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« Prison Break Blog
Talking Tighty-whities and Tiger Pants
Splash, right back into the breach as we dive into the worst possible prison: Sona. The sick, twisted writers once again have conjured a fantastically frigged-up storyline that will rocket us through what so far is a wicked Season 3. I think this year may be our best season yet.
Yet again it is proved true that no character is sacred on this show, except for, of course, Michael and Lincoln. Bellick's still alive... and I still got a job!
So far the themes for Bellick in Season 3 have been "tighty-whities" and Tiger pants. I spent a month walking around set in my grunds... covered with dirt and dried movie blood, sweating my bare ass off in the 105-degree Texas sun. Then the writers put me in MC Hammer tiger pants with a nasty short T-shirt. If I hear one more, "They're gr-r-rreat!" or tiger growl, I'm gonna go postal.
The whole tighty-whitey thing was the writer's riff on an idea I had in the last episode of Season 2. There is a scene where Michael is walking down the hallway in Sona seeing what a dreadful place he's landed in and he sees Bellick lying on the floor beaten to a pulp, stripped almost naked. It was originally written that Bellick was on the floor beaten up, never mentioned that he was stripped down to his grunds.
That's when I had the brilliant idea: Why don't we strip Bellick naked and add makeup like he's been almost beaten to death? That'll show what a truly horrible place Michael and the cast have landed in. Kevin Hooks, the director of Episode 222, "Sona," said, "Good idea. But you can't be naked, you gotta wear something." So the wardrobe department whipped me up a nasty pair of tighty-whities. Little did I know I'd spend the next two episodes (it took a whole month to shoot them) wearing nothing but Fruit of the Looms, covered with dirt and blood, shoeless, hobbling around in the hundred-degree heat. It took two hours in the makeup chair every day to get me ready. (That's nothing compared with the four hours it takes them to do Wentworth's tattoo.)
Again it's been a battle here in Texas with the heat, and two of the sets for Sona are exterior sets and both are like working in a convection oven. One day we were shooting a scene where the military guards of Sona have entered the courtyard and all of us prisoners, including Michael, all the other incarcerated characters, and the extras, had to kneel on the clay with our hands behind our heads while this huge scene was shot. It took 10 hours to shoot. Six people went to the hospital with heatstroke. I was drinking water and finding shade every chance I could. It took me three or four days to get over the dehydration. Brutal.
I think we have some great new characters this season and a fascinating new story with Sona, the plans to escape, the ticking clock, the mysterious Whistler and the commanding Lechero. What's gonna happen? I wish I knew. I've been having a great time telling Bellick's twisted storyline. I love the dark, weird stuff the writers have written for Bellick so far this season.
I'd like to make this blog thing a little more interactive, so if you have any questions, put them in a comment and I'll do my best to answer a few each time.
It's good to be back and good to be Bellick!
Fox's Prison Break airs Mondays at 8 pm/ET.
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Oct 29, 2007 8:58 AM
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Welcome back, Wade!!
I am glad to see you are back on the show at least for now, right?!? *fingers crossed*
I know there are some fans who are upset with Sara Wayne Callies being fired/quit the show, but I say she was a piece of the puzzle and let's move on. I will continue to watch the show until the end.
Do you have any funny stories you could share?
Keep up the great work and stay cool.
I am glad they did find some pants for ya, even if they are straight from the MC Hammer collection. 
Melissa
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Oct 29, 2007 2:46 PM
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Hi Wade,
I have to admit the first few episodes of Season 3 with you looking all beat up was some great acting on your part. I really felt sorry for Bellecks character and I loved it when you asked Sucre to contact your mom.
Sorry to hear about the heat wave you guys are going through and the extras sent to the hospital for dehydration.
I am also sad to hear about Sara's character as well.
My question would be in between takes what do you and the rest of the guys do for fun?
Thanks and welcome back
Aileen
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Oct 29, 2007 5:20 PM
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Hi Wade, I LOVED your video diary that you did for SykOne. You so need to do more of those.
Do you think Bellick will get to see his mom again? It would be such great irony if Bellick was one of the few characters who got a relatively happy ending.
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Oct 30, 2007 4:42 AM
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Have you been hearing anything about the spin off on the set or is this breaking news to you? Any thoughts?
I love your tiger pants. Do you get to wear anything else in the episodes you shot so far?
Ma Bellick just has to come down to Panama to break her boy out by the fall finale. Right?
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Oct 30, 2007 6:35 AM
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hello, my name is bianca and I am from the Netherlands, prison break is a huge success here too. I love the show. The show is on Thursday at 20:30 and next Thursday is episode 4. Its great that you have a blog so we can read a little about what is going on behind the scenes etc. And what your thoughts are about the show. As for the character of Dr Sarah, I think it was good for the storyline, it really shows how serious the company is. And wade, you play a great brad bellick, i love it. I already have been reading some storylines on the internet because I just can't wait until next week, it's so exciting. I hope you will blog more and maybe you can write also more about the other cast members. Maybe they will blog something to?? I am also happy for you that you have at least some clothes on your body, tiger pants or not it's always better than the tighty whitties. I hope you and the other cast and crew members are having fun making prison break, it's sure great to watch it.
Keep up the good work and greetings to everyone on the show.
Groeten, Bianca.
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Oct 30, 2007 4:56 PM
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I'm so glad your blog is back Wade. I really like reading all the behind the scenes stuff about Bellick and the show.
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Oct 31, 2007 7:48 PM
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Thanks for filling us in on the behind-the-scenes happenings. It sounds like you are having a blast playing Bellick -- you're doing a great job! Any chance they can find a harmonica in Sona, so you/Bellick can play us a tune?
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Nov 1, 2007 10:27 PM
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Bellick has been cracking me up since the beginning of season 2. And watching Bellick try to "flirt" with "Pistachio" may be the funniest thing I've ever seen. Keep up the great work!
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Nov 2, 2007 1:18 AM
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Ya know, if they just hosed you off a little bit, you would've looked damn good in those tighty whities 
Always a pleasure to read your blog, and glad to see Bellick has some bite left.
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Nov 2, 2007 6:16 PM
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Man, the only question I have for you, is how did you not end up in hospital, too? That's some serious working conditions you got going on there.
Bellick's really the unsung hero of the show, isn't he? Out of all the season 1 characters, he is pretty much the last one you would think would still be such an important part of the show. I kept expecting him to be written out with a bad ending, but he always dodges the bullet.
Long may he continue to do so!
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Nov 4, 2007 11:06 PM
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Welcome Back Wade!!
How great that you are back and blogging on TVGuide.com. I love reading them. Well, I have to say seeing you in the season 2 finale - I almost did not recognize you. What a great job in the makeup department and what terrific acting on your part!!
You always crack me up! Bellick is not giving up. He is still trying to hustle and stay alive and I love that. I am glad that you have been around and have not met with any demise. You add some great scenes.
I do have a question though: Do you think there will be any more flashbacks on the new & old inmates?
Thank you and stay cool and be safe!!
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Nov 5, 2007 2:51 PM
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Hello ~ This is really cool of you to do! I have to say that I think you are a very good actor. Your character is a great part of the show.
My question is this ~
Why can't they make fake tattoos (like the ones for kids that you just press on) for Michael's tattoo. It would only take about ten minutes versus hours! It just makes no sense to me that somebody couldn't come up with something like that ~ in TV land! So much easier.
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Nov 12, 2007 1:53 PM
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Hello Wade,
Thanks for taking the time to both blog
and answer questions here. And for terrific performances this season as Bellick has been put through one ordeal after another. My question is, do you see
shows such as Prison Break as evidence that the gap between feature film and television is narrowing? We as viewers are
getting shows that are increasingly more
serialized with high production values and
great acting, since tv is no longer a matter of having to tune in at a particular time or have to worry about missing episodes. Thanks again!
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Nov 13, 2007 6:50 PM
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Hey Wade! First of all, thanks for blogging again, always nice to hear from you! After my last comment I was worried you were too busy to ever blog again, or that you’d just quit, but thank God you didn’t forget about us! You mentioned in your last message you would like us to ask you some questions about PB or you, to make this blog a bit more interactive, so here we go:
Is it really true you don’t know yourself what’s gonna happen in the next episode(s), and if you’re gonna survive this season, or even the next episode?
How do you practice your lines than (ep by ep?), and how long do you need time to do this?
Are there any plans for a season 4?
If not, what will you do after this season comes to an end? Personally, I think it would be really unfair to us PB fans to just quit, I vote for PB till eternity!
Than again, maybe it would be nice to (also) see you in another context, a different character in another TV show or movie, but it just can’t be that your not on TV anymore at all! Any plans for that?
And last but not least, is it really you writing this blog, or do you have someone doing this for
you? (I’m sorry but I just HAVE to ask this, please don’t hate me)
Well, I hope you blog again soon, and take care for now! Keep up the good work, Xxx S1m0ne
Oh, last question, what happens to this blog if, God forbid, PB ends?
Oh, and if you ever worry about what to write on this blog, we want to know EVERYTHING, so you just write everything!
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Nov 28, 2007 8:17 AM
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