Wentworth Miller: He Wishes For The Cloths of Heaven by William Butler Yeats.

He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven 

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and the half-light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

~William Butler Yeats~

"The bluebird carries the sky on his back."

~ Henry David Thoreau~

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Wentworth Miller: A Memorable Encounter in Milan, Italy.

Went took a flight from Sweden to Milan, Italy.  He arrived in Milan on the 21 March 2008 which was another place he had on his schedule to promote Prison Break.  Went must have been pretty exhausted with all his travelling but to use a phrase “that’s show business” for you. [She sighs, sympathising with him.]

On the other hand I bet as soon as Went recovered from his flight, he was filled with excitement and was eager to take in all the beautiful architecture, art, sculpture, parks and museums that Milan has to offer.  I certainly hope he managed to squeeze in an Opera too in between all of his interviews, promotions and sight seeing of the city.

La Scalla Theatre

Vittorio Emanuele Gallery, Milan

 Of course Milan is the Mecca for the fashion and design world but if what I have read and learnt about Went is true, he probably headed straight for an art gallery or a museum.  I can assure you that’s precisely what I would have done if I was in his shoes.

Milan is a very interesting and historical city.  It’s also one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy and was home to many famous people such as Leonardo Da Vinci, the famous scientist, artist and sculpture, who lived there for almost 17 years.  Another famous artist and architect from the High Renaissance period was Bramante who was born there and then there were the great Italian composers of opera, Guiseppe Verdi and the Director of Opera, Giorgio Strehler.  Renowned writers such as Cesare Beccaria, Carlo Portia, Allesandro Manzoni and Carlo Emilio Gadda were also from Milan, Italy. [All I can say is Went was certainly in good company, she laughs.]

The church of Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of "The Last Supper".

Milan is a cosmopolitan city and has both an authentic mix of tradition and modernity.  The famous Duomo Cathedral with its Italian Gothic Architecture is there and it’s definitely a site to see.   See links below for further information about Milan for those who might be interested.

 

Vittorio Emanuele Street, Milan.

Milan at night.

http://daytranslations.com/milanitaly_profile.aspx

http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/things-you-should-know-about-milan.html

http://www.vogue.it/en/magazine/daily-news/2011/09/milan-fashion-woman-news

Went’s trip to Milan will always be fondly remembered by many of his fans who travelled far and wide to meet him and to catch a glimpse of him.  The German Fan Club was given an opportunity of a lifetime to spend some time with him.  Went graciously signed autographs for all of its members also having the odd chat with some of them.  According to their accounts they all said that they admired and respected Went for his politeness, his warmth, his friendliness and patience.  For his shyness, his amazing good looks, his beautiful green eyes and last but not least his wonderful voice.  [In other words Went is a perfect gentleman with a beautiful heart, and that’s precisely how I picture him to be.]

On one occasion according to some of his fans, Went smiled and waved from a window and he appeared to be so excited to see his fans.  [Wow I’m having a “Romeo and Juliet” moment, please excuse me.  She sighs imagining herself standing below Went’s window while he’s smiling and waving down at her … she blushes ... shyly describing her silly girlish dream in words for the whole world to read.]

Back to reality, here are some wonderful photos that were taken from the meeting with the German Fan Club.  WARNING!  The following pictures are not for the faint-hearted. [She laughs.]

The photos were taken in the gardens of the Hotel.  Here is a link to the exquisite Hotel Principe de Savoia in Milan.

 

http://www.hotelprincipedisavoia.com/hotel-milan

http://www.hotels.com/ho141199/hotel-principe-di-savoia-milan-italy/



"One at a time please ladies ... "

[She laughs.]

  I think this picture is lovely.

Wow what lovely eyelashes you have my dear ...

... and what a beautiful smile!

That look ... those eyes!

What a sweet picture this is ...

... and this one too!

Here's a video and the links of Went's meeting with his fans. 

http://youtu.be/EHteNsGPbOM

http://youtu.be/7WcJNgoUPVs

 These are the wonderful photos from Wents photo shoots.

These pictures were taken of Went enjoying an evening out with his friends in the city.

From cheek ...

... to cheek!

Yes I knew it!  Poor Went was exhausted ... he needed his bed and some dreamtime.

Went also had a visit to Lake Como.

I found these articles during my browsing on the internet of Went’s interviews while he was in Italy.  I’m sure you’ll find them interesting. 

Milana from Excommunicated kindly translated them.  I have however tried my best to make it a little bit more comprehensible.

Interview 1

In the TV Show "Prison break" Wentworth Miller plays a young engineer who's willing to do everything (including going to a maximum security jail) to save his brother, an innocent man sent to death row. The love for family and determination characterises Wentworth too: "Like Michael I dedicate a lot of time to my family and friends too" reveals the actor to Sorisi (the Italian magazine). "I’m similar to him, I have a lot of respect for organising things, and I’m a perfectionist and methodical. But, on the other hand, I wouldn't be capable of doing what he has done. I could go to jail, but I wouldn't be able to escape."

As you are an English Major, has this assisted you in becoming a better actor?

"It sure did. Thanks to my training I'm able to appreciate the true value of the scripts I receive. I can see the true shades of a character and I have an appreciation for some of the details of the character. Studying has taught me the value of discipline, a thing you need to have, to make it in this business."

Did having an African American father and a White mother stand in the way of your career?

"I can't deny it. In Hollywood it's better to match a stereotype. The producers are searching for the new Tom Hanks or a young Denzel Washington. And because of my looks I can't be put into either category.  Maybe in a few years from now I'll be the type they are looking for.

What do you say to people who comment that Prison Break is very violent?

"Besides being an action series, Prison Break shows the best qualities of the human spirit. The protagonist is driven by his love for his brother to confront the forces of evil in order to save him."

I understand that the intention of the producers of the show was that the show would only last for at least 2 seasons, but instead Prison Break is already in the 4^th Season.

"I think the series won't last too long. At least that's what I hope, because I start feeling like a prisoner myself. I know I shouldn't complain, but I don't like being trapped in a box."

Are you protective with your private life?  How do you manage to avoid the paparazzi?

"It's enough to know how to give up your social life. Going to parties isn't for me. It's a dangerous road and I prefer not to take it."

Interview 2

Would you say the fugitive Michael Scofield is good or bad?

"He has the same charm as Hannibal Lecter. Anthony Hopkins accepted the character with the belief that he's not a bad person. Every person is walking a thin line between good and evil."

Do you have the same will power as your character?

"In a certain way, yes. I would love to be more involved in the process of making films either in directing and editing."

If the writer’s strike continues will this interrupt the 3rd Season of Prison Break?

"No. In mid-May we will begin directly with the 4th season.

Do you want to do cinema?

"At the moment TV series are better written than the movies and the actors are always searching for interesting stories. I believe that nowadays TV offers actors better opportunities.  TV is also watched by a larger number of people.  It's incredible the amount of success "Prison Break" has had in foreign countries. In China for instance, the show is banned, but every week 135 mil Chinese people download it...illegally."

Interview 3

It all started with the tattoo

From the rip-off-skin monster in Buffy to the fascinating and intelligent fugitive in Prison Break: Wentworth Miller tells us his fantastic climb to success.

If we ever have to go unjustly to prison, then we would like to meet someone like Michael Scofield. Maybe he's not the most popular, and the tattoos may be a little bit disturbing, but it doesn’t take much to understand that he's got the brains. If the thing you have to do is to avoid the electric chair, no matter what the cost is, he's the perfect man for it. To play the part in Prison Break is Wentworth Miller, the actor born in England (but from an American family), who gave a face and a voice to Michael. Miller gave the character a particular charm, both discreet and touching, which caused many casualties among the hearts of female fans around the globe. We met him in Milan, where he came to promote the second season on DVD and the first season in Blu-ray. He looked exactly like he is in the show, short hair, foxy expression, but he laughed more in the 20 minutes than he laughed during the 3 years on the show. Above all, he proved to be a down-to-earth boy, available and ready to sign an avalanche of autographs.

You're in Italy to promote the DVDs and Blu-ray of Prison Break, which is also the first series to arrive in this new format here in Italy.

What do you think about this fast progress in the entertainment industry?

I think nowadays TV is ready to compete with the cinema, even to surpass it, both in writing and in visual effects. The new technology allows people to enjoy a series like never before and this makes for a great experience. It's a fact that even from my personal experience I owe a lot to TV, because now that Prison Break is such an international hit, I get a lot of offers for cinema roles.

During the first season you were in jail, and then you escaped and after that you were incarcerated again. What do you prefer playing as your character?

To tell you the truth: I was happy when Michael returned to jail. That's his area, the place where, paradoxically, he feels at ease. Outside the prison he's more reactive, as he has to face a lot of problems and challenges, but it's between prison walls where he is able to show his incredible intelligence.

Amongst other things, Michael is in even more trouble now, because he has no tattoos!

"In fact it's pretty funny now that the tattoos are useless; I don’t have to have them applied to my body anymore, with the result I have to wear long sleeved t-shirts.  If I didn’t people would notice that there's no tattoo in reality. Anyway, even if I don't know what the writer’s have in mind I'm sure that the tattoos will become important again in the future. Not now, where we are, but maybe they'll be able to inspire Michael in one way or another. They're still a symbol of Michael's genius, and we can't just forget them."

Prison Break was even affected by the writer's strike, making the third season short. What's your opinion about this?

"I think the strike was important, because their reasons were fair. It's also true that there were many collateral damages: if the writers stop all the other people working on a series or on a TV program then people remain without a job. But there's more: in Texas, where we were filming the series, our constant presence there helped the local tourism to develop, because we all used their services, restaurants and bars for example. 10 Episodes less than anticipated was a serious problem even for them. So, the issue is complicated. Thank goodness, the strike is over."

Who are your favourite characters from Prison break? And with which member of the cast do you particularly connect?

"In both cases I’d say Sarah Wayne Callies, who plays Dr. Sara Tancredi, and Paul Adelstein, who played agent Kellerman. I particularly like these characters because they're ambiguous: nobody is completely good or evil; they have many shades to their characters. Sara helps Michael because she realises he's a good person, but thinking about it you realise she inadvertently helped bad prisoners like T-Bag to escape not to mention her drug past.  Kellerman is a bastard, but afterwards you start feeling sorry for him because he's betrayed by his partners and because of this he finally sacrifices himself. It's this ambiguity that makes me appreciate Michael too: he's done everything to save his brother, but this made him commit/accept different crimes."

In the past, you appeared in different TV shows, sometimes with small parts. What's you're favourite one?

"I have a strong memory about the Buffy part, because it was my first part on a series and I was nervous, even though my part was small. I remember being excited thinking of being on the same set with David Boreanaz, who I appreciate a lot. I was playing a monster that ripped his own skin, in a pretty cruel scene. It was fun, because at the end of filming, the group told me I was good at playing it and if they needed a rip-the-skin monster again they would call me for sure."

Reading on the internet I saw that you're a fan of Law & Order, is it because there are so many lawyers in your family?

"No, it's not because of that. Curiously, even though I'm in a series where the episodes are connected to each other, as a TV watcher I prefer the series where every episode is independent. Series like Law & Order, CSI or Without Trace allows you to see an episode once in a while, without making you feel frustrated for not knowing what happened in the previous episodes. It's a challenge for the writers who have to write a believable and captivating story which must end in 40 minutes. Also, I don't like to wait a week to know what happens next: I want to see more episodes at one time, and that's why when I have a little spare time I start a DVD watching marathon, sitting on my couch."

Some readers wrote us telling they would like to see you smile more often. Do you think there's a place for comedy in your future?

"In fact, on Prison Break there's nothing to laugh about. To answer your question: I would like it; I try not to limit myself. During the last few months I refused various scripts that required me playing a character very similar to Michael Scofield's. Even though I'm very happy to be a part of Prison Break, I don't want my career to be narrowed around one character or a genre. I would like to try comedy, but also romantic movies or thrillers different from the series. I think an actor always has to explore new paths, even though that means working with first hand directors or on low budget movies. The important thing is the talent and the desire to create something beautiful for the people watching."

http://tvmedianation.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=wentworth&action=display&thread=206&page=8

I wish to end my blog on a high note with Guessepe Verdi's "La Traviata".

Once again thank you for your support and interest.
Goodbye and God bless you all!

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