Prison Break Blog

We just finished shooting the last script written before the writers strike began. Now we are on vacation/hold/hiatus/looking for a gig while the writers and producers hopefully bang out a deal sooner rather than later. My instinct is that this strike could go on for a while — the stakes are high and the players are dug in. I'm just gonna save my dough and hopefully get a gig in the mean time. We'll see what the future brings. It's not time to worry yet.

The production is completely shut down here . Most of the cast in PB have given up their apartments here in Dallas and moved back to L.A. The over- 200 member crew of Prison Break is out of work, as well. Nice timing for the holidays huh? It's hard for everyone. We all want to continue working on PB but we can't just wait around hoping for the strike to end and turn down other work. I think everybody is in "hope for the best, prepare for the worst" mode, taking work if it comes our way and saving the greenbacks. Since our daughter is in school here, we're gonna stay put in Dallas until we resume production again.

But don't despair. There are still 5 new episodes of PB to air this season. In the USA they will begin airing the new episodes on January 14, 2008, and continue them into February. I'm not sure what the foreign airdates will be. There's some classic PB yet to come so hold onto your hats. I think this has been my favorite season so far — despite my wardrobe and the brutal prison Sona — with all the new complicated characters, the unimaginable deaths. I think it's been Prison Break at it's ruthless best.

As I promised I'm gonna answer some questions you asked in your comments:

Bijoux asks: "Have you been hearing anything about the spin off on the set or is this breaking news to you? Any thoughts?

Well actually we have been hearing rumors about a spin off called Prison Break: Cherry Hill about a women's prison. The Rumors going as far as whispering that they were looking for the lead female actor for the show! I don't know how true any of them are, but it sounds like a cool idea to me. What do you think?

ZZZ99 asks: "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 10 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."

They do make fake tattoo; in fact that's what they use on Wentworth: industrial strength wet-and-lift tattoos a lot like the ones little kids love. These are made with better inks and are alcohol based so you apply them using alcohol and then lift them off. They use separate tattoo pieces for his arms, chest and back. After they are applied, a make up artist uses alcohol soluble make up to tweak the tattoo art. The whole process to apply then paint and tweak Went's tats takes 4 hours…so if he has to be ready to work at 7 am that means he's in the make up chair at 3 am to begin getting his tattoos applied. He's been a good sport every time…thank goodness for him the tattoos haven't been used much recently.

The SonaExpress asks: "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! I think you're right; the gap between TV and film is narrowing. It used to be that TV and Film were two different animals. In the past, the visual language of television and film, as well as the acting, directing, writing, and editing styles were very different. More and more film actors, writers and directors are doing TV shows now. Many feature film directors are becoming executive producers on TV shows, take Brett Ratner for instance. Stylistically, shows like Prison Break have film like forms in the serial nature of the story line and in the way the camera is used to tell the story…its not just a bunch of talking heads like a lot of TV…although PB is edited into close ups often.

The DVR/computer has changed the way people can watch television…we can watch what we want when we want and fast forward through the commercials. I think the present/future holds downloadable TV where we will be able to program our TV/computer to download whatever TV show or movie we want to watch onto our hard drive whenever we want…that's already the case here in the US. That's what the writers strike is all about…revenues from digital media. Soon for a fee, all TV and Film will be available in best quality digital form for immediate download…itunes is just the beginning…writers, actors, directors…we don't receive a penny for any of that.

S1mulat10n0ne asks: "Is it really you writing this blog, or do you have someone doing this for
you?

Yep, its me that writes it! I enjoy doing it, thanks for reading.

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.

I wrapped for Season 2 of Prison Break on Wednesday, March 7 — a bittersweet day. It has been a challenging and rewarding season for me. I love making film and television because it is truly a collaborative art. It takes the combined talents of the crew, writers, actors, directors, assistant directors and producers to get a show completed on such a tight schedule. I am proud to be a part of a great team. The crew here in Dallas really stepped up to the plate and hit one out of the park. The quality you see on the screen is largely due to their efforts.

We still haven't heard officially that there is going to be a Season 3 of PB, or where it will be shot. As for Bellick and Wade, one thing for certain is nothing's for certain. The best thing about being an actor is you get a lot of time off. The worst thing about being an actor is you get a lot of time off.

In Season 2, Dallas, Texas, and the weather held the starring role. If I were to pick a better climate, I'd pick [Season 1's] Chicago because at least you know what you're gonna get: cold in the winter, hot in the summer. In Dallas, it can be all that in the same day. The heat was brutal last summer: 122 scorching degrees sometimes. One day in December, it was sleeting and snowing in the morning, then after lunch we were in short sleeves breaking out the sunscreen. So far, the rumors point to Season 3 being shot here in Dallas as well, with splinter units being sent to Florida and Shreveport, Louisiana.

Gird your loins for the last episodes, because everything is gonna go haywire. People are gonna die, maybe even Bellick. Like life, we never know when our number is up. Nothing and nobody is sacred on this show. The writers, again, have proven the prowess of their sick, twisted minds. It's going to be sad to see certain cast members bite the dust. They will be missed from our PB family. I am certain that they will land on their feet running.

As for Bellick, remember who else is heading to Mexico.... Last time we met him, somebody's throat got slit. I hope death comes swiftly.

I just went to L.A. to attend the Paley Festival, an event and honor given by the Museum of Television & Radio. It was great to participate in an event where we could meet some of our fans. It was a wonderful evening, a thrill to experience the reaction that our fans have to the show and to our characters.

For now, I am going to relax and hang out with my family and enjoy some time off. Hopefully I'll still have a job to come back to — maybe I need to start looking for the next gig? I know some of the cast members have movies lined up for the hiatus. This show has really given some of the actors a big leg up in the industry. I am very proud of them.

So long to everyone for now. Hopefully, Bellick will survive to persist in Season 3. If not, anybody have a job for an out-of-work actor?

Thanks to all for reading along and posting your wonderful comments.

Follow your bliss,
Wade

Fox's Prison Break airs Mondays at 8 pm/ET.

When I read that Steadman blew his head off, I was totally surprised! That's what I love about Prison Break [Mondays at 8 pm/ET, on Fox] — I can never guess what's gonna happen next.

As for Bellick, he's in for a rude awakening. Ouch!

It seems like nothing is the way it seems on this show. Both Kellerman and Mahone are two-faced, so which face is gonna look at you next? The only "good" guys left are the Brothers, Sucre and C-Note. They are running for love and family. I ain't even gonna talk about T-Bag — what's he running for?

The scripts continue to be page-turners full of unexpected twists and turns. We are shooting Episode 219 — that's five episodes ahead of what's airing — and we're dealing with the Texas weather's twists and turns. It doesn't get as cold as Chicago, but we have had some sleet and ice. Makes for some cold and frosty days on location. Even the threat of ice or snow shuts Dallas down. They close the schools here over a bad weather report!

Rumors are flying about a Season 3 for Prison Break. As of yet, we haven't gotten official word one way or the other. Everyone should get on Fox's Prison Break website and lobby for Season 3. I feel like there are a lot of great stories to tell about these two brothers and their continuing prison break. It ain't over till it's over.

As actors, some of us are wondering if our characters will make it alive to the next episode, much less to the next season. My mantra is, "It's nice to have a gig," because you never know how long a gig will last in this business. Hopefully, old Bellick will survive for a while longer — though it doesn't look very good for him now.

Not much else new here. Just wondering about Bellick's and Wade's future.

A little story about destiny:

When I was a kid, nine or 10 years old, a young doctor, his wife and new baby moved into the house next door to my family in Atlanta, Georgia. I was born in Atlanta and lived there mostly until I was 13, when we moved to Tulsey Town, Oklahoma. Dr. Haley and his wife Stephanie were a great positive influence on me. Having inspiring role models is a blessing when moving into the teen-aged years. Dr. Haley inspired my interests in music — opera and blue grass, for two. He used to blast old opera LPs and listen to the Sunday opera broadcasts on the radio. I would watch him "conduct" the orchestra like Toscanini as he listened. He would pull out his old Gibson RB100 banjo and do some picking sometimes too. He patiently showed me how to do a good job at many things. He threw the football with me, and taught me that no excuse was a good excuse!

Many times throughout my life I have thought about decisions I had to make in terms of: "What would Dr. Haley would do?" It's invaluable to have a model like that. When we moved away, I continued to be interested in things that Dr. Haley introduced me to, like opera, blue grass, and integrity.
Years went by and our families kept in touch. We would see each other for short visits as they moved to Dallas, where Dr. Haley and his family are from mdash; going back to the civil war!

So here we are 30 years later, and destiny move my family and me to Dallas to be near the Haleys again. In the last 15 years, Dr. Haley has been working on some very important research searching for the cause and the treatment of "Gulf War Syndrome." He has dedicated his life to this pursuit and has helped many Gulf War vets, and continues to do so. So much so that when I arrived in Dallas this summer, his family would say that all he did was work.

I believe the reason destiny brought my family and I to Dallas, Texas, was twofold: to continue working on a great show with fantastic people, and to have the chance to be with the Haleys again. My wife and daughter and I have been welcomed here and made to feel at home. My wife loves it here in Dallas. She has the Haley family here for support and friendship, and Ive got my first hero close by. We've been playing guitar and banjo and have five or six songs sounding good enough to tap your foot too. I've been learning bluegrass banjo on his old RB100!

Never would have thought destiny would bring us to Dallas, where I'd be pickin' and grinnin' with Dr. Haley and listening to Pagganini's Violin Concerto with him, playing air violin along with the record. That's the beautiful thing about destiny — one never knows where it will lead.

Happy holidays, everyone.

The tides have changed for jailbird Brad Bellick. May the circle be unbroken. I wonder how long an ex ass-guard is gonna last in the Big House. Don't pick up the soap.

Again we're off for hiatus, but this time we'll be back much earlier, with a recap [airing] Jan. 22! Then new episodes begin Jan. 29. We're still shooting here in Dallas — we've got two weeks off for the holidays, then back to work in early January — so we didn't get the three-month break this time. I think it'll be better for everyone. It's nice to gain a little anticipation with a hiatus, but three months was ridiculous! This is a little more like it.

I thought [the fall finale] was a great episode. Surprises galore, turncoats, reversals of fortune... a lot like politics these days!

I'm loving what the writers are giving Bellick this year. He's gotten to travel from the depths of despair to being $5 million richer to being put into his worst nightmare — back in gen pop in the prison where he once ruled so ruthlessly. Payback is hell. If you ask me, he deserves every bit of it.

By the way, I was not directing an episode; I was shadowing Kevin Hooks as he directed an episode. I was being a fly on the wall, watching and listening, hoping to understand more of what the process is to create an hour of episodic television. I learned that the art of planning and the art of improvisation are equally important. Kevin is so good at it he makes it look easy, but he couldn't fool me — 14 hours a day from 6 am to 7 or 8 pm, or sometimes longer, for eight days straight... it's hard work. Who knows what the future holds for me as a director? It was an enlightening experience. I hope to continue to shadow other directors if the opportunity appears, and to continue learning about the process.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. I myself have a lot to be grateful for.

Follow your bliss,
Wade

Roy Geary is dead, gutted and bled out. At least he was happy before he died. A Cleveland what?

I'm going to miss Matt DeCaro. We became good friends. I think we made a good team, too. He's a fine actor, very well-respected and renowned in Chicago theater. He's up for a Jeff Award (the Chicago TONY) this year for best actor; I hope he wins it. He was convinced the bigwigs at Fox were killing him off so they could develop a new TV series for Geary and Bellick. No one's been phoning my people about that! Not a bad idea, though! Bellick's still kicking... but for how long?

Everything's ramping up and we're getting ready to launch the story into limbo for the holiday hiatus. Rumors are flying about the date we'll return. I've got to tell you, the new scripts are blowing me away, with plot twists and revelations I never expected. Holy moly!

Been very busy in the best ways recently.... My family and I went to Chicago and saw Stacy Keach play King Lear in a wonderful production at the Goodman Theatre. It's a sexually graphic and violent version of Lear set in an Eastern European dictatorship. Lear is the old dictator going slowly mad and the storm that follows. Stacy was fantastic. His performance was dynamic and heartbreaking. I miss working with him.... Who knows, Warden Pope may be back!

Being back in Chicago was both heartwarming and melancholy for us. We went back to our old neighborhood of Andersonville, had a great hot dog at Huey's, and visited our other favorite haunts around the 'hood. The guys at the local coffeeshop still remembered the coffee I liked to order! Many things have changed in the six months since we left, time passes. We were spoiled by living in Chi Town. Chicago is my favorite American city — architecture, culture, history, and the most genuine and lovely people around. We made some wonderful friends there. We were spoiled as well by all the great actors that live and work in Chi Town. I learned a lot by watching them work and by working with them.

Along with the traveling, I have been shadowing Kevin Hooks, our directing producer, as he directs Episode 2/14. You'd know Kevin as the star of Sounder and the White Shadow TV series. He's a true triple-threat: a fine actor, director and producer. I don't know if being a director is my destiny, but I wanted to gain some experience and understanding about what it takes to produce and direct an episode of Prison Break. As I am discovering, to prep, schedule and then shoot a 55-page script, all in 16 days, is a Herculean task. That the episodes get completed at all is astounding, and that they are continually producing great television every episode is a tribute to the writers, producers, directors, actors and crew. So far it has been an inspiring and eye-opening experience for me. I am grateful for the opportunity to do it, and to Kevin for helping me along the way.

I noticed a question in your comments asking whether I watched Prison Break myself. I am not able to watch it when it comes on at 7 pm/CT here in Dallas, because we have a 4-year-old who gets very confused seeing her daddy being downright ugly on TV. (At least I ain't playing T-Bag!) So, many times I have to catch it days later on the DVR. Most times I choose not to watch because I don't want to start editing my performance in future episodes. I think a little self-critique is healthy, but the last person I want to direct me is me. I'll have plenty of chances to watch when the second season comes out on DVD! Although, as I am beginning to learn about directing, I'll be watching old episodes with a director's eye, trying to notice how each scene was shot, how the takes are edited together, and how the "ins" and "outs" were created. Basic stuff like that.

So much for now. Thanks again for reading this blog and for watching our show!

More later,
Wade

Don't miss all-new episodes of Prison Break, Mondays at 8 pm/ET on Fox.

Hello again, everyone. I’m back and so is Bellick... hot after the cash. Vengeance is a sweet reward, but money is the great equalizer.

We’re now shooting Episode 13, which, like last season, is going to be the last episode to air in 2006. There will be another break after Episode 13 airs at the end of November, until sometime around March or so. Sorry!

Again, the scripts keep me on the edge of my seat, so they’re writing them better than ever! Just you wait!

Almost the entire cast is gonna go to the big NASCAR Race near Dallas next week. Bill Fichtner is a big NASCAR fan. I’ve never been to a car race, and I was really looking forward to it, but I was spending quality time with my mother, who came to town to celebrate her birthday with us. Happy birthday, Mom! It will be nice for the rest of the cast to get together, though. It’s been a strange season because all the characters have split up and we don’t get to work together like we did when everyone was behind bars. I miss seeing everyone all the time. Unlike some other TV shows, we all get along well. It’s a lovely bunch to be a part of and work with.

We’ve been to some great events here in Dallas so far, nice parties at the Ghost Bar at the W Hotel, which has fantastic views of Dallas. One of my favorite things has been the Mesquite Rodeo. It's a great evening for the family, so if you’ve never been to a rodeo, this is a great one. Cowboys and cowgirls are wicked tough athletes; you couldn’t pay me enough to strap myself to the back of a 2,000-pound bull.

It’s really weird being in a TV show where everyone keeps wondering, “When am I gonna get knocked off?” Talk about job insecurity. I guess it’s like working for any big company these days — you never know when they’re gonna lay people off or cut your pension. Funny times these are. Job insecurity is synonymous with being an actor, most jobs are short and sweet, the real work is getting a job, going on auditions, to meetings, reading scripts, all that work with no predictable outcome. To get a nice steady gig would be like finding Westmoreland’s cash!

Sorry the blog is so short this week but in addition to spending quality time with the family, I’ve also been following the director around all week learning more about what goes on behind the camera – but more on that in the next blog!


Don't miss all-new episodes of Prison Break, Mondays at 8 pm/ET on Fox.

Tweener's dead, the Governor's dead, and we're off the air for three weeks.... Who's next on the list?

It's sad to say goodbye to Tweener, aka Lane Garrison. We'll miss him; he was a great character on and off the set. Goodbye to the fantastic John Heard (Governor Tancredi) as well. Both died well.

The plot thickens... and I ain't talkin'.

Here are some answers to your questions in the comments:

Dom and Went went to Europe this week to do press. Maybe some of you saw them over there.

The "fries in the shake" is a Bellick thing. As fat as I am, FFs aren't to blame. I do like chocolate malts though!

Pretty actors. Hopefully you weren't referring to me.... More on this later.

Season 2 is in production until late February/early March 2007. They're already talking about a third season, but I ain't talkin'.

The tattoo hasn't disappeared. It's still very much apart of the plot, although Scofield has to keep it hidden so as not to be recognized.

Hopefully Bellick will sing a tune or two, although I don't know how good a singer he would be. Actually, Bellick hummed a tune last season as he walked in with his coffee — a tune I wrote for my daughter.

Howdy to Elena, Miss W and Big Amos!

The show is really getting intense now. The great scripts continue rolling in. These writers are truly sick individuals. It makes me wonder what they do in their spare time. I'm not gonna think about it.

We left off in the Lincoln Tunnel on the way to Broad Way. Last week [the TVGuide.com editors] changed my syntax/punctuation to "Broadway," but any Musical Theater Fan knows it's Broad Way. Yeah, I rolled into NYC with a gig and 30,000 bucks in student loans. Higher education. The first gig I got was a good one — I was in the ensemble in Taming of the Shrew at the Delicort Theater in Central Park, and although I had no lines, I was working with Morgan Freeman, Tracey Ullman and Helen Hunt. What a great experience that was. I was making the most money in my life at 250 bucks per week, eating beans and rice, driving into NYC in my beat up 1981 Honda Civic every day to rehearse and perform... living the starving artist's dream. And then I got another job at the same time, again with the Public Theater. This time I had a nice part in Richard III staring Denzel Washington. I played "1st Murderer" to Tim [Blake] Nelson's "2nd Murderer." We would lay and wait backstage ambushing people and murdering them with our fake daggers. This was the first time of many that I have been lucky enough to have two acting jobs at once. Rehearse Dick III all day, perform Shrew at night....

It was wonderful for me to watch real pros work. These guys were prepared and fun, none of the art-damaged stuff I'd seen in school. Sometimes I think "artists" use that title as an excuse to get away with being unprepared and unruly. The pros are as prepared as they are easy to work with, and always full of ideas. I saw that an actor's job is to have ideas and to set them free in rehearsal and performance. For many years now I have tried to come up with a more positive word for "mistake," because in the end, "mistakes" are usually the most interesting and inspired moments in any "art" form. Destiny again. To me there's nothing as boring as a well-crafted and thought-out performance. I learned from watching Morgan, Tracey, Denzel, Helen and all the other pros at The Public Theatre how to rehearse and perform with the hope of conjuring inspiring mistakes.

When the shows at The Public closed at the end of the summer, I luckily got my first AEA Union job playing Lt. Cable in South Pacific at Theater Virginia... which brings me back to "Pretty." When I was younger — like, in my late twenties — I used to play a lot of young leading men. Amazing what hair on top of your head can do for you. I was in the running for a lot of the musical-theatre leading men roles in the regions and on Broad Way back then. Problem was, even with hair, I wasn't that pretty. I auditioned for the Phantom in Phantom, Billy Bigelow in the early 90s revival of Carousel, etcetera.... Never booked one. Eventually, I landed my first B Way gig in Les Mis as a "swing," which meant I understudied 14 different parts and had to be prepared to go on for sometimes three of those roles at the same time.

Being a swing in Les Mis was the job that taught me how to do all the preparation off stage, and then in performance leave it all to the gods. I understudied all the ensemble men's roles and since someone was out almost every night, I cut my Broad Way teeth rehearsing/performing at the Majestic Theatre in front of 3,000 people, eight shows a week for more than nine months. I did a series of roles in the regions after that, which is the life of a New York actor: Audition and get a job in a regional theater, sublet the apartment for six to eight weeks while you're off working, then come back and start looking for the next job. To land a gig in a long running B Way show is a sweet, sought-after, steady gig. I ended up being fortunate to have Les Mis as a great part-time gig because I knew all the men's ensemble parts. Whenever there was a flu epidemic or someone went on vacation, they'd ask me to come fill in for a week or two and I gratefully did... until 1993, when I booked the understudy for Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls at the Martin Beck on Broad Way.

Fox's Prison Break returns Monday, Oct. 23, at 8 pm/ET.

Howdy,

I'm starting to speak like a Texan now. I spent my high school and college years in Tulsey Town and I am being re-indoctrinated by the Southern speakers. My accent is comin' back... yee-haw.

I think this week I'll answer some Prison Break questions posed in your comments, and then write a little more "actor's life for me" stuff.

Someone asked if the writers have the show all mapped out or if they wing it episode by episode.

Honestly, I don't really know 'cause I haven't asked. It seems like the writers have a master plan. I am sure Paul Scheuring and Matt Olmstead are not just winging it "ep to ep."

One of the fascinating and wonderful parts about Prison Break is that everything pays off. Sometimes the payoff takes 10 episodes to unfold, or 22 like last year, when they actually did escape... thus the title paid off (a little too long for some viewers, I've heard). Also, stuff like the origami crane and the tattoo — which, unfortunately for Wentworth, keeps paying off — and on and on. I think it would be crazy hard to orchestrate all the hints, clues and red herrings that eventually lead to a heart-thumping or tear-jerking climax without a little preconception. That's a five-syllable word. I think I just made it up.

What is it about Michael that Bellick hates?

He's tall, smart and pretty. That's enough.

What about Bellick and Nika?

What red-blooded son of an American doesn't want a hot Russian babe? Holly's actually Australian and has an Aussie accent. Look her up; she's a pop star in Europe! I don't know what will happen with Bellick and Nika. She's sure pissed at Michael, and he deserves it. I hope somebody unties me or I'm out of a job!

My job. The dream of most actors I know is to get a job acting. I have been fortunate to have gotten a few gigs and been able to make a modest living doing what I like to do.

So I'll pick up where I left off:

The first acting job I had was at Discoveryland in Oklahoma, where they still do a great outdoor production of Oklahoma complete with quarter horses and a surrey with a fringe on top. I played Judd to Duane Jeffer's Curly. It was, and still is, a great production helmed by Bill Jeffers, a wonderful director. If you're in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the summer months, don't miss it.

After graduation from T.U., I was afraid to go to New York, so I stayed where I was comfortable — in school. I went to auditions to get into graduate acting programs. There are a bunch of schools that offer postgraduate degrees in theater arts. I have always been a fan of music and of musical theater especially. I think the combination of great story, music, lyrics and acting performance is the most effective and cathartic for me. I loved musical theater, but just listening to a pretty voice and looking at a pretty face never held my attention more than 16 measures. What always nailed me were great actors who could tell a story and sing, too. That's why I chose to go to a graduate acting program, so hopefully I could learn to act. I got into a few different programs and eventually decided on Rutgers University's MFA program because I liked Bill Esper when I met him at the audition. I thought he was a sincere, regular guy. Little did I know that he was one of the premier acting teachers in the country. Again, "destiny." I liked the idea of singing and acting as one and the same thing, just a different reality. So all through graduate school I studied and performed with the graduate opera program and in the MFA acting program at Rutgers University, in the Mason Gross School of the Arts.

I was studying at Rutgers, acting and singing from 1987 to 1990, when I graduated and finally moved to the theater mecca, the great Broadway... NYC.

Next time: Wade in Manhattan.

Don't miss all-new episodes of Prison Break, Mondays at 8 pm/ET on Fox.

Hi everyone. Thanks again for the comments.

Since Prison Break has been such a success, many people I've met have been interested in what it's like to be an actor. They are asking me how I got started, what I've done and what it's like to works as an actor. I thought you might be interested, too.

I have come to believe in something I call "Destiny." There are many other names for it. In "Destiny" I mean there are certain events that seem unrelated that have drawn me toward and to: where/who/what I am today. I have learned that I should never make plans because my plans rarely if ever work out and the plans that Destiny chooses for me are much more interesting and fulfilling than any that I can come up with. Serendipity's a good name for it, too.

I never wanted to be an actor. It's not something I consciously decided to be. I always envied people who knew what they wanted to do when they where ten! Not my story. I was interested in everything. I always loved to pretend, or as my parents called it "lie." I grew up playing cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, "army"?all that stuff. My family wasn't well off so my brother, sisters and I would play with what we could find or make. We made a soapbox car out of an old Big Wheel, some plywood, and 2x4s and called it the "X-15". We raced that thing down a hill the size of Everest ? or so we thought ? complete with a parachute as an air break, because our neighbors got tired of our 2x4 drag break tearing up their turf. We'd put on plays and even did a circus or two, complete with cream pies and clowns.

So we made or own fun. I still love to do that.

I always loved music and singing. When I was growing up my Dad was an Episcopal priest (Episcopal priests can marry), and he had a great singing voice. I loved to watch and listen to him in the processional as he sung and walked into the church with the clergy and the choir ? robes flowing and organ crowing.

We drove around in the 60s and 70s in a VW bus with no radio and the only tunes we had where the ones he and our Mom taught us and we would sing ourselves down the highway.

Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, our next-door neighbor was Dr. Robert Haley and he too has an eclectic personality. He turned me onto classical music, blue grass and opera as well as a positive attitude, which all take practice as I've come to find out. Dr. Haley also designed the 2x4 drag break for the X-15.

So, I was and am fascinated by many things. Our family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I finished high school there. After graduation I decided that I better work a year or two before I tried college and began working first at a fence company (worst job I ever had) putting the points on 1x4s all day long, four at a time. Then, I worked at a bank in the stock room handing out pens, paper and envelopes. Eventually, I ended up working at St. John Medical Center in Tulsa as a surgical orderly(best job I ever had) and began going to The University of Tulsa, studying Pre-med. That didn't last long. I kept the hospital job and became an "undeclared" major at T.U. and took lots of different classes, including singing lessons. I was singing in the choir at St. Antony's Church in Tulsa and thought some singing lessons might help (Boy, did I need them!). After a year or so, my voice teacher, Jane Carmichael, asked if I would like to audition for the musical. I did and I got the part of Miles Glorious in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Home from the Forum. I shook like a leaf in every performance. I loved it. I got to sing and pretend I was a Roman soldier! It doesn't get much better than that. I was very impressed by the Director, Nancy Vunovich, and after the run was over, I found myself taking acting classes and ended up graduating with a BFA in Acting.

So serendipity hooked me up with inspired people like Jane Carmichael and Nancy Vunovich who inspired me to become interested in the theatre and especially musical theatre, something I never imagined myself doing. Dr. David Cook at T.U. was also an inspiration and a great help to me.

After graduating from college, I thought, "What am I going to do now? I got an acting degree?" I don't think there is any more unmarketable degree I could have gotten ? maybe a degree in History or English Literature? I could have gone to law school I guess, but I decided I would get a Masters in Fine Arts in theater. That way, if I couldn't get an acting job, then at least I could teach at a university. You can tell I was interested in being rich!

More next time?if you're still interested!

Don't miss all-new episodes of Prison Break, Mondays at 8 pm/ET on Fox.

The weather's cooling down here in Dallas, and Bellick is chillin' out, zip-tied to a pipe in a shack with fat-ass Roy Geary. At least Bellick got some expensive but well-deserved love along the way. You gotta hand it to Bellick and Geary -- they were the first ones to bag the brothers. So much for the new smart guy, Mahone. It ain't over till it's over, pill-popper.

We lost another fantastic character and character actor in John Abruzzi and Peter Stormare last week. They went out like Sonny Corleone. We'll miss Peter. He's off doing movies. Seems everyone that's croaked so far has gone off to the Great Film Career in the sky! That's a pretty sweet afterlife. Best of luck!

So who's next?

It's been nice reading your responses to the first post. Thanks for those. I read that some of you questioned whether I was "tongue in cheek" or "pixyish." (Is that a word?)

Just to clear things up: Humor is something I lack. "Irony" is a word I can't stand; everything I write should be taken as undisturbed, unadulterated truth, like the statements by our government officials. If I did have a sense of humor it was a sincere mistake, and I promise that it will never happen again.

I noticed in some of your responses to my first post that you were surprised I would write that all the good guys in the show are rapists, armed robbers, convicted murderers, pedophiles, hit men.... I could go on. Well, they are the heroes, though Bellick is the real hero of the show! As far as Bellick is concerned, he is just doing his job and now that he's on the hunt, he's gonna be doing an even better job!

The great thing about storytelling is that story is different depending on how you tell it. The heroes can be different every time. Take the recent movie V for Vendetta. The way that story was told, "the hero" of that movie was plotting to blow up a government building! Kinda like the network news. In my book, Bellick is a hero, and he's in search of what all of us really want, the cash. Lots and lots of tax-free cash. At least he's honest about it. If he can get a little love and revenge in the process... well, he's not gonna pass on it.

It's a TV show, you know. It's not real life. Funny thing, TV. It's difficult to separate TV from reality sometimes. When people recognize me on the street from Prison Break, many times they won't talk to me. They just stare and whisper to each other, or they take pictures of me with their cell phones -- from far away. Sometimes they'll say something like, "You're not going to get mad at me are you? But are you the guy on Prison Break?"

Three lovely ladies have asked me to marry them! What's that about???

Ain't bad for a bad guy!

My wife and my mom are upset, as well, because I play such a bad guy. They keep hoping Bellick will be "nicer." I think they, too, are confusing TV with reality. One of the worst descriptions you can give someone is, "They're nice." I would hope to be described as anything but "nice." "Oh, she's nice." "Yeah, he's a nice guy." "They seemed nice." "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

Have an opinion! Say what you mean. Like Bellick does.

I'm enjoying that people are really getting into expressing themselves about Bellick and how that character makes them feel when he shows up on the TV screen. They hate him, they think he's sneaky, they think he's the bad guy. It's wonderful to be able to elicit that sort of response from the audience. But look at it from my point of view: Bellick is just doing his job. He's kicking ass and taking names, and he fumbles and missteps along the way, but he has the prize in sight. He knows that the true goal is catching up with the money and along the way getting his sweet revenge on Lincoln and Michael. So keep those comments coming. I'm having a ball reading them, and having a blast writing this blog.

Don't miss all-new episodes of Prison Break, Mondays at 8 pm/ET on Fox.

Hello everyone, I'm Wade Williams, Captain Brad Bellick on Prison Break, and this is my first post on TVGuide.com.

Two years ago, I was knocking on more doors than a door-to-door salesman, making a living doing TV shows, films, commercials… whatever I could book. Now, I am privileged to be in a great show with fine actors, writers, DPs, directors and crew members, a show that people actually watch!

It's like winning the Super Lotto. I used to think about changing my name to "Cast" Williams, so then on the set, I would always have a chair with my name on it. That's one thing given to me by this show: I got a chair with “Wade Williams” on the back! Now I want to change my name to Wade "Grateful" Williams because to be one of the team on Prison Break is an honor indeed, and I am truly grateful. This show has made a big difference to my family and that is the best reward.

OK. I'm grateful.... You get it.

This season the boys are on the run, and there are three stoked villains gunning for them. The question is: When they get caught, are they going to be dragged to justice dead or alive? Time will tell.

Last season, we shot most of the show in the bowels of Joliet Prison, about an hour-and-a-half drive (no traffic) from Chi Town. This season, the chase has brought us to Big D — Dallas, Texas — to hunt those convicts down. For the last episode in season one, “Flight,” we were shooting at night for two weeks, two hours north of Chicago near the Wisconsin border. The scenes at the airport, running with the dogs, convicts running through the woods — it was minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit. Now we have moved to Dallas to shoot Season 2 and the temps have topped 122 degrees. F'n hot! People are dropping like flies — having to go to the hospital to get cooled down and hydrated. So a lot of that uncomfortable-agony acting we're doing isn't acting. Lucky for us, it works for the show.

Besides the searing 120-degree temps, the sledgehammer sun, some great scripts and a lot of sweat, there's not much else to tell. Like the song says, "It's Too Darn Hot."

We've had some very sad departures this season so far: Robin Tunney's character ate lead in the first episode. We'll miss Miss Tunney: Robin's a wonderful actor and a right-on sister. Best of luck, Robin. You should catch her new movie Hollywoodland. Word is it's fabulous.

There will be more le mort to follow. People are dropping like flies in this show; nobody's sacred. So don't get attached to anyone — we all gotta go sometime.

It's a fantastically different season this year. The walls of Joliet Prison were one of the most imposing characters in the show last year and we all wondered: "What the heck are they going to write now that they're out?' I, too, was worried... until I read the first episode, “Manhunt,” and I am not going to be a-worryin' no more. Now that the characters are free of the walls of Fox River, their true unfettered selves are emerging. Those imposing prison walls may have protected those convicts and sickos as much as they contained them, but now the characters are free from the restraints, rules and morbid culture of the joint. If anything, they are in even more jeopardy.

Who's gonna get those pretty boys? My bet's on Bellick — he's gonna catch 'em, gut-shoot 'em and drag them back to the hole where they're gonna die slow pretty-boy deaths. Except for T Bag... Bellick's got better plans for him.

Episode 4, “First Down,” will air on Fox this Monday, Sept. 11, 8 pm/ET, and love is in the air for Captain Bellick. Bad boys need love, too. Why is it that the convicted criminals are the heroes on this show, while guys like Bellick, who's just doing his job, are the bad guys?

It's an upside-down world.

Don't miss all-new episodes of Prison Break, Mondays at 8 pm/ET on Fox.