fresno bee LOS ANGELES -- The cast of "Prison Break" is on the road again. The first season of the Fox drama focused on the efforts of brothers Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) and Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) to escape from prison. The second season had them on the run. And then last year, Michael was back in jail and Lincoln was on the outside.
When the fourth season opens at 8 p.m. Monday, the brothers are free men on a mission. Purcell says the variations on the "Prison Break" theme have helped keep the show fresh.
"Filming in Joliet Prison [Illinois] was an amazing experience because the prison provided a certain atmosphere.
"But each season is becoming a different show almost," Purcell says during an interview in July at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
He speculates that fans have stayed with the show because of the strong characters and not the locations.
"The hard-core fans are on board now and willing to stay with the show no matter what direction it takes," he says.
Past seasons have filmed in Illinois and Texas. This year the action shifts to Los Angeles and so does the production.
Purcell says the Southern California city will provide for a backdrop for a season that will have a feel of the 1998 Robert De Niro movie "Ronin." That film followed a former intelligence agent on the hunt for a package that was wanted by both Irish and Russian operatives.
The "Prison Break" brothers are being strong-armed to work for the government this year.
And part of the story line will be a search for the truth about the murder of Michael's love Sara. The third season ended with Michael headed to Arizona to find a man who might have information about the murder.
That information should provide some real twists. That's because Sarah Wayne Callies, who played the supposedly murdered Sara in the first two seasons, returns to the series this year.
Cast and crew had a long break between seasons. Last year's finale aired on Feb. 18. The writers' strike shortened the season to 13 episodes from the usual 22.
Purcell, who still sports the ultra-short hair he has had since the first season of the show, had no trouble returning to the role.
"I could call him back with no problem," Purcell says. "That's why it has been so easy to play the character despite the differences in each season. Lincoln is just Lincoln. He adapts to the situation."
It also helped that he spent a lot of time training and surfing to be ready to handle the physical demands of the show.
Even the fact that there is a fourth season is a surprise to the cast.
The original expectation was that the show might last two years, but there are no signs this will be the last season, as "Prison Break" has become a hit around the globe.
That means this will be the longest-running role for Purcell, who says his creative side has become bored with some roles in the past.
The salvation for "Prison Break" is how much he likes the character of Lincoln Burrows.
الأربعاء أغسطس 27, 2008 2:08 pm
