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Knepper is shooting in Sofia and took the time to talk to SNA Editor Petya Sabinova about his current projects and his feelings of Bulgaria.
Q: Tell me something about your character in Hitman.
A: He is an interesting character because he doesn’t show what’s really going on, he’s a poker face, a dichotomy of a character because on the surface he just looks like he’s just doing his job – chief agent of FSB, of going after the bad guy – this man who tried to assassinate Balakov, who’s running for president. What’s going on underneath it is that he’s in on this whole plot. A man comes to him and says I have this plan for Russia, I want to turn Russia back to the way it was in the old communist days. And I know I shouldn’t talk to you, because you work for Putin, you work for the establishment, but don’t you want something better for your children.
Q: Speaking of T-Bag, his character is quite negative. Was it hard to accept the role, did you have any doubts about it?
A: First of all I needed a job. If I was in my career, the way I am right now I might have said, Urgh, I don’t wanna play this guy, he is a racist pedophile, evil person. But I am an actor and I needed a job, I have a family to support. I learned something a long time ago in acting, see you say I play a negative role. I personally don’t think I play a negative character, it may be perceived that way. But in acting classes when you’re a kid, you learn to play the opposite of what you are. Like you don’t play a bad guy like a bad guy, you play a bad guy like the hero, It’s always reverse. So there’s something different so the audience goes, in this case, I know I hate this guy so much and yet there’s something about him that I feel for him.
So I don’t think T-Bag is negative, I think he is a man, who’s again in a way protecting his family. In the first season in the prison he’s like If you held my pocket than I protected you. Yeah, you see it like “he’s gonna torture this poor boy,” but Teddy thinks “don’t fuck with this guy, he’s mine and you know what I can do and what I am capable of if you mess with him. Now I can mess with him anyway I want, but that’s besides the point. You just can’t mess with him.” Again, there was no time to prepare for this role, I had to go on a lot of instincts.
Q: Your character is one of the most popular in the show, so it seems that the instincts have worked?
A: The word that kept coming to me, when I was interpreting what the writers wrote was “be charming, just be very charming.” And when I did talk to some prison guards who were technical advisers on the show, who were working guards in these other prisons in Chicago, they said “that’s the guy. That’s the guy you always have to watch out for in prison, because he can charm the pants off of you, he can charm you out of anything and all of a sudden you realize, hey, my wallet’s gone.”
You can tell when somebody is being a little devious with you that they want something. Guys like T-Bag in prison, and they’re there a lot, they are 24/7 trying to figure out how to break out of there, because they know they are in there for life. Or they are gonna make that life in that prison, the most beautiful life they have ever imagined. They are gonna be a prince in a castle. And I was lucky because the prison we shot at was such an amazing character in itself, the way it was built, the history of the prison. You walk into that gate of the prison and you can’t help but feel – this is my kingdom. So all these negative words about the character I never really allowed myself to think about them.
Q: Why?
A: Because if I really thought about them… I’m playing a racist? I can’t stand racism. I would never sit for a second and talk to a person who talked like that about black people like what he said in the beginning of Season 1. The first episode I did was T-bag saying “You know what, these people people think they deserve something and they’re not willing to work for it and we’re about to teach them a lesson,” and then the race riot starts. At first when the episode was going to air on television I was like “oh, God, am I gonna have to call Fox and ask for security, because when they see this, my friends, my brothers, the black population are gonna go ‘Oh, you’re that guy, let’s go kill him, let’s get him.” and I didn’t get any of that.
In fact I got the opposite from black and white people saying “good job man, good job.” Because people realize that it’s acting, and it was a great lesson for me to learn, because as the actor playing the part, I knew I couldn’t judge that character.
Source: SNA
T-bag is the man…i know playing such a character wasnt some thing easy..big up! T-bag
Hi,
For sure Mr. Robert Knepper is a very talented actor! and could not be better his role in prison break, personally I think he is a nice man in person, hope will continue on prison break
Robert Knepper is such a talented actor, he just brings T-Bag to life.
Theodore Bagwell is a character we all love to hate.
Roll on season 3.
I think that Robert Knepper is THE BEST actor on Prison Break,after watching season 2. Yes,T bag is reprehensible…but,who cares? That is my opinion. He is definitely hot. Not as the character,per se. But definitely hot.
i love robert knepoper very much and if someone know something about him please write me mary_melicksetyan@yahoo.com thank you very much
they couldnt kill off T.bag, he brings so much to the show, just wish he would stop hurting people.
o me for a minute in that interview i thought he was gonna sa he didn’t like playing T-Bag and was gonna leave! Phew wott scare, T-Bag michael and lincoln are the best characers in prison break, if anythin happeed to any of them thered be no oint putting on another season cuzit just wouldn’t be the same, cant wait for season 3!!!
we will surely see T.bag in season three, there are certain things he needs to clear up, like what deal did he make in Panama? with whom did he make the deal??and why???
i am a chinese. anyway ,many students ,adults ,actors,fatherand mothers—–it is the same as USA, i think —–hope see T-bag in season3
I just love the character T.bag, he is sooooo funny, my friend and i get a good laugh, each time he talks, he has this funny way of saying and doing stuff, and i sometimes feel sorry for him too. nice acting.
a truley talented man, and what a hottie
Good interview….wonder what’s happening with T-bag in season 3….Aaarrgggh….Time.
Quality!