Prison Break Actor Doesn’t Want To Play Straight Characters Anymore
Wentworth Miller, former star of Prison Break, has announced that not only is he done with the show, but he's done playing straight characters.
This article is more than 2 years old
Prison Break was an exciting success for Fox when it aired from 2005 to 2009, to the point that the network revived the series for one season in 2017. While there have been rumors that the show could potentially return again someday, star Wentworth Miller has said he’s done with the world of Prison Break because he no longer has any interest in playing straight characters.
Wentworth Miller broke the news on his Instagram, where he stated that he was officially out of Prison Break, and that there is no more of his character Michael in the future. Miller stated that straight characters have had their stories told over and over, and it seems as though Miller is tired of the types of roles he’s used to playing.
Earlier this year at TCA, Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn had said the network was looking into potentially making spinoffs of their two major drama series from the 2000s, 24 and Prison Break. Both shows have already had recent seasons that were canceled after disappointing viewership numbers. Theoretically, if Prison Break were to continue in some fashion, it would now have to revolve around a character other than Wentworth Miller’s Michael, possibly as a spinoff centered around another character, or possibly a prequel.
Wentworth Miller came out in 2013, after an invitation to the St. Petersburg International Film Festival, which he declined due to Russia’s anti-LGBT laws. In the statement, the Prison Break actor said, “I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly.” Once Wentworth Miller came out, he became more open about his experiences growing up gay. In the same year he came out, Miller admitted he had attempted suicide multiple times as a teenager, and that he suffered through depression since childhood.
Many of Wentworth Miller’s Prison Break stars have supported his decision to not play straight roles anymore. His co-star Dominic Purcell stated “Fully support and understand your reasoning,” while Sarah Wayne Callies pointed out that the Prison Break cast was also supportive of Miller and friends and family in the LGBTQ+ community.
Since wrapping the first run of Prison Break in 2009, Wentworth Miller continued his success of television, playing Captain Cold on The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. The actor has also done voice work for shows like Young Justice and Batwoman, and made appearances on shows like House, Madam Secretary, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
After Prison Break, Wentworth Miller also started working as a screenwriter. His first film was the 2013 psychological thriller Stoker, from The Handmaiden and Oldboy director Park Chan-wook. Miller also wrote 2016’s horror film The Disappointments Room, starring Kate Beckinsale.
Since Prison Break, Wentworth Miller has mostly been known for his superhero roles and his occasional writing jobs. It would be interesting to see what roles Miller takes up going forward. It would be great to see the actor and screenwriter potentially write films that would give himself and others the roles and stories that he sees to be missing from the world.
