, this is John from Buddy TV, and I’m here with Robert Knepper from the hit FOX show Prison Break. Hi, Robert.
Hey, man.
That was easy. Now, do you enjoy playing such a bad character, just a complete villain?
I do. I enjoy the response I get from when I finish a take, and I see the camera guy, Billy Nielsen go, “Yeah, OK.” I crack ’em up or I scare ’em or something. But I gotta tell you, I don’t set out to play him being a villainous character, I set out to just fulfill the objective that the character’s trying to do in the moment. If he’s, say now in the third season, if he’s trying to figure out how he’s gonna climb up the ladder in Lechero’s world here at Sona prison, that’s his objective. He’s gonna do anything and everything to make Lechero trust him, and make him realize that he can be a confidant. I mean he’s basically going to be an Iago for Bob Wisdom’s Othello, so he’s gotta get Othello to believe that he’s trustworthy. That’s what I play, I don’t play, “Hmm, I’m gonna snarl and I’m gonna do these things.”
You don’t play him good?
No, I’m trying to play him bad. Although you know, I think T-Bag is smart enough to know that he’s doing something really dastardly. So the audience is kind of in on the whole thing of watching the machinations of this guy’s mind, so that’s kind of crazy to watch.
And in the second season, your character, when everyone was freed from prison they kind of got away. And you were off doing, and your character was doing your own thing. Do you enjoy the third season, kind of coming back to a prison setting and getting to work with like, the core group of actors all the time?
Two things: I love being back with my buddies, it’s reminiscent of that first season when we were all, two things were happening. We were discovering these characters, and we were celebrating the newfound success of this show. And that was great, to be able to share with fellow actors. “Hey, I got this letter. Oh, did you hear about our numbers last night? Can’t you wait to go to the People’s Choice Awards?”
I mean, all this stuff was happening the first year, it was really great. And the third year now, to sort of say, “Oh man, we’re back together.” I mean not all of us are together, some guys are still on the outside. Like Amaury is on the out, Sucre’s character or Sucre is on the outside, and I miss him. But luckily I get to see him at night a lot of the time.
But yeah, I also think the second level is good storytelling to have us all come back in that kind of environment we’re at in the first season. It’s not a safe environment, it’s not a clean environment. But it’s a prison and it’s a grittier reality than that first year’s prison, it’s also good that it’s not the same thing.
And how is the cast done? Because they’ve been constantly kind of adding in the new characters in the second season, you’ve got William Fichtner, now you have Robert Wisdom. How do all of these additions mesh in with that original group?
I think very well. I think that it enhances the story, and again it’s just Writing 101, Acting 101. You have a hero, and you’ve got to step in his way every chance you can get so that he cannot accomplish his goal. Which is in the first season to free his brother, and the second season to clear his name, and now in the third season to get himself out of prison.
People love these characters that they’ve known, that were established, that they also… I think it’s good to bring in new ones. You’ve got more people in the way of this guy accomplishing his goal, and they’re colorful characters. And in T-Bag’s case, they’re monsters of characters. But we don’t care, we’re following the objective of the story. At the same time, we’re discovering these really rich, complex characters.
And on the set, if you’re not filming or you have some downtime, how do you fill up that time on the set? What do you do to relax?
You know that’s funny, the third season is even more a sense of family. Second season I’d hang out in my trailer a lot, if I didn’t have the chance to read or pay bills, I would hang out in the trailer. Now I gotta tell you that I love hanging out with my bros. Not just the acting bros, but the camera bros, the sound people, the hair and makeup department. We are all, we’ve known each other now, some of us for almost three years.
And it’s a great feeling to just be able to hang out, even if we’re just sitting in video village behind the monitors with the directors, who also again we know, because most of them have been there now for the second, third, sometimes fourth time around. You know, so, “Hey man, how you’ve been? What’ve you been doing the last several months that we haven’t seen each other?”
And talk with the camera guys, we have parties weekend. Willie is one of our favorite focus pullers shows up at the party, he’s got this white hat on, this kind of little gangster hat. He’s wearing sunglasses and one of the waitresses at this restaurant up on the lake says, “Hey everybody look, it’s Wentworth. Wentworth showed up at the party.” And it’s not Wentworth, it’s Willie, who is… we’re all great buddies.
Willie like Amaury is also Puerto Rican, just got this beautiful color of his skin, but he looks a little like Wentworth. And the lady there, the waitress turns to Billy Nielsen, the camera operator who’s helped throw the party and says, “You know, he looks a lot cuter on television, he looks a lot better.”
And I just know when we go to the set, when I get back on the set, everybody’s gonna rib Willie about this. And Willie’s a stud, man, he’s a gorgeous man to be compared to. And Went is amazing, beautiful on camera. So that kind of joking and that camaraderie, that’s gonna be fodder for several days.
-Interview conducted by John Kubicek
Source
Wentworth Miller: I'm Not Gay
March 5, 2007 Wentworth Miller, star of the suspense-drama series Prison Break brings light to the surfacing rumors of his being gay. And after much noise, the promising actor attempts to put an end to these hearsay by stating, “I’m not gay.”
This part-African-American, Jamaican, English, German, French, Dutch, Syrian and Lebanese actor, although has distinctly established himself as one of the eye-candies of Prison Break due to his signature look and his physique, is still adjusting to his life in the limelight and the fierce media scrutiny of his personal life. And just like other actors, his fame and rise to stardom came with much controversy regarding his sexuality.
Miller, 34, graduated from Princeton University in 1995 with a degree in English literature prior to his pursuit of the entertainment industry. Initially, he appeared on the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a guest. This was followed by more TV appearances on Popular and ER, as well as a starring role on the series Dinotopia. Shortly, he landed a spot on movies like The Human Stain, Underworld, Stealth and two of Mariah Carey’s videos. On the action-packed show Prison Break, Miller plays Michael Scofield, a former structural engineer who tries to help his brother, Lincoln Burrows, played by Dominic Purcell, escape his execution for a crime he did not commit.
And while Miller is not being bothered with the buzz, he firmly denies the gay rumors and puts wit and serene as he answers the allegations. He clarifies, "No, I'm not gay. I know these rumors are out there...I'm cool with the fact that they exist, I mean this is about fantasy. Certain people are going to have certain fantasies. If someone wants to imagine me with a woman, or a man or one of each, that's cool with me as long as you keep watching the show."
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: World Entertainment News Network
Miller, 34, graduated from Princeton University in 1995 with a degree in English literature prior to his pursuit of the entertainment industry. Initially, he appeared on the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a guest. This was followed by more TV appearances on Popular and ER, as well as a starring role on the series Dinotopia. Shortly, he landed a spot on movies like The Human Stain, Underworld, Stealth and two of Mariah Carey’s videos. On the action-packed show Prison Break, Miller plays Michael Scofield, a former structural engineer who tries to help his brother, Lincoln Burrows, played by Dominic Purcell, escape his execution for a crime he did not commit.
And while Miller is not being bothered with the buzz, he firmly denies the gay rumors and puts wit and serene as he answers the allegations. He clarifies, "No, I'm not gay. I know these rumors are out there...I'm cool with the fact that they exist, I mean this is about fantasy. Certain people are going to have certain fantasies. If someone wants to imagine me with a woman, or a man or one of each, that's cool with me as long as you keep watching the show."
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: World Entertainment News Network
10.09.2007
10.05.2007
10.03.2007
Epidose 3x04 : Good Fences
Episode 3.04: Good Fences
Airs: October 8, 2007
Press Release:
- After his failed attempt to rescue LJ and Sara, Lincoln receives a deadly warning from The Company; Michael formulates an electrifying escape plan from Sona; Mahone is haunted by a face from the past; and T-Bag crawls up the ladder as Bellick lands in hot water with Lechero.
Plot Spoilers:
- Sucre and Michael hook up again. Lincoln and Sucre are trying to figure out how to get Michael out of Sona.
PLOT PICTURES
Sarah Wayne Callies - FOX Made Her Quit?
Gosh I hope this is a rumor! But it’s strange that nobody is coming out and refuting it…
According to an interview in French magazine Tele Star, former Prison Break star Sarah Wayne Callies, aka Dr. Sara Tancredi, was forced to quit the show. Here is a rough translation of the interview (if the magazine is credible):
Big surprise on Prison Break. We hear that you’re leaving the show in the third season.
Yes, but I didn’t have the choice. I’m sad, but it’s just show business.You weren’t expecting this?
No, at the end of season 2 last year. I was sure I’d continue. It’s such a great adventure we achieved.How did you know you were fired?
I don’t want to speculate too much about this. I was shocked.Your leaving the show was a big deal. You have to tell us more!
I’ll just say this. I am sorry to let down the viewers. I have loved the support Sara Tancredi got from them. and though she was a victim of her own destiny, I liked how she made decisions by herself. But the way things ended up couldn’t have been foreseen. Again, I was deceived by the decision.How did your fellow actors react?
They told me ‘It’s too bad. I loved working with you and good luck, we hope we can work together again.’And Wentworth [Miller]?
We were so sad that we wouldn’t work together anymore. Wentworth is a gentleman. He’s gracious and full of class. And i learned a lot from him. But in a series like “Prison Break,” apart from Wentworth, anyone can go. When I took the role of Sara, I thought it’d be for only a year. Afterwards, I was so happy to get a second year.If they call you back, will you accept?
Of course! I don’t have another role right now. Right now, I need to find work.How will Sara make her exit from the series?
I don’t know. I’m not part of the team anymore and don’t have any influence on the storyline.How is being a mom to baby Keala?
It’s a rich experience and unpredictable. You can’t plan anything. (Keala was born in July 2007.)What projects do you currently have today?
I’ll rest another month in Vancouver (Canada). Afterwards, I’ll go to California for a little bit. After that, I’d like to do theater in New York. I honed my skills on the stage and I miss it.
10.02.2007
9.27.2007
Episode 3x03:Call Waiting
Episode 3.03: Call Waiting
Airs: October 1, 2007
New Characters:
* Stash, a transexual in Sona. He’s not intimidated by Bellick in the least.
* Augusto. Lechoro’s cousin.
Press Release:
Watch Promo S03 E03 Call Waiting
Airs: October 1, 2007
New Characters:
* Stash, a transexual in Sona. He’s not intimidated by Bellick in the least.
* Augusto. Lechoro’s cousin.
Press Release:
- Determined to speak with Sara, Michael enlists T-Bag’s help to get to the only phone in Sona. Lincoln attempts a daring rescue; Whistler comes clean to Michael, just as Mahone is tempted to fall back on a dirty habit; and Bellick makes an enemy while attempting to get back on his feet on the “Call Waiting” episode of Prison Break.
- Sara and L.J. will be reunited by the third episode, if not sooner. However, it won’t be a happy reunion due to the thug taking care of them.
- Bellick visits Stash in order to get his missing shoe (Bellick has been walking around Sona with only a shoe). Bellick’s threats won’t last long as Stash will soon be joined by one of his “clients.” Bellick changes his attitude and wants to trade something in exchange for the shoe.
- Mahone will not enjoy his stay at Sona and one of the reasons is the lack of meds. You can expect his tremors to come back to haunt him. He also gets a visit from the public defender assigned to his case, Paul Darinda. The latter tells his client that they have a trial date. Thing is, it is in a year! Darinda is not really interested in what Mahone has to say, which includes that Michael can testify that he set Mahone up. Darinda says that judges won’t fall for the “one inmate will take the blame for another” trick. He tries to convince Darinda to get meds for him as he can’t get those in Sona.
- We will meet Lechero’s cousin, Augusto.
- Someone slides an envelope containing a photo of Sara and L.J. under the door of Linc’s hotel room. It might contain clues to their whereabouts.
- Lechero begins to lose confidence in his ability to shape events
Watch Promo S03 E03 Call Waiting
Interview Robert Wisdom
Exclusive Interview: 'Prison Break' Star Robert Wisdom
September 24, 2007
On last week's season 3 premiere of Prison Break, viewers were treated to several new facesm including Robert Wisdom who plays the menacing Sona kingpin Lechero. The Panamanian prison is ruled by the inmates, and Lechero is the de facto leader, the man who tries to keep a group of the worst felons in line.
BuddyTV got the chance to speak with Robert Wisdom at this weekend FOX press junket in Los Angeles, and unlike his character on the show, he could not be any nicer. As an added bonus, members of the press who woke up early enough for breakfast were treated to seeing Wisdom talking on the phone while, right next to him, a TV showed the Prison Break season premiere. Side-by-side, it's stunning how different the man is from the character.
Robert Wisdom discussed how he was cast on Prison Break this year, and his feeling that we would get the role because he had a strong understanding of the character.
-Lechero is based on or inspired by a number of historically ruthless dictators, such as the Shah or Iran, Idi Amin and Benito Mussolini. In other words, Lechero is not someone to be taken lightly.
-Having previously played a death row inmate on Boomtown and a member of the Baltimore police department on HBO's The Wire, Wisdom talked about the different ways in which he approaches characters on either side of the law, and how he always tries to find the center.
-Wisdom respects the other actors on Prison Break, and is impressed how seriously they all take their jobs. Also, though he didn't watch it originally, when he was hired he got the first two seasons on DVD and sped through them and got hooked right away by the cat and mouse aspect of the first season and the expanded conspiracy of the second.
-In his free time, he is very passionate about music and plays several instruments.
-Wisdom confirmed that, in the fifth and final season of HBO's The Wire, premiering in January 2008, is character, Bunny Colvin will return, and Wisdom assured fans that this season will be “extraordinary.”
Chris Vance
Chris Vance is an Australian actor who was born on December 1971 in London, England, and was raised in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. He appears as one of the members of the cast in the Fox network's Emmy Award-nominated series Prison Break. Prior to his role on Prison Break, he was most well-known for playing the role of Sean Everleigh in the hospital drama series All Saints. Vance has worked as both an actor and a member of the art department for a number of television productions. Among the shows he has performed in are The Secret Life of Us, Stingers, and Blue Heelers.
Back To James Whistler
Back To James Whistler
Danay Garcia
Danay Garcia appears as one of the members of the cast in the Fox network's Emmy Award-nominated series Prison Break. She is a native of Havana, Cuba, and says that she enjoyed performing at a young age. She also practiced and danced ballet for more than 10 years. Garcia has stated that while she enjoys the attention of the public and the art of entertaining people, she realized for herself that ballet was a limited career, and she wished to expand into other forms of entertainment. She then began trying out for theater and looking for job opportunities as an actress. Among the productions she has had roles in are Danika, CSI: Miami, and From Mexico with Love.
Back To Sofia Lugo
Back To Sofia Lugo
Sofia Lugo
Sofia Lugo is portrayed by Danay Garcia in the Fox network's drama series Prison Break. She is introduced during the third season of the show. She is the girlfriend of James Whistler, who is incarcerated in Sona penitentiary along with Michael Scofield, who was put there in order to break Whistler out. She joins forces outside the prison with Scofield's brother Lincoln Burrows in order to find a way for their loved ones to escape Sona, as well as to learn the truth about Whistler and why he was imprisoned.
Jodi Lyn O'Keefe
Jodi Lyn O’Keefe is a model and actress who was born on October 10, 1978 in Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey. O’Keefe was raised in a family of mixed Austrian, Czech, Polish, Irish, and Swedish descent. She is the youngest of three sisters, and describes herself as being a dork when she was younger, especially with her bowl haircut back then. O’Keefe appears as one of the members of the cast in the Fox network’s Emmy Award-nominated series Prison Break. Prior to her role on Prison Break, she was most well-known for playing the role of Cassidy Bridges, the teenage daughter of the titular protagonist in Nash Bridges played by Don Johnson.Back To Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony is portrayed by Jodi Lyn O’Keefe in the Fox network’s drama series Prison Break. She is introduced during the third season of the show. Susan is said to be an agent and operative working for the Company, and is apparently named or codenamed after the 19th century civil rights leader who fought for women’s suffrage in America.
Robert Wisdom
Robert Wisdom was born on September 14, 1953 in the national capital of Washington, D.C. He appears as one of the members of the cast in the Fox network's Emmy Award-nominated series Prison Break. Wisdom is the son of Jamaican parents, and is the middle child with an older and a younger sibling. He studied at St. Alban's School, before going on to graduate later from Columbia University in New York. Wisdom has worked on numerous television and film productions. Among the shows he has acted in are The Nine, Close to Home, and The Wire.
Back To Lechero
Back To Lechero
Lechero
Lechero is portrayed by Robert Wisdom in the Fox network's drama series Prison Break. He is introduced during the third season of the show. Lechero is a drug lord and kingpin who rules over the lawless Sona penitentiary with an iron fist, imposing rules and discipline among the often unruly inmates, and helping enforce some semblance of order in the absence of any real guards and administrative staff.
9.25.2007
9.23.2007
Episode 3.02: Fire/Water
Episode 3.02: Fire/Water DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE
Airs: September 24, 2007
New Characters:
- * Colonel Escamilla- 40 years old, the man in charge of running Sona.
Press Release
- Michael races to find a hidden Whistler before Mahone; searching for clues outside the prison, Lincoln runs into an old friend and makes a new one; T-Bag slithers his way into Lechero’s graces as the prisoners threaten a revolt due to the lack of agua (water).
Plot Spoilers
- * Lechero warns Colonel Escamilla that the prison ran out of water. Escamilla doesn’t seem to see the urgency of the situation and says he’ll get a water truck the day after tomorrow. But Lechero knows what a prison, especially Sona, without water can be like and tells him he needs it now. But Lechero cannot do a thing as he and none of the other prisoners can take hostages and make demands as there are no guards at Sona. What will happen inside when the men have to live two days without water?
* After the second episode you start to feel a little bad for [Bellick]. He’s had to resort limping around the prison in nothing but his skivvies, plus we sadly find that not even his dear old mom knows he’s been locked away in that hellhole. Someone who’s had a hand in the past two seasons of the show makes an appearance as a new inmate in the second episode, looking very much like a Salacious Crumb. The conclusion of the second episode really sets up the premise for the rest of the season.
Episode 3.02 - Promo Pictures
Episode 3.02: Fire/Water
Airs: September 24, 2007
Promo Pictures
Sofia lugo (james Whistler girlfriend) and Lincoln Burrows
FBI Special Agent Alexander Mahone
Susan B. Anthony
Wentworth Miller on his Celebrity Crush & Personal Life
You’ve said you’re more of a loner than a social butterfly. Has that changed since you’ve become so well known?
Yeah. It’s a luxury I can’t afford. I would never describe myself as a people person but I spend my days on a set putting together a show that involves hundreds of other people or off promoting that show and meeting hundreds of other people. I saw an old interview with Jack Nicholson where he said that the average celebrity meets more people in one year than the average person meets in their entire life and that feels true to me. I don’t know if it’s true scientifically or it would be possible to prove percentage wise but it just feels like the truth and consequently, when I have a weekend off or a night to myself, it’s a choice between hanging out on my couch watching a video or going down to the local bar and inevitably being cornered by someone and grilled about the tattoo for two hours, I’ll choose the former. I think it’s important to have a little bit of balance. I think people, myself included, or myself especially, need time to gather your thoughts to process what is happening to you, especially since my life has changed in many ways so dramatically over the last year and a half. It’s a lot to process.
What are the other negatives and positives of being in a hit show?
I’d say the most significant positive is not only is it a great show, I have a place to go to every morning, a steady paycheck, which as an actor is a rarity and a luxury, but it’s opened so many doors for me. The feature film world in the US its all about, “Do they know you overseas?” because it does matter how well a movie does domestically but the foreign markets count for a great deal and the fact that Prison Break is this international hit, and my name now means something in Korea, and South Africa, and Australia, only helps me as far as getting in the door on certain feature film projects that I couldn’t, or didn’t, have access to before, which is great. Of course, the down side is that you’re working on a TV show that’s 22 episodes a year, it takes eight days to film an entire episode, all of those days are between 14 and 17 hours long, so when I have my two months off in which I can go do a movie, I’m too tired. And that’s fine because Prison Break is kind of my priority, it’s my baby, and that’s where my attention goes first and foremost. As far as the negatives, there’s a certain strange identity theft that seems to be more and more prevalent. It’s only natural in the business of fantasy, so people have fantasies about you, and some of them are based on some kind of truth, some of them are not, but it doesn’t matter whether they have any kind of accuracy, they’re online, or in magazines, people can print anything about you, say anything about you that they want, and there’s really nothing you can do it about except, I suppose, go to court if you have enough time and money. And mostly it amuses me. There’s a billboard in Korea, apparently, where they’re using my image to advertise tests for prostate cancer for a Korean hospital, and they’ve just picked a random photo from some shoot for GQ I did a couple of years ago and without my permission are using me to push their particular cause, which is kind of funny actually but then my agent gets phone calls from people wanting to know which myspace page is mine, and the truth is I’ve never been on myspace but there are maybe a dozen Wentworth Miller myspace pages, and people answering fan mail as me, blogging as me, and it’s a little disturbing. I don’t care that they’re doing it. I do care that someone who might actually like the show and want to communicate with me in some way, shape or form turns to one of these other outlets and starts communicating with someone who’s not me. I’m very protective of the fans and their experience of the show and people on the show and I certainly wouldn’t want some innocent 10-year-old to fall into the wrong hands communicating with someone they think is Wentworth Miller and they’re not.
What’s the most hurtful thing that’s been written about you?
On a website someone wrote, “I just found out that Wentworth Miller’s a Brit. I guess that explains his crap American accent.” I was a baby when I moved [to the US]! This is my accent. This is how I talk. But they found out that I was a dual citizen, because I was born there so I’m a dual citizen with the UK, and I guess assumed that the way I talk on the show is some kind of put-on American accent but it’s not obviously.
Did that make you paranoid about how you talk?No. You have to laugh at these things. It’s tempting, and I think natural, to give credit or to assign value, weight to these random opinions you read online. I’ve made the mistake of reading someone’s review of the show and assumed that they knew something about acting, that they knew something about TV, but the fact is they might not, they could just be a disgruntled 16-year-old in Kansas who’s just sounding off about Prison Break but you’ve assigned them the same kind of weight and value as a reporter in Entertainment Weekly and that, of course, is a mistake because you’re opening yourself up to harsh words from ignorant sources.
You’ve admitted that you’ve made up answers in interviews.
Only once or twice. It was about things that didn’t particularly matter like, “Who’s my favourite designer” or “What cologne do I prefer” and it just makes me laugh that it’s assumed because I’m an actor on a TV show that I have opinions about these things and that my opinions are worth listening to.
What do you think about the cult of celebrity and the fact that we look up to celebrities for their opinions on important issues?
It concerns me. I think it’s a very dangerous game to play when you assume that just because someone’s an entertainer they’re automatically a role model. Entertainers are there to entertain. They aren’t there to teach your children the lessons that you haven’t bothered to teach them at home yourself. They’re just doing their own version of entertaining. They’re not by definition role models, and then we act all disappointed and scandalised when they do something disappointing or scandalising. There are people who are out there using their celebrity status for good works and that’s commendable but mostly the obsession with celebrity is dangerous because I think most magazines and entertainment news shows sell this idea that somewhere out there is a better, more interesting, more glamorous, more beautiful life than yours, which makes you dissatisfied with what you have and you believe that life exists and the truth is that it doesn’t or, if it does, the people involved aren’t really having the great time you think they’re having and that can be dangerous because I think life is about learning to be content with what you’ve got, making the most out of what you’ve been lucky enough to get rather than spending your days envying, and inevitably, I think, hating the people who you think have something they don’t.
Was that a lesson you had to learn, when your career went quiet after you made The Human Stain? Was it hard for you to come to terms with the fact that there wasn’t this ideal life out there for you?
Well that was never why I was in it to begin with. I didn’t come to Hollywood to get on magazine covers or start my Porsche collection or to enjoy that kind of lifestyle, to go to the right parties and meet the right people. I came to Hollywood eventually because I wanted to act, I wanted to entertain, to tell inspiring stories that touched people’s lives in some way so not working after The Human Stain was frustrating on a professional level but I never once thought, “Gee, I really wish I could afford to do A, B and C and be one of those glamorous people.” That never for a second appealed to me and I think that if it had I wouldn’t have stuck it out because those people who come to Hollywood and are only interested in the superficial things, who are interested in only the lifestyle, if they don’t get it, if they don’t achieve some kind of success really soon, they have to go home because there’s nothing there for them to grab onto. But as far as I was concerned, I love acting and that’s something I couldn’t walk away from. That’s why I was staying and that’s what got me through the lean years, the hard times, knowing that if nothing else I had to see this through.
You’ve said you’re a perfectionist. Do you think that’s a help or a hindrance?
It’s both. It’s a double-edged sword. It means that you’re hard on yourself—of course you expect the best—and when you don’t deliver the best in your opinion you can beat yourself up a little bit. I have very high expectations of myself. I’m a very competitive person but competitive with myself. I want to be the best that I can be and if that means that I’m eventually better than everyone else then so be it. But I don’t go around comparing and contrasting myself with other actors if I can help it. It’s also, I think, the key to my success. There were a number of lessons I learned as a student, about discipline, follow through, you know, something as simple as proofreading a paper that you wrote, making sure that you’ve got a period where a period should be instead of a coma or a semi-colon. That kind of attention to detail. Caring about the work, down to the smallest moment, is also what shows up as far as doing good work, telling a story, like we do in Prison Break. Finding those little moments, those little beats, that the writers didn’t anticipate, that you find, that tell your audience something new and unexpected about the character that you’re playing. There’s a lot of crossover, I think, between your approach to life in general and art, if you’re lucky enough to be involved in art.
If you say you’re really hard on yourself, how do you feel you’re doing?
Well, I turn that kind of attention, that need to do whatever I’m doing the best that I can do it, I turn that attention to today. I don’t worry about tomorrow. I don’t worry about a week from now. I surrender the idea of having some kind of control over the arc of my career a lot of the time because you never know what tomorrow’s going to bring. Prison Break might be the first of many successes. It might be the pinnacle of my career and everything afterward will just be anti-climactic. You’ll never know and there’s no sense worrying about things that you can’t predict or control. The only thing you can do is focus your attention on what you have, what’s in your lap right now, and try to make the best of it.
You have an English literature degree from Princeton University. Do you have any aspirations to be a writer?
I do, actually, I do. I think no actor can not feel as though they would like a little bit more control within the creative process because no matter how good you are, you perform a scene the way you want to perform it and then someone else edits it, puts it together, slices it up and puts it together the way they see fit, so at the end of the day your performance is not really your own because so many people have kind of tinkered with it on it’s way to airing on TV. So the idea of writing the words that come out of my mouth or being the one in the editing room putting together my performance, definitely appeals to me.
Have you written anything or have any plans?
I have. I’ve written a treatment, which is an outline, for a movie. It’s kind of love story with a Hitchcock twist. A bit of a thriller, and when I go back to Los Angeles, on my weekends off from the show, I meet with writers and producers and try to get people excited about it, try to get a team of people together who are going to help me get this movie made. Of course there’s a great role for me! I’m at that stage of my career right now where it’s not just about auditioning for the projects that are out there. It’s about generating your own projects and that’s really something that excites me.
Does it have a title?Yes. It’s called Stoker, which is a nod to Bram Stoker who wrote Dracula. It’s got a lot of elements of the Dracula mythology in its story.
Will you play the Dracula character?It’s not a vampire story. It’s not about vampires at least with the teeth and the desire to suck your blood but it is a thriller and it is about an individual who preys on the innocent.
And it’s romantic?
It’s a love story. Because I think my interpretation of the Dracula story is that it’s a romance. I think it’s very sad. I think one way to look at it is it’s about a monster who’s kind of shuffling through the centuries looking for someone to love him—fangs and all—like everyone’s looking for someone to love them fangs and all, and when he finds his bride to be, when he chooses his Mrs Dracula, I think there’s a part of us as the audience that wants them to get together but inevitably the big blonde beefy hero steps in and puts a stake through his heart and denies him the love he wants and I think that’s kind of sad.
What’s your idea of a perfect date?You know, it’s funny I once said something about going ice skating because one of the best dates I had in high school was when I took this girl who I’d been in love with for two years, who I didn’t think even knew my name actually, ice skating so that, for me, has become a signifier of something particularly romantic. And I ran into a couple of people who read that quote, friends of mine, and they teased me, because they assumed I meant some starry night and a frozen pond in the countryside and you and your honey doing figure eights, scarves fluttering behind you and that’s not what I meant at all. I meant schlepping down to the local rink and putting on those cheap skates that give your feet blisters and kind of shuffling once around the rink and falling on your ass and then calling it a day and retiring to the cafeteria for two cups of really crappy hot chocolate. That’s kind of my idea of a romantic night out! I guess that’s kind of twisted but hey, different strokes for different folks.
Are you seeing someone at the moment?
No. Nothing serious.If you could request a song while you were skating around the rink what would it be?
Well, it would have to be, since the whole thing is a flashback to my high school days, something kind of appropriate to that decade. What were we listening to back then? I think there was a lot of Beastie boys in there so yeah maybe Beastie Boys.
Have you ever had celebrity crushes?
I have. I have. Law & Order had a tremendous impact on me, because Sam Waterston is a role model, I think, someone who’s just serving up award worthy work, episode after episode for years, year after year, and it kind of reminded me that there is great work being done in TV as well as film. At the same time, of course, he had Angie Harmon playing his Assistant D.A. [District Attorney] and she’s one of my ideals as far as women go: beautiful but more than that, smart. She’s like this beautiful, aggressive, barracuda, relentlessly going after her prey. It was pretty hot.
Does she know that?
I’ve never met her and even if I did I wouldn’t know what to say. I certainly wouldn’t say she was a beautiful barracuda, I don’t think that really sounds like a compliment even though I meant it as one.
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