Wentworth Miller - Shines!



Went left LA and moved to Millenium Park, in Chicago to be near to the filming of the pilot for Prison Break.

He was asked in an interview if he enjoyed living in Chicago his reply was “L.A. has been my home for the last ten years. I've come to like it a lot. But it's very much about the entertainment industry, and it can be a little incestuous. That's what I liked most about working in Chicago -- not everyone I met was somehow connected with the business. Not everyone had a stack of head shots in the backseat of their car. Not everyone was working on a script."

When the first two episodes of Prison Break were finally aired on Fox August 29th 2005 his popularity went through the roof. Critics once again – in large number – were singing his praises stating that he was well cast in the show and that this would be his long deserved breakthrough role. The viewer ratings were high; the highest Fox had had since 1998. Meanwhile in contrast to this critics were cutting to pieces the film Stealth for which he did voice over work. A few critics criticised his work but there were minor criticisms in which they compared his voice to HAL from Space Odyssey 2001 which in the wider scheme of things is a strange compliment because that was what he was aiming for.

All in all things seem to be on the up and up but will this be the overdue breakout role that he has been working so hard for?  It sure was but all the while Went stayed objective about the media hype surrounding the show.  He had been down that road before and he was going to take the whole media circus with a pinch of salt. In fact he appreciated the fact that he was ‘tucked away in Joliet, Illinois’ away from the media glare. He was fully aware that they could pour their hearts and souls into the project and in the end it wasn’t up to them what time the show airs or who they were up against or if an American mayor could be bothered to tune in and watch.  Due to this Went decided to be committed to the project but not attached.

It was hard to ignore the amount of queries and criticisms levelled at the show such as its longevity. Went noticed this also at press conferences and commented that people would look at the title of the show and assume that it was about two guys jumping over a wall.  How many episodes would that take? Miffed by this mentality he also mentioned that the executive producer was intelligent and had mapped out the whole story of Prison Break into the second season.

Believability was another issue that a large number of audience members and some critics also had with the story. Once again like with The Human Stain the believability of the characters and the story would be brought into question. The major question was can Prison Break survive this leap of faith / believability? Will they be able to keep audiences tuned in and faithful enough to follow the characters journeys? Went being who he is was enough to guarantee a large number of women and men tuning in just to gaze at the ‘pretty’ regardless of whether they enjoyed the story or not, but was that going to be enough to ensure the survival of the show?

Went  described Prison Break as follows: “It's a comic book at the end of the day and I think it's a lot of fun. There's a lot of pay off to buckling up and taking that roller coaster ride with Michael.” Went said “It's called Prison Break, it's about prison, but it's really about family, I think, underneath that it's about how far one man is willing to go to save a loved one.” He also stated that “Prison Break is so far-fetched, I had to make viewers believe that Michael is capable of making the impossible possible. They've created a universe in which every character exists in a gray scale. No one is black or white, good or evil. Michael's a good man that sometimes has to do bad things to get the job done and that's a lot of fun to explore. Each episode is going to have a number of puzzles for viewers to solve, and there are six or seven different subplots swirling around. It's really going to be something that rewards the attentive and patient viewer.”

At press conferences he would be asked about his background and his character on the show and his role in Joan of Arcadia to which he would say that it was strangely poetic that he would end up moving from playing a satanic type character on Joan of Arcadia to playing a ghost on the exact same network and in the exact same time slot. Before auditioning for the role on Joan he told the producers that if Prison Break were to be commissioned he would not be able to reprise his role. The producers of Joan did not seem to mind. They seemed to have bigger fish to fry. He thought it was unfortunate that Joan was cancelled and when asked he said that he was not responsible for the cancellation of Joan of Arcadia.

Went commented on his “Prison Break” character:  “Michael Scofield is someone everyone can relate to, but nobody would want to be in his shoes.  He's an extraordinary man in extraordinary circumstances. I don't think there's anybody who would be crazy enough to attempt what he's trying to do but the one thing I can relate to is the feeling of love and loyalty for a family member.”

On the similarities with his character to Michael Scofield he replied “We have some overlaps, there are some characteristics that we have in common, I do have respect for discipline and organization and follow-through but I think my character is those parts of me taken to an extreme.”

Went was asked if he would do what Michael Scofield did for his family, his reply was “I do have siblings and I think I would lay down my life for them but I don't think I could pull off something like Michael's attempting to pull off I just don't have the mathematical scientific savvy.”

Meanwhile Prison Break had Went’s fans building in numbers and proclaiming love for him. They wanted to find out where he lives, did he have a girlfriend. Where he worked.  To this day his fans still stalk him. Some have already met him.  (Aren’t they the lucky ones? [she pouts])  His fans think he is cute, shy, courteous and hot. Others who live too far away fantasise about him from a distance, wanting to marry him and have his babies.  Pet fights broke out on the official Fox discussion forum (all in good fun of course) between women who wanted to date him saying “forget it bitch he’s mine!”

Went had this to say about discussion forums:  “I did go online to read some chat room comments about the show, which I wouldn’t recommend.  It’s like reading someone’s diary.”

He also spoke about people posting as him on ‘Myspace’ : I have people calling my agent asking which Myspace page is mine and there are about a dozen and the fact is I've never been on Myspace. People posing as me is a little unsettling, a little frightening... it disturbs me on a profound level.”



Went travelled almost all over the world as a representative for Prison Break.  (Unfortunately, he never made it to a country called South Africa much to my disappointment.)  He did International TV interviews, TV Ads, attended Press Conferences, Publicity Shoots and Commercial Shoots.  Even though Went was caught up in a whirlwind of work and stress he always remained poised, calm, professional and polite at all times.  At the interviews and press conferences he spoke eloquently and with precision, intelligently and politely, never fumbling for words.  He was accommodating to everyone, especially to his fans who had travelled many thousands of miles to see him and to get his autograph.  He always greeted his fans with a wave and a beautiful smile and allowed them to take photos and videos of him with them.  Went’s politeness and grace afforded him the respect and affection he well deserves from all of his fans all over the world.

(Went is a class of his own.)

Went said this about his fans “I always enjoy running into someone who appreciates the show Prison Break It means a lot to me.”

Went also had this to say about fame “Many people hesitate before talking to an actor, but my character has received a lot of mail (and some of them using steamy language.) My character has had more success than I have had (laughs). When I am walking down the street, women ask me for my autograph, a kiss and take pictures with their cell phones.”

He said this too  “Robert Knepper [T-Bag] gets a lot of racy fan mail, actually. People find his character arousing.. and Amaury Nolasco [Sucre] gets a lot of pats on the back and bear hugs, as though he’s everybody’s best friend. People tend to be much more formal with me, so I get a lot of polite handshakes from fans of the show.”

In an interview Went said this about Michael’s appeal “I think the character I play on Prison Break is potentially sexy.”

In interviews he was asked all sorts of personal questions such as what was his personality like etc to which he answered….

I’m "a fairly boring person. I go to the library, I do a lot of reading, and I eat at Subway. When I need some boxers I go to the Gap. I'm literally behind bars five days out of seven," When he had the time he would "as the cliché would have it, (write short stories and) a script”. Or go out to dinner with friends. Asked whether he would in the future do a comedy he believes that he is not funny and if he was considered as such it would be unintentional.

Went also describes himself in another interview “I'm kind of a dork. I don't have much game. I'm not particularly comfortable in bars or clubs. I much prefer being home playing Scrabble, having dinner with a couple friends, going to see a movie, or losing a whole weekend to Season 14 of Law and Order or The Simpsons.”

“I'm a private person, but that implies that I'm sitting on a mountain of secrets. The fact is, I'm a fairly quiet person. I have to laugh internally when I'm asked in interviews what nightspots I like to hit. I just don't have answers for those questions. So sometimes I make them up.”

“I enjoy swimming, reading and naps. I am writing a screenplay or two of my own and in Chicago I try to go to a different restaurant every week. I spend a bit of time at The Art Institute Of Chicago because music, painting, movies and theatre can all contribute to the work of an actor. You never know where you are going to find influences. By and large, I try to keep my down time fairly low-key as the job itself can be so draining.”

As Went keeps his private life very private there have been so many speculations about his girlfriends.  He was once asked if he was ever tempted to take advantage of his status with one of the sun-tanned lovelies queuing up for him.

He shrugged and spread his hands out on his knees, “Right now, my work comes first,” he said, speaking slowly and thoughtfully. “I’m a workaholic, which is the sad truth of it. I did manage to go on a couple of dates over the past year, but I’m happiest when I’m on set, so I really need to get all of that out of my system before I can turn my attention to more personal matters. I try to lead a low-key life. And sometimes you just want to go to Chilli’s and have a margarita and some chicken fajitas, and not have the experience wind up on a website somewhere. It’s a little bit strange, all that sex-symbol stuff. The fact is I look the same as I’ve looked for the past 10 or 15 years.  My eyes aren’t suddenly a more compelling shade of green. People go on about the ‘brooding look’ a lot, but usually I’m just squinting because my eyes are sensitive.”

(Went I beg to differ with you.  Your eyes are a compelling shade of green and you’re unaware of how that brooding look of yours has hearts racing.  I'm sorry to hear about your sensitive eyes but your squint is really appealing.[she laughs])

Went also had this to say about his love life since becoming an actor “I feel at a disadvantage - people think they know you. I was disappointed when I realized they were more interested in talking to Michael Scofield. If that's what they're attracted to, that's not what I have to offer.”

Went described his ideal woman as “Um, I am into brunettes. For a long time, I’ve had a crush on Angie Harmon, who used to be on Law & Order. She’s a beautiful barracuda. [Laughs]  and “I believe that confidence is the key to many things. One can talk about a sense of humour or style but the most attractive aspect of a woman is her confidence; that she feels comfortable in her own skin. Ideally, I would like to find a woman that understands what it is like to be with an actor without being an actress herself. I want a woman who keeps my feet on the ground and holds my hand while I am off going around in circles. Like somebody who works in the accounting department of a film company.” (laughs).”

Went was asked what was the most romantic thing he ever did he replied  “This one time I had a girlfriend that was out of the country a lot. So I gave her a watch and set it to ‘my time’ so wherever we were, we’d always be on the same time. I thought that was pretty romantic.”

(What a romantic man Went is.)

Went on whether he is a gentleman:  “Yeah, I'd like to think I am. I really try hard to make a girl feel comfortable and I treat her like a lady, and if I see a woman carrying a lot of groceries, I will always stop to help her out.”

(What a pity Went’s never around when I need help with my groceries.)

Went:  “I broke my nose in gym when a ball hit me. I took a girl to her debutante ball the next week wearing a tux and a big, honking bandage. Not the romantic night she had in mind.”

At a party for the Fox network an unassuming Went appeared unaware that he was the network’s newest sex symbol.

"An actor wants to be respected for his work. Everything else is second," he said. "If the whole hunk thing opens doors for me, gets me to a director I have not worked with before, then I am certainly willing to go along for that ride.”

Went (on walking the red carpet):  “That’s a necessary part of the beast, doing publicity. I don’t mind talking about the show. I’m very proud of it, but I do try to say no to as many invitations as possible when it comes to red carpet events, parties and premieres."

I thought I'd end my blog with Went's delightful laugh. Goodbye everyone speak to you soon!