By Christina Radish
Season one of the hit Fox television series Prison Break followed a desperate Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) as he attempted a daring bank robbery in order to get himself incarcerated in Fox River State Penitentiary, convinced that his wayward brother Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) was wrongly convicted of the sensational murder of the Vice President’s brother. Michael, an engineer with access to the prison’s structural design, then masterminded an elaborate plan to free Lincoln by pulling off the ultimate escape. Season two picks up with the convicts on the run, as they evade merciless FBI Agent Alexander Mahone (Invasion’s William Fichtner) and prison guard turned bounty hunter Brad Bellick (Wade Williams).
Since the series started, Prison Break star Wentworth Miller has garnered attention from fans and critics alike. Having spent the entire last season filming in Joliet Prison in Chicago, Illinois, Miller is happy to finally be out of such a dreary atmosphere.
“It’s a total re-invention of the show, as we know it,” the 34-year-old actor tells MediaBlvd Magazine. “I’m relieved because it means we’re not shooting in the prison. I have a great deal of respect for Joliet. I thought it added something significant to the show. But, it was oppressive and, psychologically, it took its toll, working on a spot where men lived, suffered, and died by the hundreds. So, I love the fact that we’re shooting out in the woods, and we’re down by the lake and by the train tracks. It feels like a totally different environment with the same set of heightened stakes, but transported to a fresh vista, and that’s reinvigorated the experience for me.”
{quote_top}“Michael’s going to have some lighter, more colorful shades this year,” he continues. “I told the writers, ‘When Michael was in prison, he was a man with a mission. He was facing down enemies at every turn. It was not really a place to be vulnerable, or have light, unguarded moments. But, now that he’s off with his brother, there’s a lot more that I can explore. There’s a lot more that I’m willing to explore.’ Although, I think Michael’s task will only get more difficult as things go on.”
While they were still in prison, Lincoln was dependent on Michael. Now that they’re out, Miller thinks that Michael will be deferring a bit more to his older brother. “There may be some interesting conflict between the brothers, as far as who is going to be Alpha dog when. The truth is, Michael has the book smarts and Lincoln has the street smarts. Each of them has something unique and vital to offer, depending on the circumstances, and if they’re smart enough, they’ll get out of the other’s way and let that happen. I think Michael needs to be saved. He’s very clever, he’s great with the improvisational skills and thinking on his feet, but Lincoln has a temper and he’s suffered enormously and lost people close to him. He had a serious, and quite understandable, chip on his shoulder last season, and I imagine that their dynamic will be Michael trying his best not to let Lincoln slip over into the darker, more violent part of his nature.”
Now that they’re back in the outside world, the relationships between the eight convicts will also be different. “I think the core relationships between the characters will have to evolve. Michael and T-Bag will still be sworn enemies. The stakes will be just as high, and the body count even higher. In that sense, I think we’ll stay true to what we were up to with the first season, which was a willingness to get rid of characters, if and when it’s necessary. In the world of Prison Break, everyone has a number. It’s just a question of when it’s up.”
Even outside the walls of the prison, Miller says that the tattoo on Michael’s body that contained the prison’s escape route also contains other details that he will continue to have to use throughout season two. Because of that, he will still have to spend days in the make-up chair, applying the 4-5 hours worth of decals to his skin.
“The full tattoo is 20 decals, or transfers, that fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. I think the tattoo will be a little bit lighter. I won’t be referencing the map part of it, certainly, but Michael has hidden codes, diagrams, names, numbers and symbols in the tattoo, that are only needed post-escape. So, unfortunately for me, the tattoo is not going anywhere. But, if it’s just on my cuff below my watch, and all I have to do is pull up my sleeve, then we’ll just put on the cuff that day. The full tattoo takes about an hour to scrape off at night. We scrub it off at the end of every day. It’s very sticky, so if you were to go home with it, you’d stick to the sheets at night. It’s like a lint magnet."
{quote_middle}Born in the United Kingdom, raised in Brooklyn, New York, and a graduate of Princeton University, Miller says that he’s not looking to rush into film roles during hiatus. Instead, he took the break to take a cross-country road trip in his Toyota Corolla, grateful for the time to himself.
“I drove from Chicago to L.A., which was a great experience. It was just a chance to rub elbows with people who have nothing to do with the business and who don’t think of it as life and death, and who aren’t worried about a second season pick-up.”
Even still, Miller admits to being recognized along the way. “TV is such a powerful medium. We have fans everywhere. Everyone’s invested in the characters. But, I never get flack from people. No one comes up and chastises me because Michael manipulated the doctor (Sarah Wayne Callies). I think people understand, at the end of the day, that he’s a good man who’s had to get his hands very dirty, and there’s a price to be paid for that.”
{quote_bottom}For someone who admittedly likes to drive fast, that recognizability factor can come in handy, out on the open road. “When I made the road trip from L.A. to Chicago at the start of the season, I was pulled over for speeding in Utah. I was going 80 in a 75 mph zone. The cop was ready to bust me on it. On my way home, I was pulled over for speeding, going 85 in an 80 mph zone in Iowa. It was on a lonely stretch of road where I did not expect a cop. It didn’t even occur to me to play the actor card. While the guy was taking my information, he said, ‘Where are you coming from?’ I said, ‘Chicago.’ And, he said, ‘What were you doing there?’ I said, ‘I was on a TV show.’ He said, ‘What show?’ And, I said, ‘It’s called Prison Break.’ It turned out that his wife was a fan, so guess who got off with a warning? I felt a little guilty driving away.”
Prior to landing the role on Prison Break, Miller had a stand-out role in The Human Stain, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman, that was supposed to put him on the map. After going two years without any work, he realized that you just can’t plan out life as an actor.
“It was a really baron stretch of my career, and I had to let go of a lot of things, including my idea that I could somehow control the trajectory of my career in Hollywood. Once I let go of those expectations and decided to take the work as it came, I started to hear a few more yeses. So, if Prison Break runs for seven years and I never do another movie, and that’s the end of my career, great. I’ll have enjoyed a tremendous ride -- one that many people have not gotten to enjoy. But, if I can balance TV and film, that would be great as well.”
One thing that the actor, who also appeared in the very memorable Ghost Whisperer pilot, wasn’t really prepared for was the loss of anonymity that has come with the success of Prison Break. “There are certain things you have to sacrifice that you don’t know you’re going to sacrifice until they’ve been sacrificed. Not that I ever did pick my nose in public, but it would be nice if I could. You have to be careful because you’re now, to a degree, public property, and that’s the nature of the business. People are going to be naturally curious about your life, beyond what they see on TV, each and every week. But, I can’t complain because this is the job I wanted. This is what I worked for and I feel incredibly fortunate.”
