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Prison Break Exclusive: Sarah Wayne Callies Speaks!
Sarah Wayne Callies by Jeremy Cowart/Fox
Positively radiant (and sexy!) in a sleek minidress at Fox's upfronts after-party, Sarah Wayne Callies looked no worse for the wear, having been through such an ordeal early last season as Prison Break's Dr. Sara Tancredi. But now that Michael's love has her head on straight, what's next for the starcrossed pair? I grabbed a few minutes with Callies to get a peek at Season 4.
To steal one Fox publicist's line, "It's good to see you with your head on your shoulders."
That's very kind of you to say!
How does it feel to be promoting the show again? Who made the first overture to get you back?
I'm not sure because they called my representatives. Apparently something had been kicking around for a little while. I was actually in the process of negotiating to be on another show, and this came out of nowhere.
Especially given the circumstances of Dr. Sara's exit.
Especially given that I had not come out a-head in the third season. [Winks] Let's get all those jokes out of the way. But no, it had to do with the fans. I'm enormously grateful for their persistence.
We at TVGuide.com got so much mail....
Really?
Oh, yeah. People felt the Michael-Sara romance had been abruptly cut short.
That's interesting. I think it makes sense for me now to return and do justice to that, give it the closure it deserves.
Was Went[worth Miller] glad to see you?
That's a question for Went!
Do you have any idea where Sara will be coming from, emotionally? Is she, I could imagine, totally pissed off?
I think she's been through an enormous amount. Everybody on the show has been. But as one of the few characters who was not familiar with a life of crime before all this started, it's hitting her very hard. So I think this season for her is about negotiating the consequences of the choices she has had to make and the things that have been done to her as a result.
Jodi Lynn O'Keefe (Susan B.) told us she's dying to have scenes with you.
I've asked for them, too, but I haven't read a single script yet, so I don't know. There were so many terrific women in the third season, and I don't think I've ever had a scene with another woman....
No, just that nurse you conned into leaving the infirmary door open.
[Laughs] Yeah, and she's a lovely woman and I'd love to work with her again. But any of the [new Prison Break actresses], I would love to work with.
As a working mom now, are you happier to be filming this season in Los Angeles, versus Chicago or Texas?
It's exciting for me to not have to relocate my family, absolutely.
So for how long do we have you around for? Best case.
I think I'm here to the bitter end, but I've thought that before. So who knows!
Related:
• Prison Break Stunner: Sarah Wayne Callies Returns!
• Prison Break Exclusive: The Real Story Behind Sara's Death
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May 15, 2008 8:22 PM
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First off I will no longer be watching this show, it was 1 of my favs but to have a characther come back after they told us she was dead is just crazy, she chose to leave for another show and it did not work out so she comes crawling back, that is like dumping a guy for a new guy and then the new guy dumps her and she wants the ex back, sorry but you lost a fan.
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May 16, 2008 12:06 AM
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Cancel that last post I thought sara left for another show,
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May 16, 2008 12:18 AM
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Can't wait for season 4 now she is back again. I don't know where they are heading but I'll tune in again.
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May 16, 2008 1:42 AM
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yeah bruins1968 - read this, was online in Oct 2007
Prison Break Exclusive: The Real Story Behind Sara's Death
Sarah Wayne Callies by Jeremy Cowart/Fox
If you're still in denial about the horrific turn of events on tonight's Prison Break, well, stop reading, 'cause a stone-cold reality check is coming your way: That was definitely Sara Tancredi's decapitated head staring up at Lincoln from that box. No ifs, ands or red herrings about it. Michael's long-suffering soul mate is dead and she ain't comin' back.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. And now prepare yourself for another sobering piece of news. Yes, my friends, it gets worse. The sad truth is, it didn't have to end this way. It wasn't supposed to end this way.
As Prison Break executive producer Matt Olmstead explains in this exclusive interview, the violent nature of Sara's death was the culmination of long and fruitless negotiations between the show and new-mom Sarah Wayne Callies. It's enough to make your head spin. (Sorry. Poor taste.) Stick around after the Q&A for Callies' response. And then feel free to assign blame wherever you feel it's warranted.
Last January, after it was announced that Sarah was pregnant, your colleague, Paul Scheuring, assured fans that he had no intention of killing off her character. What changed?
Matt Olmstead: What changed is that our initial pitch to the network was [rejected], so we had to go back to the drawing board. I remember we were sitting in the room thinking, "How do we unlock Season 3, motivation-wise?" Since we're not a procedural, we have to keep everyone moving forward. We have to evolve. And given what Michael's been through, how do you keep him going? And then it was tossed out, "What happens if Sara gets killed as an extension of what we already had planned for Season 3?" We knew that would work. But clearly it was a big conversation. And when we pitched the network, they wanted to know if there was any way we could avoid that, because everyone loved Sarah's work. But in order to make the season work, we really didn't have any other motivation for Michael. We determined that this was the right thing to do in order to really jolt the series.
Did you ever stop to consider that this might be a slap in the face to fans who had invested two years in the Michael-Sara relationship?
Olmstead: We took everything into consideration. Our initial idea was to have [Sarah/Sara appear in] the first 13 episodes, so she and Michael could have a proper goodbye. There were going to be some really emotional scenes where he tried to save her from dying, but she ultimately passed. So then we whittled it down to 11 episodes, then 10 episodes, then nine episodes, then four episodes…. Then we suggested flying to her — she was pregnant [at the time] and living in a remote part of Canada — and bringing a camera crew to her house, but that wasn't accepted. We then whittled it down to just a phone conversation, and that was turned down, too. We were really looking forward to paying off that relationship. But [when] it became evident that that wasn't going to happen, we made lemonade out of a lemon.
So, as a result, you were forced to kill her off sooner than you had planned?
Olmstead: Much sooner. We used the story to our advantage in that she was being held hostage. [Sarah] was gracious enough to let us use her image, which really helped. I totally get it, personally. She was, at the time, pregnant and living in a remote part of Canada and nesting; [she] kind of looked at the options and didn't want to go forward. No hard feelings whatsoever. The show is an ensemble. The show moves forward. There are very few untouchable actors on the show.
Wasn't Sarah under contract? Didn't she have to return?
Olmstead: That's a business-affairs question.
[At this point, 20th Century spokesperson Chris Alexander interjects: "We had to either pick her up for the entire season of 22, according to her contract, or we had to make a new contract with her. We determined in May that we didn't plan to use her for the full 22, so we chose not to renew our existing contract with her. And so, to get her back for the 13 or 14 that we wanted, we had to make a new deal, and she declined."]
What was your understanding as to why she didn't want to come back? It seems strange that she refused to return in any capacity. Doesn't it seem strange to you?
Olmstead: It looked like a pretty good deal on the face of it. We definitely came up in money. Thirteen episodes would have allowed the character to have a proper exit. We were willing to push the start date back [to accommodate her maternity leave], which would have meant her coming in [around] Episode 10, but that wasn't accepted. So then we offered to come up [to Canada] before she gave birth and film at her house. Pretty good money and she wouldn't even have to leave her house. That wasn't accepted. So it was a little curious to me and to others why she was taking such a hard stance. [Maybe] she felt that she was made certain assurances about being part of the show this season. And in fairness to her, those assurances were given, because she was such a valuable member of the show…. Also, she's up [in Canada]. She's comfortable. She's starting a family. Maybe she didn't want to have to fly down and have to do this stuff. Or maybe she felt like she wanted to be part of the show [full time], not just half the season. Perhaps she felt a little jilted. Our [original] plan was to definitely keep her for [all of] Season 3, but after a couple of times of getting it kicked back from the network, we had to come up with a new idea and that necessitated her character being killed.
Did you ever get an inkling that she wasn't happy working on the show?
Olmstead: No. I've worked in TV for 10 years. I've been around difficult actors. I've definitely been around malcontents. She was none of those. Great actress. Very smart. Good suggestions. And an asset to the show.
Sarah was recently quoted in a French magazine saying that she was "sad," "shocked" and felt "deceived" by the decision to kill off the character. Presuming this is what she actually said, does this surprise you?
Olmstead: Not really. She was invested in the character and wanted to be a part of the show. We felt the same way.
Let's discuss the way you killed her off. Some might view it as you guys exacting revenge on Sarah for not returning.
Olmstead: We really had no way of using her image other than the existing images that we had. Those Polaroids we used are old wardrobe shots from Season 1 and 2. She didn't give us any new photos. So [we had to devise a way to] kill her [and still] show a body…. Obviously she wasn't going to fly down and be a DOA for us. We just wanted to go with the most dramatic way to do it, a way that you could do it and not need the actress. Also, what it does is it helps put teeth into the antagonist of the show, the Susan character. Because a lot of times with [villains], they're constantly wagging their finger, "You better do this, you better do that or this is going to happen" and it becomes hollow after a while. So, this absolutely dramatizes that when Susan issues a cautionary to Lincoln and that goes unheeded, this is the result.
So Sarah's refusal to return essentially limited how you could kill her?
Olmstead: Yeah, basically. Could you have seen a [body] double's feet being shoved into a meat grinder? Sure. Could you see a wide shot of a female body being dumped in an ocean? Probably. But dramatically, this allowed us to get the most out of what little we had to work with…. We used her not coming back to our advantage. When the bomb finally drops for Michael — and he finds out that she has been killed — it's an unbelievable sequence between him and Lincoln. And it really lays a huge motivation on him.
Response from Sarah Wayne Callies
Although Callies declined multiple interview requests, last Friday the actress sent me the following statement via her spokesperson.
"As hard as we all tried, the Prison Break powers that be and I were unable to find a way to meet both the needs of the story and the needs of my family. We parted wishing each other well. I had a wonderful time working with the creative team and have a world of respect for all of them; they took great care of Dr. Sara. I'm also enormously grateful to the fans. They've been so gracious and supportive, and I hope they continue to enjoy the show."
So, there you have it. Michael and Sara's love story was cut short over a frakkin' contract dispute. Assuming you're already in the anger phase of your grieving process, let the blame game begin in the comments section below. Also, don't forget to check out this week's Ask Ausiello for scoop on the next chapter in this unbelievable tale: Michael's rebound relationship!
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May 16, 2008 2:26 AM
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yay! i'm so happy to see her back and to finally get an interview with her. wohooo!
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May 16, 2008 4:09 AM
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I was done with this show the minute the box was opened. Whatever. It is a subpar show to begin with.
However, this is interesting:
[Sarah] was gracious enough to let us use her image, which really helped.
Someone from Grey's Anatomy should take note.
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May 16, 2008 8:25 AM
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They have such brilliant writers that I have all the confidence that they will not let us down and I for one cannot wait and for all you haters don't watch the show then, but you will. Curiosity killed the cat and all.
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May 16, 2008 9:49 AM
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[Sarah] was gracious enough to let us use her image, which really helped.
Someone from Grey's Anatomy should take note.
deeshopper, do you realize how stupid your statement is? The situations are totally different. The wording strongly implies Sarah was asked, where as "Someone from Grey's Anatomy" wasn't. I'm sure you or someone will bash him and say he would have said no anyway, but you don't know that. Do you frequently compare apples and oranges?
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May 16, 2008 1:29 PM
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Hey wildbill. How's the air up there? Nice of you to assume.
My point was that the "someone from Grey's Anatomy" wasn't Washington, but the producers and other powers that be, as in he should have been asked.
Seems to me, you are the one comparing apples and oranges.
"I'm sure you or someone will bash him and say he would have said no anyway, but you don't know that."
Oh really now? You're so sure are you? Because I believe that Washington is in the right for being ticked off about his photograph being used. But, you're so sure.
Feel free to continue to call my opinion stupid. You'll have to remove the foot from your mouth first.
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May 16, 2008 1:32 PM
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glad to know sarah wayne is back. and if "shark" ever gets canceled, kevin alejandro can get to try out for a new role on prison break.
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May 16, 2008 9:35 PM
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"that is like dumping a guy for a new guy and then the new guy dumps her and she wants the ex back"...bruins1968 have you seen the movie "forgetting sarah marshal"???
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May 16, 2008 10:11 PM
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glad to know sarah wayne is back. and if "shark" ever gets canceled, kevin alejandro can get to try out for a new role on prison break.
Posted by consexwife
Shark has been cancelled. Glad to have Sarah/Sara back.
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May 17, 2008 6:00 PM
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The episodes surrounding SWC's departure were awful, but the season bounded back and it is (still) one of the best shows on TV. No contest.
Having SWC in the mix for the (I presume) final season will only make it better.
Yay!
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May 17, 2008 9:16 PM
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when does the season start???????
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Jun 1, 2008 11:10 PM
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