I got the chance to be a part of a press conference call with Wentworth Miller and he chatted about Prison Break Season 4, MiSa, the future of the show, and much more. Audio clips to come soon!! (And I have to say it was a blast being on the phone call. Wentworth has a great sense of humor and seemed genuinely gracious in speaking with us all.)
Sarah Wayne Callies Return:
Was the first scene everything he hoped it would be? “I was just happy to see Sarah back,” Wentworth says. He thought her return was important and he very much missed her during Season 3. “The fans have spoken, Sarah returns.”
Wentworth realized that she might return sometime during the strike. He heard of the fans organizing petitions and says that it’s where we are in terms of television and the media – having a back and forth conversation with the fans…
Michaels’ Possible Death:
Wentworth was asked if would be okay with Michael’s death at the end of the series and Wentworth seemed fine with the idea, saying that there is a price to pay for this adventure. “Michael’s hands are pretty filthy by this point in the series. It’s becoming harder and harder to tell the good guys from the bad guys. The question becomes can there be any sort of redemption for Michael,” Wentworth says. “What would that look like? What would that take? Perhaps laying down his life so that someone else can live might be one answer to that question.”
Can Michael be Happy?
Is it possible for Michael to be happy and is he worthy of redemption?
“I think the interesting wrinkle that Sara’s return signifieds is that hwen Michael thought she was dead he crossed certain lines that he otherwise might not have crossed,” Wentworth says. At the end of Season 3 Michael manipulated the death of Sammy and he might not have done that if he thought Sara was alive.
So Michael is a changed man, perhaps a man who is not worth of Sara’s relationship. “I think that Michael is still a good man, but at this point I think it would take something quite extreme for him to really even the score.”
Wentworth says that it weighs heavily on Michael that so many people have died in the process of setting Lincoln free. He feels Michael can’t go return to his white collar existence to being a structural engineer. “I think the only thing Michael is fit for is as a hired gun.”
Wentworth’s favorite attribute about Michael is his sense of loyalty, that it’s always about others. “Michael is not particularly interested in his own survival. Michael is interested in self-sacrifice. I think Michael has a touch of the martyr about him.”
Lincoln and Michael:
Wentworth says that Season 4 is about the brotehrs settling their personal debts. Lincoln starts out in Panama with Sofia and L.J., but heads back to the States on this revenge quest out of allegiance and indebtedness to Michael. “I think when all is said and done the brothers will be able to part as equals.”
Prison Break Seasons 1-3:
Wentworth was asked about the various seasons and how they are so different from each other. “My favorite so far has been 1 and 3 because I happen to think my character works best behind bars,” Wentworth says. The second season was a change of pace and a downshift for him. “It’s one of my least favorite seasons because it felt as though my character was literally and figuratively running shotgun.”
Prison Break Season 4:
So what is Season 4 about? “I think it’s finally time to take on the puppet master,” Wentworth says. “The team realizes that “they can no longer flee. It’s time to stand and fight. It’s time to take on the puppet master and really put this whole conspiracy thing to bed if possible.”
The Tattoo
“The tattoo is addressed pretty definitively in the first episode,” Wentworth says. He says that he appreciated the tattoo and it was emblematic of his experience. “I appreciated that I had to wear long-sleeve shirts,” for the sweat factor but he’s looking forward to rolling his sleeves up.
Wentworth continues, saying that he went to the writers to address the issue. “How can we really address this issue that really feels satisfying and gives some closure to people who were constantly on the lookout for it.”
C-Note
Wentworth was asked if we could see C-Note in the future. “I wouldn’t be surprised. We do love the unexpected twists and turns on this show. I think Rockmond would be a great edition!”
Kellerman
Wentworth says that his one character that he could bring back would be Paul Adelstein. “I think he was a fantastic Agent Kellerman,” Wentworth says. He liked the character because it lived in the shades of gray. “Not entirely white, not entirely black, not entirely good, not entirely evil.”
Wentworth Miller’s Personal Future
So where is Wentworth going with his acting career, and how does he balance out the intensity of Prison Break with his personal life?
“I have loved doing it,” he says, but that said “I’m not going to jump into the next Bourne Supremacy franchise.”
Wentworth says that it’s important to balance the intensity with some humor – on set and off. He’s become a fan the Family Guy, American Dad, Reno 911, The Office … “because at the end of the day … it’s important to come home and unwind.”
That said, Wentworth says he never really leaves the character behind. “I’m always thinking of the character, even when I’m not on set. It has become part of the air that I breathe.” He’s so used to Michael’s ways that he doesn’t have to do the homework. “All I have to do is show up on set, stand in front ofRobert Knepper and I get instinctively what Michael’s relationship is with T-Bag.”
Post Prison Break he would like to become involved with a romantic comedy, “really change it up!”
So what about the hair? Wentworth says that if he was worried about typecasting in a future role, he would grow it out. But he likes it short, “It’s kind of low maintenance.”
Images Credited to ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Michael Lavine/FOX
God, I can’t wait to hear the answers! I hope you will ask him my question too, hehe. :) Good luck! ;)
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I can’t believe it’s almost time for PB to air again! It’s kinda funny to say that Prison Break has been a big part of my life because it started during my freshman year of high school and now I’m starting my senior year of high school with a fourth season!
Can’t wait to hear what Wentworth has to say; congrats on getting the interview!
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hey nikki – i just posted 2 questions that no one asked on the other wm interview thread that if you could, consider asking him – has nothing to do with misa i promise, lol, and one ? isnt prison break related so if ur still browsing our ?s plz take a look. i would have replied earlier but ive been tied up.
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hi nikki! i really hope that you are gonna ask wentworth my 3 questions .i love your the way you are whit the people you interviewed .bye!!!!!
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hey nikki, good luck whit all the questions.
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Hi, Nikki
Can’t wait to hear what WM says and good luck. Hope my question gets answered!
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Sorry it’s been delayed, Nikki. I hope all goes well & you actually get to speak to Wentworth & not just listen! This is so exciting!
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Good luck Nikki.
I thought you’d already had your conference call done by now as most of Monday’s past by.
Well here in the UK it has.
I hope you remember my two questions posted a few days back on the wm interview post.
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Good luck Nikki!!!! :)
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good luck nikky
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dying is no way a form of redemption in my opinion. if he gave up his own life it (to me) would seem more like the easy way out so that he doesnt have to face what hes done. i think michael dying would be a cop out. i think he has to do what wm says he has to do and sort these things out and try to make things right, not go and get himself killed. this whole thing about mike’s death is really starting to worry me. i want to see a semi happy ending for michael – after all he’s been through.
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Thats what martyrs do though. They sacrifice and give for others.
Remember it has already been determined Michael has low self worth which causes him to do the things he does. He doesnt feel worthy of much so he goes out of his way to save others. In essence without sounding wrong.. a touch of the God complex…. thinking he can help and change and save everyone.
I wouldnt think it a stretch for his character to give his life to save someone, especially Sara, Linc, or LJ. It might not be what die hard fans want, but like I said before, having a disneyesque riding off into the sunset ending is not what this show has ever been about.
Thanks for taking the time to type all of that out. It was great to see some of the questions posted here addressed.
From everything I have heard about WM he does seem ilke a genuine person and one who hasnt let Hollywood become him.Kwim?
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Bellick dies by episode 410 according to spoiler tv’s script snippet
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I just read the script too and has info on Michael’s illness. I’m not surprised Bellick dies, they really didn’t need him. I wonder how it happens.
Love the interview WM is awesome. Ilove how he said he is always thinking about the character
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Thanks alot for the interview, Nikki! I hope Wentworth keeps his shaven head look after PB because he looks so sexy that way!
I’d like to see C-Note again, as well as Henry Pope and Kellerman if he survived that prison van shooting. And flashbacks are also great!
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Great interview Wentworth! This season has me both very excited and nervous. I can’t wait to see MiSa, the gang working together again, the plot twists etc.. but if they Michael dies of cancer at the end I’ll be dissapointed cuz that’s just not how I saw it ending for him. I hope it’s just a scare. But hey, that script on spoilertv is only for episode 10, we’ve still got a lot of season left to hear about :)
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after reading that it seems more neurological, not that it cant be cancer, but something more then we getting right now as far as information.
I knew Bellick would get it eventually, I didnt think he would make it out of Sona. He had a good run though and his character certainly bought what it needed.
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I’m anxious to see Wentworth in something else, but I’ve also loved (and still do) seeing him on “Prison Break”! I wish Went lots of good luck in the future!!
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“Michael is not particularly interested in his own survival. Michael is interested in self-sacrifice. I think Michael has a touch of the martyr about him.” – I couldn’t agree more.
@Photogirl11 – I’m with you on that (your first comment).
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Great interview! Thanks for taking the time to post all this, Nikki! You do an awesome job! Glad you were able to ask a couple of questions – good ones, too! Wentworth does a great job at answering questions! His voice is flawless & his laughter is amazing! This was a great highlight to my day! Can’t WAIT for Monday night!!! Thanks a million times, Nikki =)
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