Amazing Stories from the Web
continued from No. 22
Part 7. SCREEN BREAK, OR AN AMAZING SUCCESS STORY
Pre-Reading: Discussion Questions
1. Would you like to be a celebrity?
2. Which qualities are necessary to achieve success?
Wentworth Miller became a household name when the first season
of a new TV show called “Prison Break” appeared on FOX channel in 2005. It was
originally conceived as a mini-series, of just several episodes, with a very clear plot
line. A man is unjustly accused of a crime and put into prison. His younger brother, who
is a talented engineer, pretends to rob a bank, so that he is also put into prison. He
then tries to escape, together with his brother. It was thought that at the end of roughly
a dozen episodes, Michael will achieve success, and that will be the end. But the ratings
of the pilot episodes were so high that the studio decided to continue the show, which is
now in its fourth season. It is clear that this previously little known actor is the main
attraction. He is the center of the ill assorted team, as well as the main romantic
interest in the story. Prison Doctor Sarah Tancredi, Michael Scofield’s platonic love,
went through many more changes than is normal even for a TV show heroine. At the end of
Season 1, she committed suicide. The viewing public reacted predictably, so the doctor
returned in Season 2, miraculously saved at the eleventh hour. When the time to
sign a new contract came in summer 2007, Sarah Wayne Callies, “the doe-eyed”
actress who played the female lead, refused to continue the shooting, because she just had
a baby. So the studio had to introduce considerable changes into the story line. Our
charming doctor was killed, yet again. The viewers remained loyal to the show, hoping that
something else will happen and Sarah will come back. What happened actually was the script
writers’ strike which put all the shows on hold for several months. Eventually,
shortened versions of all the major shows, including Prison Break, were released. One
could read the public’s speculations on the many internet blogs and forums devoted to
the show. Most viewers agreed that, thanks to the writer’s strike, the actress had
enough time to relax with the baby. They were sure she would come back. Otherwise, where
is the romantic interest? A new love in our charismatic hero’s life? No! Sarah Tancredi
was the one and only woman for Michael Scofield.
On September 1, 2008, Season 4 started. Sure enough, our doctor Sarah is back. We learn that “the evidence of her death was fabricated”. Now Michael Scofield can continue working with the team, or gang, fighting the mysterious “Company”. From time to time, he holds Sarah’s hands, looks her in the eye, and says in his deep voice: “One day”. Meaning, one day we shall be free, happy and together forever. Let us hope for the best, then.
Only a very good actor can hold our interest like that, and carry off all the unbelievable story twists. “You are the brains, I am the brawn. Tell me what to do”, says his brother Lincoln. The whole team also looks at Michael as the “brainiac” who can perform miracles. Which he does.
Every once and a while, an actor appears in a role that seems tailor-made. For Wentworth Miller, that role came when he was cast as young Coleman Silk in “The Human Stain” (2003), a race drama about a man (the older version played by Sir Anthony Hopkins) hiding the true nature of his identity—one born from a white mother and black father. Miller’s own background was a mirror image of the character, which naturally gave him an edge on the competition despite his short resume. The only thing that is difficult to believe in this film is the fact that Wentworth Miller turns into Anthony Hopkins. But since both actors are extremely talented, we viewers do not pay too much attention to their totally different appearances.
Prior to his feature debut, Miller paid his dues in small roles on various television shows. Eventually, Miller began appearing in more prominent parts, like the pilot episode of the popular TV show “Ghost Whisperer”. And then he landed the lead role on the escape drama, “Prison Break” (Fox, 2005–), an action-packed series that had set him up to become a breakthrough star.
Though Miller was born on June 2, 1972 in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, where his father was a Rhodes Scholar, he grew up in Park Slope, Brooklyn, back when it was far less trendy. The cultural diversity of his neighborhood allowed him to ignore issues of race. Miller says he never really thought much about it. His family later moved to Sewickley, Pennsylvania where he attended Quaker Valley High School his senior year. After graduation, he attended Princeton and majored in English. Though he loved acting and appeared in school productions since he was in kindergarten, Miller blenched at the prospect of pursuing acting in the business-oriented climate of the Ivy League school. Upon graduation in 1995, Miller moved to Los Angeles and began his entertainment career as a lowly assistant at a development company, presumably to put his Princeton degree to good use.
Working at the development company rekindled his desire to act, however, and later, while working behind the counter at a Border’s Bookstore, he began going on auditions. Three years after landing in Los Angeles, he got his first role on an episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (WB-UPN, 1996–2003), then went on to a recurring role on the short-lived Fox series, “The Time of Your Life” (1999–2000), a spin-off from “Party of Five” (Fox, 1994-2000) starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. In a 2000 episode of “ER” (NBC, 1994–), he played a high school quarterback injured in a student riot. After another recurring role on the teen comedy “Popular” (WB, 1999–2001) was cut short, Miller appeared as a waiter in “Room 302” (2001), a short film featured in Showtime’s 9th annual Black Filmmaker Showcase. An appearance in the cliche-ridden miniseries, “Dinotopia” (ABC, 2002), a CGI fantasy about a lost continent where humans and dinosaurs co-exist peacefully, added a major – albeit cheesy – role to his resume.
After a couple of episodes on “Joan of Arcadia” (CBS, 2003–2005), he gave his best HAL impression in the big budget bomb, “Stealth” (2005), voicing EDI, the onboard computer of a runaway aerial combat plane equipped with nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence gone haywire. Miller then landed the role of Michael Scofield on the Fox series, “Prison Break,” playing a structural engineer who robs a bank in order to get arrested and placed in the same prison as his brother (Dominic Purcell), a wrongly-accused death row inmate. Despite criticism for stretching the boundaries of plausibility, the show was hailed for its suspense and excitement. The show made an impressive debut, pulling 10.5 million viewers its first night and holding 8.5 million its second episode.
The show goes on, and Wentworth Miller is now a part of the Rich and Famous scene. As a celebrity, he attracts a lot of attention from journalists, as well as paparazzi. Many people now see him as an alter ego of Michael Scofield, and extremely attractive and intelligent character. In spite of the attempts to find some “dirt” on the actor, the paparazzi cannot shake his “good boy” image.
a household name (n.) a person or thing that is well known to everybody
at the eleventh hour (idiomatic expression) at the last moment
doe-eyed (adj.) with eyes like a doe, female deer; with very beautiful large eyes
brawn (n.) muscular strength
brainiac (n.) informal: a very clever person
tailor-made (adj.) exactly suited to a person, situation, need etc.
blench (v.) to make a sudden movement as of fear
Ivy League school one of eight best universities in the USA
cheesy (adj.) with few clothes on
alter ego (n.) Latin expression meaning that a person is seen as very similar or the same as someone else
If you are interested in this story, you can use a search engine at <yahoo.com>. On your left, you will see a line which says Movies/TV. Click on the link, and then type the show’s name in the Search line. You can also search for Wentworth Miller on the web.