http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/ en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss GuppY v4.6.5 webmaster@dominicpurcell.net (MaryD) webmaster@dominicpurcell.net (MaryD) http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=156 http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=156 You are not very Australian, is it because you have been in the US so long? I am struggling with it right now. I got to the US in 2000 and I found it really difficult to go in and out of my Australian and American accent. It was getting in the way of my acting. I was turning up to auditions and my confidence was shot because it was all about my fucking accent. And Anthony LaPaglia is a good friend of mine. He says, “Dom, just speak American all the time. No one fucking knows, speak American.” And I did. It made life so much easier. Then I got John Doe. Fuck it was saving. I was doing 18-hour days. I credit speaking American…. it was a blessing because I am not one of these actors that go in and out all the time. And I have been speaking like this for five or six years. Now this show has blown up in Australia, you get on the phone to an Aussie and they’re like, [in an Aussie accent] “You fucking cop out!” It’s a pain in the arse but fuck it. I am still an Aussie boy, I just speak with an American accent. I get Direct TV over here. I still watch the cricket and the footy. What’s the work load like? I love it. I shoot two days a week. My character is in a holding cell. So I have five days off, I fly back to Chicago and surf and hang out with the wife and kids. I chill out. Doing John Doe was just me - all the time. A typical day for me on John Doe was picked up at 7am, finish at 11pm, learn this bullshit dialogue with Einstein-crazy stuff. It was mind fucking, you know? Being part of a show like Prison Break is awesome. Great story, performances, it’s critically acclaimed. It’s good fun. Do you feel claustrophobic filming in a prison? It was intense when we first started. Dealing with what my character deals with every day and spending days on end in a cell filming, it kind of fucks with your head a bit. Now I am at the point where I learn to let it go a bit. Now it’s much more of a working environment. It’s getting easier. Can you talk about how you got into acting? You were a landscaper weren’t you? I hated studying; I hated school. My buddies, back in Australia and I, decided to start a landscaping and gardening business. It was an excuse to hang out in the sun and drink and surf. At 20/21, that’s what you do. Then I got tired of digging holes and all that kind of shit. I thought the only way I could get rich was to be a movie star or something. So I applied to a couple of acting schools. I got into WAPA and trained for three years and got out of the academy and worked in Australia and won the green card lottery and here I am today talking to you. You won the green card lottery. That’s like winning the damn lottery? Exactly. It was pretty amazing. What do your mates say to you now? They are really proud. I haven’t changed. I am still the same sack of shit I was back in Oz. The only thing that has changed for me is my bank account is a bit bigger and people recognize you in the street. Your car is probably a bit better. Yeah, the car is better. Is your wife Australian? Yeah, she is Australian. Me speaking with an American accent at first was hard for her. She looked at me like, “You fucking idiot.” She didn’t mind it because she understood why I had to do it. But when we got into fights and arguments it just gave her so much ammunition. “Speak to me in Australian!” But now she’s OK with it. It’s no problem. What’s the strangest thing about Hollywood? It’s this obsession with celebrity. The thing about Hollywood is that you can be famous for being famous. Look at people like Paris Hilton. At least Angelina Jolie is a good actress. She has some substance. Just dealing with that stuff sucks. There is that element, that glitzy, glamourous side to Hollywood. Then there is another part, which is all about the art. Finding the balance is key. I am not into the fame. I don’t mind the fame. You get great seats at restaurants, perks. I am not adverse to it but obviously being an actor you want to do some good stuff. Does the TV show allow you to do movies? Yeah, I am about to go off to South Africa to do a movie for Disney. I have 2 or 3 months off from the show. Thankfully I have a light work schedule in the first season so I am ready to do something on my hiatus. How many years are you contracted to do Prison Break? I am contracted to do seven seasons. Obviously the first season will keep doing what it’s doing, the second season will do it more so. The scripts keep getting better and better. Your workload will finish, too? Yeah, my holiday has finished. Third season we don’t know what happens. Obviously they have to come up with a great concept. If they don’t it will tank and die. But they said the same about 24. They are on season five of 24 now. When people recognize you in the street, what do they say to you? In general, people are sweet and cool about it. This guy said, “Thanks for entertaining me.” I thought that was cool. Some people go nuts and ballistic and they freak out. Airports are a trip. If I am walking in the airport and stop to have coffee, people freeze, look at you and freak out. I went to Wal-Mart once and this lady behind the counter just started screaming her head off like someone was robbing her. And before I knew it, two security guards came from nowhere and pinned me and dragged me saying, “What’s going on?” She said, “No, no, no. He’s the guy from Prison Break.” And the guards were like, “Oh yeah, can we take a photo?” It can get weird. You must get a lot of people who recognize you from Blade: Trinity? Oh yeah, I do. Now I am recognizable I get, “You’re the guy from Blade, Dracula?” Sometimes you get to a point where it’s becoming every day life. I was at the airport and this security guy was looking at me and I knew straight away what was going on in his head. And I went, “Yep, yep.” I finished it for him. You can see that beat in his head. Who are some of your Aussie acting friends over here? I am good friends with Huey [Hugh Jackman]. We went to drama school together, we keep in touch. I hang at his place, he hangs at mine for BBQs some times. He’s a good buddy. Eric Bana, Simon Baker…it’s the Aussie mafia. Anthony LaPaglia. It’s like a community. We really support each other, not so much, “You can do it. You can do it.” Rather that taste of normalcy. Do they bring you back down to earth? Yeah. It’s funny. We keep each other in check. It’s like, “Take it easy.” A question about the DVD, are you going to go back and revisit it on DVD? Probably. I think the same thing will happen as like what happened with 24. People who have heard about the show but who haven’t seen it will buy the DVD. Then the numbers will be bigger in the second season. Are you a fan of DVDs? No, I am not into TV at all. My favorite show is Fuel TV, which is all about surfing and skating and national geographic. And my favorite show is Entourage. PRISON BREAK, SEASON ONE PART ONE is out on DVD from 29th May, 2006. http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=78 http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=78 Writer: Steve BeardPhotographer: Tyler ShieldsIt's a long way from the pounding surf of Bonzai Beach in Australia to the dank and depressing surroundings of Joliet Correctional Center outside of Chicago. By most measures, that would be considered a really bad detour in life. But in the case of Dominic Purcell, it is merely one more step along his walk of fame.Built in the 1850s through the blood, sweat, and muscle of convicts, Joliet looks a lot like a castle. Its gargantuan stone walls held serial killer John Wayne Gacy before he was executed in 1994. The penitentiary was even granted its 15 minutes of pop culture fame with John Belushi ("Joliet" Jake Blues) was released from the fortess at the beginning of The Blue Brothers.The real-life rapists, murderers, and thieves were transferred to other facilities when the famed correctional institution became defunct in 2002. It is said to be haunted by the lost souls who were shanked and brutalized within its razor wire boundaries. Today, however, it is the home away from home for Purcell and the cast of Fox's mega-hit Prison Break.Purcell's character, Lincoln Burrows, is sitting on death row after being convicted of killing the brother of the vice president of the United States. Despite his desperate and utterly hopeless situation, Lincoln has an ally. His own brother (Wentworth Miller) believes in Lincoln's innocence and holds up a bank in order to get thrown in the slammer. Why? Well, it just so happens that he is a structural engineer who drew up the blueprints for the very prison that incarcerates Lincoln.The brother spends months having the blueprints of the prison cleverly and elaborately tattooed onto his body so he can help Lincoln escape and prove his innocense. It is the ani-Cain and Abel story - innovative and costly brotherly love. Did I mention that the show is a mega-hit? The season finale drew 12.2 million viewers.Dominic Purcell is a straightforward, no-nonsense, strong-and-silent type. Well, maybe not so silent. He is unpretentious to a fault and a ferociously independent thinker. He's been around long enough to wax eloquently on the philosophy of acting. But he doesn't. He's all business in front of the camera. He's played a bloodsucker in Blade: Trinity, a bad guy in Mission: Inpossible 2, and an uber-genius with a bad memory in Fox's John Doe. But what he really loves to do is surf and hang out with his wife and four kids, The hunking family man even changes diapers.Interviewed in Los Angeles.Risen Magazine: Having moved from Australia, what was your first impression of America?Dominic Purcell: When I got to the States, the first place that I experienced was Los Angeles. I was really blown away by the focus on celebrity and paparazzi and stardom and being seen in the right places. It was somthing I was not used to and I didn't want anything to do with. People would tell me to meet-and-greet and network. I have never done that in my life and I was not about to start here.RM: Every actor deals with the temptations and oppportunities of fame differently. Did you create any kind of guidelines for yourself when roles, paychecks, and notoriety began getting larger?DP: Look, I am really lucky that I have a wife and four kids. They are my sanctuary in a way. It is unconditional. I do diapers, I feed them, I take them out, play baseball - I do all the basic stuff with my kids. When I am working, my philosophy is that my responsibility is between "Action" and "Cut." Everything apart from that is really out of my control.The other thing about this business is that it is fleeting. One day they love you and the next day they f_king hate your guts. If you are aware of that, it is easy to find a balance. You just don't believe all the s--t that people tell you. You just have to be smart about it.RM: I Don't suppose they teach you that type of thing in acting school. Correct?DP: Absolutely. First of all, I was digging holes in Australia as a landscape gardener. I saw these woodchucks on TV making a lot of money. I wanted a part of that. My motivation at the start on it was, "Get rich, get famous, get laid." As I have gotten older, those views have changed dramatically. Now I am still about making the money, but also trying to do some good work if I can.The whole publicity thing - the whole fame thing - can be really boring at times. But at the end of the day, as an actor, when you do get the pat on the back, it's a nice feeling. I think that anyone who wants to become an actor is seeking affirmation in some way.RM: Are there ever days when you want to go back to landscaping?DP: Yeah, there are a lot of days like that. I am kind of living in a surreal environment right now and it would be nice to be able to walk down the street and not be recognized and go into Starbucks and sit down and read the paper without having someone come up to me and say, "I love your show," or "What is happening in the show?" It's like, "Dude, just chill out. I am just trying to relax."RM: How does your wife handle being one step removed from all this fame? How big is the strain on your marriage?DP: I am lucky that my wife grew up in the business-her dad is a famous playwright and screenwriter. She has been familiar with this kind of thing, but obviously things are becoming a lot crazier for me at the moment and she is very good about it. She is very supportive and strong and she keeps my head on and when I get out of line she will give me a f--king clip across the ears. I am lucky that I have someone who understands and is really cool about it.RM: You are in an industry that employs personalities with large egos, How do you deal with prima donnas?DP: I never take a step back. It's something that I am kind of working on. I have to learn to be a lot more diplomatic in certain situations. I do have a volatile temper and I speak my mind. If an actor pulls the big ego card out, I am right there to tell him to shut the f--k up. I expect the same kind of response. Just because certain actors get to be in a position of power, it does not give them the right to abuse that power. When an actor does that, it pisses me off and I have very little tolerance for that.RM: Prison Break is very clever crime drama. Putting oneself in prison for someone else is serious brotherly love.DP: That is obviously the glue of the show. We get to witness loyalty. I think that loyalty is not as strong these days.. We are easily distracted and we are quick to seek greener pastures. It is refreshing when you see someone who is totally loyal and ready to, basically, put their life on the line.RM: Do you have siblings?DP: I have five siblings.RM: The show is a pretty hardcore on what it means to be a family. DP: Absolutely. I don't think that I would go to the extreme of trying to break my brother out of prison.RM: Were you apprehensive about portraying prison culture? Obviously that is very different than landing a job on The O.C. It seems to me that you stand a better chance of offending people who have actually been in prison.DP: I don't care about it. I have never thought about that. You can't censor yourself as an actor. You are trying to portray a truth in life. People say, " I can't deal with the swearing or the violence." Well, turn it the f--k off. Just go watch the O.C. or whatever. That was not a concern at all. I was just intrigued by the premise and the originality of the show. That is really what attracted me to it. The thought of doing another cop show or another doctor show or whatever, it would be hard. If someone offered me a gig on CSI:, I would not do it. It would bore me s--tless. I much prefer to do things that are challenging and kind of different. I will probably be saying the same thing about Prison Break in a year and a half. I went to drama school, and did stage for awhile. I was on the stage every night. It drove me f--king nuts. RM: Johnny Cash never actually did hard time in prison, but many people believe that he did because of his songs and concerts. The perception and reality of the man were very different. Do you think you may walk away from this role with that perception?DP: Not at all. I have not really thought about that. If they think that, they are f--king stupid.RM: Your surfing time has been crimped because of shooting Prison Break. What else that you love have you given up to pursue your career?DP: That is the battle of the actor. Sometimes you just have to go to where the work is. Don't get me wrong. I think Chicago is a great town. It is good for certain people. I have grown up in the ocean for as long as I can remember. When I am not around the ocean I tend to freak out a bit. I get clausterphobic. I have not had a good surf in at least six months. When I can't surf, I stay away from all of it. I don't read surf magazines. I don't watch surf videos. It drives me crazy. But that is part of the sacrifice. The other sacrifice is, of course, leaving my family for extended periods. I have young kids and it is a battle getting them on a plane and getting them in different schools. They are based in Los Angeles and I commute as much as I can.RM: I heard that you refused to shoot a scene in an actual electric chair. Is that the creepiest thing you have been asked to do?DP: Yeah. I thought they were f--king joking when they asked me to do that. I was like, "Yeah, right, whatever." And they gave me the serious look: "No, no, we are for real." I was like, "F--k, I am not doing that. Make one. You want me to sit in the chair that has taken lives? Forget about it."RM: Were you supposed to film in the cell where John Wayne Gacy was incarcerated?DP: Yeah, man. It was f--king creepy. It was a trip. I got on set and the makeup lady was refusing to go into the cell. I walked up and said, "What's up?" She said, "I can't go in there - this particular cell housed John Wayne Gacy," and I looked at Brett Ratner, the director, and said, "You have got to be kidding me." He said we had to use it because of the light or something. It was a sick joke that Ratner played on me.RM: On the show, your brother has intricate tattoos all over his body in order to help you escape. One of the tats is of Satan's face and it coorinates with blueprints in drill holes in the wall. Is it true that the tattoo was orginally going to be Jesus on the cross but the network felt that it was going to be too controversial?DP: Yeah, I think it had something to do with drilling a hole in the wall and you would be drilling a hole through Jesus.RM: I have heard that Australians put a greater value on recreation, while Americans put a grater value on religion, is that fair?DP: Very fair. Americans at the core are a very Puritanical and religious people. Australians are not geared like that. I am not sure why it is like that, but it may have something to do with the isolation factor. We are a lot more down with relaxing and getting drunk than trying to control the world.RM: Do you have any kind of religious beliefs yourself?DP: I was raised Catholic. I have since left the Church, as they say, I don't practice anymore. I am still of two minds about it. But I do believe that there is a greater force than me on the planet. So that is where I will leave it.RM: Do you ever pray?DP: Every now and then.RM: Is there any advice that you have been given that proved worthwhile as you navigated through Hollywood?DP: Not really. I have kind of learned myself. I am not really influenced by people. I am not saying that I don't listen to people because I do, but I kind of like to work it out myself. The best thing that I have come up with is that I control the things I can control between "Action!" and "Cut!" and the rest of it is beyond my control-especially when you are doing TV, the f--king thing is crap shoot. There are some crappy TV shows that rate through the roof and then you have some great stuff that doesn't.RM: If you could not act, what would you be doing?DP: I would be some kind of tradesman like a carpenter. I like to do things with my hands and try to be creative or go back to landscape gardening. I could never work in an office. I would probaby move to Hawaii and surf for the rest of my life.RM: We often say, "If you do the crime, be prepared to do the time." Does that message have a different feeling for you now that you have played this role?DP: Kinda. I have done a lot of research on the prison system and spoken to inmates who are serving 50 years for robbing a bank. Stuff like that is just too steep. I am not sure if prison really does rehabiliate people. I think it just makes them angry. Once you have a guy who has been in the joint for a long time, he gets out and he doesn't know how to look after himself. Obviously, through, you can't just let things go. If you do the crime, you have to be prepared to do the time.I don't believe in capital punishment. I believe it is an archaic system. I think it is a flawed system. I really don't believe we have the power to play God. There is that side of it, but there is the other side of it, of course. I have to be sensitive about this because of the victims of these crimes. For instance, if someone took the life of my son and the judge said that he was going to send the guy to death, that would be good. It's a very blurred thing, capital punishment.RM: I guess the justice equation becomes more complicated if your family is involved.DP: Exactly, It's very well and good to say - as I just said - that capital punishment is archaic, and bad, but if you are in that situation, you may be thinking different.RM: Did interviewing convicts shape your acting?DP: The inmates that I talked to have an air about them - a sense of gloom. Their faces almost look dead. You've got to go to a different planet if you are locked up for a long time. You become very, very introverted and start thinking about stuff. If you are an angry person to start off, you are going to become angrier. Meeting these guys was very intense and sad.RM: After working in Joliet, I imagine there is nothing better for you than to be able to see your wife and kids.DP: F--k yeah, Absolutely. http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=77 http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=77 Source: Edward Douglas January 10, 2007Recently, ComingSoon.net had an opportunity to interview actor Dominic Purcell, which was great except that we hadn't had a chance to see his new movie Primeval yet, nor had this writer had time in recent months to catch up on the second season of his hit Fox drama "Prison Break." Undaunted, we persevered to find out a bit more about both.(Spoiler Warning: If you don't want to know anything about the killer, dubbed "Gustav", in Purcell's new action-thriller, then turn away now and don't bother to read this until you've had a chance to see the movie on Friday.)ComingSoon.net: I haven't seen the movie yet, but there's a big part of the movie that we can't really talk about, since the killer is supposed to be kind of a secret, right?Dominic Purcell: In the movie? Yeah, well look, I've been telling everyone about the crocodile today. CS: I assume you shot this movie on your last break from "Prison Break"?Purcell: Yeah, I just finished "Prison Break" and went straight into it. I was very excited to do this role, primarily because it was a studio movie. I know that sounds kind of shallow, but it was for me to get on some kind of list there. Just the fact that this thing was based on a true story, and the opportunity to work with Orlando Jones, they were all appealing things to me. CS: It looks like there might be a lot of action in the movie, so it's kind of a rigorous way to spend your break. Did you actually shoot it in South Africa?Purcell: Yeah, we did. The first month we shot in Capetown, the second month we shot in Durban, then we went to a place called Ladysmith, just outside of Durban. Three months. Initially, it was very very hot, then it got really cold. I had a lot of artificial rain thrown on me and at 3:00 in the morning, between takes, my shirt would freeze up, so it was a very demanding role. I dislocated my AC joint at one point. It was challenging on all fronts.CS: Was there something about the genre or the script specifically that made you want to do this movie?Purcell: Two reasons, it was the only thing offered to me. It was a combination of trying to make some kind of inroads into being on some kind of list, and obviously, I wouldn't have done the movie if it was just sh*t, but I saw potential in it, plus the fact that it was loosely based on a true story. It touched on themes that resonated with me, talking about the Rwandan genocide. The analogy of the movie primarily is that we make our own monsters. Gustav, this crocodile, is the result of a war, this thing got a taste of human flesh from bodies that were thrown into the Rowese River, and as soon as it started getting a taste of that, it started preying on humans. CS: Were there any real crocodiles involved in the shoot?Purcell: No, the crocodile itself is CGI, and thankfully, the croc doesn't look like Godzilla or King Kong. It actually does look like a real crocodile. It just allows the actors to act in a spontaneous way rather than having to be f**kin' in a cage or running from a real crocodile. I don't think we would have enjoyed that so much. CS: So there weren't any animatronic crocodiles or anything like that?Purcell: No, no, not at all. CS: Can you talk about your character in the movie?Purcell: I play Tim Freeman, who's an arrogant self-assured [television] producer who believes that going to Africa to investigate this monster, this crocodile, is beneath him, but once he gets there, he becomes involved in the story and the whole civil war has an impact on him. He begins to empathize with these people. CS: What was it about Orlando Jones that made you want to work with him?Purcell: He's a great actor. He's a wonderful comic, obviously. He has a real organic sense of spontaneity with his humor. He kind of reminds me of Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy. I think Orlando is going to be a big star one day. CS: In a movie like this, which is pretty serious, were you able to have some fun on the set or was it kept pretty serious?Purcell: As actors, we understood what we were doing. This is a genre movie. It's not supposed to be seen as a work of art, as they say, but certainly, we got into some conversations about Gustave and the impact that it's had on these people. These people fear for their lives, and obviously, the croc has been built into mythology with all these people. It's kind of terrifying for them.CS: You have a bit of experience with the horror genre. You did this movie "Grave Dancers" which just played at the After Dark Horror Fest, and "Blade." Did you consider this a horror movie or not really?Purcell: When I signed up for it, it wasn't a horror movie as such. It just became that with feedback from the studio, from [director] Michael Katelman, myself and Orlando, it just became this thing. I don't have a preference towards horror movies. It's funny, man. I've thought about this myself. It's not likely I actively seek out these movies. They just come my way. At this point in my career, I'm just kind of going with the flow, as they say. I'm about to do another movie with Joel Schumacher in Romania. That's not so much a horror movie, but it's certainly another intense movie. One day hopefully I'll be able to make a kitchen sink drama. CS: What's that Joel Schumacher movie about?Purcell: I'm playing a Gulf War veteran who gets captured from this family that it's in a cult, they have this connection to the Nazi regime, and I play this guy who escapes them and takes vengeance on them. It's a very intense movie. I'm looking forward to it. CS: You've been jumping back and forth between movies and TV shows with "Prison Break" and "John Doe" before that. Does it require to wear different heads while doing one or the other?Purcell: Not really, man. The only different thing is that with films, I have a bit more time to research what I'm doing. TV is a very fast medium. I don't have a preference with either one, just as long as I'm doing stories that are challenging to me, that say something to me. I'm a tradesman as an actor. I kind of just do what I gotta do, and make enough money to feed my wife and to feed my four kids. Again, I'm just appreciative and thankful and got my fingers crossed that things are going in the right direction.CS: "Prison Break" actually features quite a few movie actors like Peter Stormare and William Fichtner on the cast. Is it similar shooting the show to some of the movies you've made?Purcell: This show, "Prison Break" is very filmic, the way we film it obviously, a lot of this out and about on locations. The actors, as you mentioned, a lot of them have a lot of film experience. You don't get the feeling that you're doing a TV show when you're doing "Prison Break." You feel like you're doing this massive action thriller. In that way, it feels like a film. CS: Is it pretty demanding to do that sort of thing on a weekly basis? At least on movies, you get a break between them.Purcell: Oh, absolutely. Like all of us in life, we do the 9 to 5 thing, it becomes a grind after a while, but I just see it as an opportunity for me to tweak my acting technique, to find the benefits of working on a show and working in front of the camera continually. You do sometimes fall into lazy patterns. It's then that I take a deep breath and realize that I have this opportunity to improve as an actor. I just take the positives out of it. CS: Are you happy that Fox has been getting behind the show, even more than they did with "John Doe"?Purcell: Yeah, you know I'm very thankful and appreciative. Fox are very much behind "Prison Break." It's one of their successful shows. "Prison Break" is massive around the world. I don't think people, certainly here, are aware of that. It's the #1 show in all the European markets. In Japan, it was the fastest selling DVD apparently of all time. It's certainly filling the pockets of Murdoch. CS: That's an interesting way to put it. When you first hear the premise of the show, you don't really think that they can have enough of a story to tell to make it last for a long time. Are you surprised by how much they've been able to do with that premise?Purcell: Not at all. Sitting down with the writers and realizing Paul Scheuring's vision, I realized that I was onto a good thing. The wonderful thing about "Prison Break" is that the writers have invested in the characters, and people are really for them. They're redeemable characters, and that's what makes great drama. "Prison Break" services all of that. CS: Do you think William Fichtner might be coming back onto the show any time?Purcell: I'm not sure. I think Bill is really happy on "Prison Break," and if they ask him to come back for another season, I'm sure he would. He brings a great intensity and integrity to the show. I, for one, would love to see him still a part of the show. We just have to wait and see. CS: At the end of the last episode, it seemed like your character was going to be teaming up with Paul Kellerman, despite all the awful things he's done. Is that something that's going to continue through the second half of the season? Purcell: Yeah, well the Kellerman thing doesn't last. It lasts for a certain amount of time, but something happens obviously between Lincoln and Kellerman and Michael.CS: How far along right now are you into shooting the season right now?Purcell: We're up to Episode 17. We finish up in March, and we got about six more episodes to do, so we're in the home stretch. Then I fly off to Romania to do a Joel Schumacher movie. Primeval opens everywhere on Friday, January 12. http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=76 http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=76 Written by Stephanie Sanchez Friday, 05 January 2007 Source: http://iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1500&Itemid=99This morning, I chatted with Dominic about his work on Primeval, his injuries on the set, that little Hulk rumor (no he's not doing it), Prison Break and of course, John Doe. I can honestly say I have been a big fan of Dominic Purcell's since "John Doe" aired back in 2002 - 2003. Yes, we'd seen him in Mission Impossible II and Equilibrium, which is a great film by the way, but he really came into his own as the omnipotent loner in the Fox Television series.When I was offered an interview with the man, I jumped at the chance! Dominic is back on the big screen in Michael Katleman's Primeval that chronicles the journey of a news crew as they delve into the world of Gustave, a killer croc who's reportedly eaten over 300 victims.Unfortunately, due to studio request, we have been embargoed to put up the interview with Dominic about Primeval until next Wednesday, so be sure to check back to read it in it's entirety!For now, we can post the tidbit about the rumor going around that he was going play Bruce Banner in the Hulk sequel, reboot, whatever the hell you want to call it.Plus all the juicy Prison Break and John Doe info.Here's what he had to say. Enjoy!IESB: You’ve been rumored to be involved in the next Hulk film, has there been any movement on that, will we see you playing Bruce Banner?DP: Well, that was rumor, the Hulk was never, Marvel never approached me or my agent that was rumor, but I am about to do a movie with Joel Schumacher in Romania for three months. I’m playing a Gulf War veteran who gets captured by an occult family who has some kind of link to the Nazi regime. IESB: And what’s that called?DP: Town Creek. It’s an interesting story and I’m excited to be working with Joel Schumacher. It’s a good step up for me.IESB: So what’s more challenging for you as an actor, TV or film?DP: There’s isn’t a difference really, it depends on the role. I don’t really have a preference, TV or film, just as long as TV is good and challenging and refreshing and unique and that’s one of the reasons I took Prison Break. I was involved with the story and I loved the fact where it was coming from, it wasn’t your standard procedural drama. I saw an opportunity to be challenged as an actor and those are the kind of things I look for. Obviously, in the film world I’m on a list now but I’m not obviously getting the roles that go to the higher echelon of actors but at present I am applying my trade and hopefully I can get to a point where I can, kind of, choose projects I really, really want to be involved in.IESB: So what can we expect to see in the second half of the season on Prison Break?DP: The conclusion of season 2 obviously, the story will wrap up. I’m not at liberty to tell you exactly what happens but I do know that the pitch for season 3 has been embraced by Fox and I know the concept of season 3 and it’s very exciting, it’s going to blow a lot of people away. That’s the good thing about Prison Break, each season get to be a different story. Season 1 was prison, season 2 we’re on the run, season 3 is…can’t tell you.IESB: Oh! I was gonna say come on! Okay one last thing, and I have to ask this because I was a huge fan of John Doe and it ended without any real closure for the fans and it’s bothered me forever, where exactly did John Doe come from and why did he know everything?DP: Well, John Doe was Christ returned. That’s why he knew everything, you know, I feel kind of sorry for John Doe in that he never really got a chance to conclude his journey. It’s a strange thing that happened there, the show itself was actually rated pretty well. It’s funny, Fox would do anything now to have John Doe on Friday nights at 9 o’clock. We were pulling in 8s and 9s on Friday night, you know, those are good numbers. Maybe they could make a movie of it one day, who knows.IESB: That’s a good idea, I hope they do! Thanks so much for your time Dominic.DP: Thank you.Purcell is certainly climbing the ladder. Prison Break has become a huge television hit on Fox with a large fanbase behind it. Too bad he wasn't approached to do the next Hulk film, he would have been great as Dr. Bruce Banner. Purcell has an almost humble but commanding presence about him. Ah well, we look forward to the future of Prison Break, his next film Town Creek directed by Joel Schumacher and who knows, all you John Doe fans out there keep your fingers crossed, maybe just maybe, he'll step into those shoes once more time. Prison Break returns to Fox on January 22nd 2007! http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=75 http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=75 Interview by Raeanne RubensteinIt was a very hot July evening when I met Dominic Purcell, at a press party organized by Fox, to promote their very successful (and Dish favorite) show “Prison Break.” All the actors were there, Wentworth, Amaury, Peter Stormare, Wade Williams, even Stacy Keach was there, as was creator Paul Scheuring. Fortunately, interviews were allowed, so when I noticed Dominic Purcell (miraculously) standing alone, I grabbed him, dragged him off, (just kidding!) for a little one-on-one of the verbal kind. Here’s what he had to say….What’s changed the most since “Prison Break”? I can buy a lobster now. (laughs) It’s a beautiful thing to be noticed in a few places and being able to get these perks that we are getting and a few toys—I just bought myself a car. It’s a nice … Mercedes Benz 500 CLS, it’s beautiful! I said ‘I’ve worked hard, why not? Let me just treat myself with one of these.’ I bought my mom a car too, I bought her this beautiful SUV. It’s in Puerto Rico. Brand new, she’s loving it. It was for Mother’s Day. What’s the whole point of me having all this money and not spending it on people I love? After 22 episodes, did you start to get tired of being in the prison? Towards the end I got frustrated. Creatively, my imagination started to dry up. But I always knew that we were breaking out, and we’ve broken out, and now it’s good times ahead. So what’s next for Lincoln? There’s a lot of changes [that are] going to happen to my character right now. He loosens up a bit. Sure, he’s the guy with the plan, he’s the strong guy, the action kind of guy. We get to see different flavors for him. We get to see a lot more charisma. People are going to be fascinated with Lincoln, in that ‘Wow! this is a different guy,’ which is great because in Season One I was playing him in a semi one-dimensional manner—I’m depressed, I’m going to die. This year, I don’t have that. It’s very exciting. What’s going to happen with all of D.B. Cooper’s money? Lincoln doesn’t care two ways about the money. It’s more about, first of all—saving himself, getting away from the chair. And then dealing with…the damage that he created before incarceration, the relationship with L.J. (his son Lincoln Burrows, Jr.), and with trying to work out who took out his ex-wife. There’s a lot of stuff going on in Lincoln’s mind, before he can escape with Michael across the border. Do you ever get a say in the direction your character goes? The majority of it is on the page. But as actors, we get on the set and we flesh out stuff. The great thing about this show is that the writers aren’t married to the words. They trust us in that…we live within the character, we know these guys more now than the writers. The writers are obviously all about objectives and the structure of the story. If I read a scene or a line, and I’m like ‘No, no, no. The wording’s wrong, Lincoln wouldn’t say it like this.’ I have the liberty to go to the writers or on the day [of filming] change it without them knowing, as long as I don’t change the intent of what the writer wants me to say. How is working with Wentworth? He’s right there with you, even off camera, he gives it all. He prepares, he just slices his character. He knows this character more than anybody else does, we all do. But, as an actor, he doesn’t want to compromise any results by getting greedy, and taking any other movie roles that he’s been offered. My buddy Wentworth, he’s just amazing—as a cast member, as a friend. We have a great time on set. I’ve learned so much from him, how he’s been able to handle all this notoriety and all these things that just jump at him. For me, it’s been easier little by little. I wouldn’t be able to do it the way he’s done it. Is there any competition between you two? Everybody knows their place, and where they’re at. Of course, it is a hit show, an ensemble cast. Of course the driving force is Wentworth. And, I applaud him, I support him. In my case, I know where I stand and things are happening for me and that’s good. There’s no competition at all. We’re all one and we actually support each other. Why do you think “Prison Break” is an international success? I think primarily the rest of the world, for some reason, is quite interested in American drama. There’s something there that they love. We’re talking about a show that is unique, it’s refreshing, it’s different. Obviously, you’ve got your hunky guys, great stories, and we’re dealing with prison, convicts. You’ve got a great guy in Wentworth in the first season, a fresh new face. You had all the elements of doing very well. How do you feel about the show moving to Dallas? I love Dallas…everything’s clean and well put together and I’m really enjoying my time there. Is it hard being so far away from your family? Some actors get lucky—they do shows and it’s always at home. For me, I haven’t done one yet. I’m just everywhere. It’s hard. We’ve got four kids, and I have to do that commute thing. The kids are in school and what have you, we’ll just see. Obviously next year, if and when the show moves to a different location, they’re going to have to come with me. We’ll just see what happens. Didn’t you used to cut grass for a living? Yeah, I was a landscape gardener. I left school and didn’t really know what I wanted to do and I got into landscape gardening. Thankfully I’m not digging holes anymore. I read that you were having a wild time then. I was pretty wild, silly and stupid. I haven’t had a drink now in 15 months. I’ve been sober for a while. I’ve managed to clean up my ways. It’s the best thing I ever did. What motivated you to do that? It was time. It was time to grow up. What do you do in between takes? I’m a big reader. On my days off, I like to read in the mornings. I hang by the pool because it’s so hot. I swim a lot. On a working day, usually I’m really tired, because it’s pretty exhausting. What’s next on the plate? I just did a movie with Spielberg and Michael Bay, it’s called “Transformers”. The movie comes out on July 4, (2007) we’re just shooting it right now. We’ve been shooting all summer and now I’m going back from “Prison Break” to L.A., Dallas to L.A. “Transformers”, It’s going to be a huge blockbuster. I play one of the special operation officers with Josh Duhamel, Tyrese (Gibson), and Zack Ward. Of course, in the movie as well, Jon Voight. Now that you have had some success, do you work with any charities? I got a group of kids in Puerto Rico who are orphans or being either molested or beaten, so I take care of them. Every year, I go and do this huge party for them—a benefit, but no press, just me. It is my birthday on December 24, so what we do, it is used to celebrate my birthday. I do a party for them, and buy them whatever they need. Just try to support them. God has given me so much, I just have to give it all back. http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=72 http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=72 The Secrets of Fox's Prison Break US Magazine by Eric AnderssonDominic Purcell tells Us what's in store when the show returns March 20It doesn't got more dramatic than this! says Dominic Purcell. No kidding. When we last left the gang at the Fox River State Penitentiary, Michael (Wentworth Miller, 33) and four other inmates found their escape plans foiled. Meanwhile, Michael's brother, Lincoln (Purcell) - on death row for a murder he didn't commit - was hours away from the electric chair. Purcell, 36, tells Us what to expect next.They find another way out! With his tunnel plan kaput, "Michael uses his genius to improvise," Purcell says.Lost influence "Now we'll show the lives of the guys before they got into prison," Purcell says of new flashback segments. "It's surprising. Michael isn't the angel people think he is."Unhappy ending when they do bust out - "Of course we escape!" Purcell assures Us - not everyone survives. "Some make it over the wall, but a couple die."More dish from Purcell: The sexual tension between Michael and prison doc Sara (Sarah Wayne Callines, 28) continues! http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=71 http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=71 Romeos & JolietTV Guide August 28, 2005By Bruce FrettsDon't take your eyes off Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell, the breakout stars od Prison Break, a daring serial dramaFrom the bullet hiles in the cafeteria's ceiling to the make time serve you sign hanging over the yard's entrance, The Prison Break set oozes realism. As well as it should: The new Fox thriller shoots on location at the Joliet Correctional Center, an actual Illinois penitentiary that held inmates from 1858 to 2002.But as stars Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell chat on opposite sides of a chain-link fence on a sweltering July morning, one detail rings untrue. :The extras all look like refugees from The O.C., " says Miller, gazing at his impossibly dreamy fellow convicts. "We should do a crossover: "Welcome to prison, bitch!' "Like its extras, Prison Break's premise stretches credulity, Michael Scofield (Miller) sticks up a bank and gets tossed into the slammer in a plot to spring his allegedly innocent brother, Lincoln Burrows (Purcell), from death row. It's slightly far-fetched, but creator Paul Scheuring shrugs off the criticism: "This is not a prison documentary, it's a escape story."And what a great escape Prison Break promises to be. The Dizzying pilot, directed by executive producer Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour"), packs more twists than a Rold Gold assembly-line worker. "There are a lot of secrets hidden in the narrative, so that should be fun for the audience," says Scheuring, who claims to have already plotted out the first two seasons. "It's not like we're looking for a polar bear in this episode and it might pay off in two years." (In other words: get Lost, J.J. Abrams!)With a mabyrinthine government conspiracy subplot - the Feds apparently framed Lincoln for murdering the vice president's brother - Prison Break harkens back to an earlier Fox mind-bender. "It has ab element of the X-Files," observes co-star Peter Stormare ("Fargo"). "The only thing we're missing here is aliens."That's only if you don't count the Sedish Stormare, whose unorthodox casting as an imprisoned Mafia boss represents only one of the show's many charmingly bizarro flourishes. "We're seen the goombah a billion times, se we tried something different," explains Scheuring. "We're got a great actor, so maybe the audience will do a little wink-wink and go, "That's fine.' " Or maybe viewers will be too distracted by Miller, the show's likely breakout star. The British-born, Princeton educated actor seemed poised for movie stardom in 2003 as the young Anthony Hopkins in "The Human Stain," But the film failed to leave a mark. "There was a lot of talk at the time about what this project was going to do for me," remembers Miller. "Now I know to take all that with a grain of salt."Prison Break should put Miller over the wall. "Wentworth's face is so unique - you just want to fill the frame with it, " Scheuring says. "There's a great understated nuance to him and an intelligence in his eyes, which is extraordinarily hard to find. He's just a star."That's what Fox has been saying about Miller's on-screen sibling for years. The network first cast Purcell in the title role of it's 2002 drama John Doe. "That was really brutal - I was in almost every scene for 22 episodes," says the actor, who'd ditched his landscaping job in Australia and headed to Hollywood when he won a green card in the lottery. "If I could get through John Doe, I can get through anything."Charismatic actors aside, will viewers find Prison Break as captivating as Joilet, the sublimely Gothic joint where it shoots? "If people are coming every Monday night at p, you don't want to go to some dank little hole," says Scheuring. "The place had to have a romance about it that would make people keep coming back."In fact, Joilet may be the show's true star. "[Joliet] tends a certain authenticity we couldn't replicate on a soundstage," says Miller. "I'm glad to work here, but I'm also very glad to go home at the end of the day."Sure, it's a nice place to visit, but... http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=70 http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=70 One Way to Keep Things Lively: Kill off CharactersThe New York Times, August 20, 2006By Edward WyattLittle Elm, Texas. The second season of Prison Break, the fox hit that last spring saw right convicts escape from the Fox River Penitentiary, has already been compared to many classics of the genre: to "The Fugitive" times eight, for example, or to "The Great Escape"; in its form, to Dicken's serialized novels, and in its premise, to the Camus novel "The Stranger."Wade Williams, who plays Bellick, the prison guard with a heart of lead, has another idea. "I think it's like 'Finding Nemo,' " he said recently, sitting in a trailer on a broiling parking lot in this exurb north of Dallas, where the second season is being filmed. "You know, when they all escape from the aquarium and they really are fish out of water."Verifying its provenance is only one of the problems that those involved with the show, which emerged as one of the most fascinating dramas of last season, have had. Another has been how to get the audience to buy into a concept where the traditional good guys - the president, for example - are bad and the bad guys - like the loathsome murderer-pedophile T-bag - have at least an inkling of goodness buried within.Then there was the issue of how to sustain a one-topic premise - "We're bustin' out, tonight" - over 22 episodes and nine months. In the new season, which begins Monday, the storytelling challenges would seem to get only harder, as the main characters, who finally escaped in last season's finale, run in eight different directions.But Paul T. Scheuring, the series creator and head writer, is confident, for one main reason. "A lot of people," he said, "are you going to be killed.""The ramifications of this escape are going to be very obvious, in that we're not going to try to sustain the show or kind of cheapen it in any way by trying to stretch too much out of the season," he said."Those eight guys who start on the ground running in Season 2," he added, "virtually none of those will be there in their current iterations, involved in the season 3 story line."For most showsm killing off a single character is a big deal. It alters a show's dynamics, both on-screen and off, itself a risk for an enterprise that relies on the cooperation of the multiple parties on the set each day. A character's death also risks alienating a fair portion of the audience, because each player in a complex drama is bound to attract his own set of fans. Other popular shows like 'Lost" on ABC, have centered large parts of their season on the occasional death of a character.But despite the fact that there in no precedent for him to follow or avoid, Mr. Scheuring seems almost blase as he invokes the right to pursue mass bloodshed. "We just want to tell the most intriguing and best story that we can," he said, "and we can't pull any punches in doing that. If we kill characters, and characters fall by the wayside, it makes the audience that much more fearful for our protagonists while they're on the run, because they realize that they could get caught and killed."The actors realize it too. Comfortable though Mr. Scheuring may be, his approach has created a certain level of tension on the set, where the actors and crew are enduring 12-hour days in temperatures that are routinely topping 100 degrees. "One of the actors here, he's about to eat it, and he's very upset," said Dominic Purcellm who plays Lincoln Burrows, the death row inmate who is wrongly accused of assassinating the vice president's brother. "It's a very sensitive subject. A series like this comes along once in a while, and of course you want it to last as long as possible."And just as clearly, some will be disappointed. "If everybody continues on in this safe world, then by Episode 6 or 8 or 10, you're bored," Mr. Scheuring said. "But if it's like, 'Is Scofield going to die at the end too?' - he might, and I think that's cool."Scofield is Micheal Scofield, the structural engineer who had himself incarcerated with a tattoo of the prison's blueprints to bust out his brother, the accused assassin.That is only the beginning og the show's convoluted plot. The vice president's brother, it was revealed in last season's finale, is anthing but dead, and the vice president is now the president after she appeared to have a hand in knocking off the big man herself.And what would a prison drama be without a love interest? Not that kind - although there is that too - but rather a burgoening flirtation between Scofield and Dr. Sara Tancredi, the prison physician who happens to be the governor's daughter.Farfetched? Perhaps. But the plot's credibility problems are overcome by rich, intense character portrayals, anchored by Wentworth Miller as the tattooed brother and Rober Knepper, who plays the repellient T-bag with a creepy, insinuating grin.The second season also adds a new antagonist, Special Agent Alexander Mahone of the F.B.I., portrayed by William Fichtner. As Javert to Scofield's Valjean, Mahone chases the prisoners along their intersecting cross-country paths.Like any good prison break, this one was sketched out well in advance. "We always looked at it as 44 episodes, the first half of which took place within the walls ad the second half with the escape, with each of the guys headed toward their own goal, whether it's love or revenge or exoneration," Mr. Scheuring said.And from the very first episode of the new season, he said, "we want to show that we're playing for keeps, and that there are ramifications to what they've done.""If Season2 just continued to the end and all of our characters were running in a scrum and none of them had suffered because of this massive thing that they've done, I think it would be a very unrealistic and unfulfilling season," he said. "But as the audience starts to see first one and them another and then another of our protagonists getting killed or getting caught, it becomes kind of a dark American Idol where you tune in to see who's going to get eliminated next week."Mr Miller, whose Scofield character is something of a Stoic, is suitably accepting of his possible fate."We are trying to tell a frightening story here," he said. "So they're trying to keep the tension ratcheted up to a frightening level. Ultimately there are casualties. And if they said that Scofield is going to be tossed beneath the wheels of a semi, and it is in keeping with the integrity of the story we are trying to tell, then so be it."Impending death would interfere with some of the potentially most intriguing story arcs, particularly that of C-Note, the prisoner, portrayed by Rockmond Dunbar, who was drummed out of the Army but who is pretending, to his family, to still in Iraq. "It's going to be interesting, how this works out with his family," Mr. Dunbar said. "All I can say is that if he gets to them, it's going to be in a very intelligent way."Of course, whittling down the number of characters has its practical aspects as well. "It actually does help us in terms of reducing story lines," Mr. Scheuring said. "You can't tell eight different story lines in an episode of television."With the success of the show has come the inevitable question from the network: What can we do for Season 3?Mr. Scheuring is coy."Some interesting stuff is coming up," he said, "But again, because season 2 is kind of a re-invention of Season 1 in terms of tableaus, Season 3 will have to be that as well." http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=69 http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=69 Dominic Purcell spent much of Prison Break’s first season in solitary confinement. Season two will give him a chance to take charge. He loosens up a bit, said Purcell. Sure, he’s the guy with the plan, he’s the strong guy, the action kind of guy but we get to see different flavors to him. We get to see a lot more charisma. People are going to be fascinated with Lincoln in that wow, this is a different guy, which was great because season one I was playing him in a semi-one dimensional manner. I’m depressed, I’m about to die. This year, I don’t have that. It’s very exciting.Purcell Talks Prison Break s2 He got through it because he knew after the hurdle of the breakout, the rest of Lincoln’s storyline was action packed. I know what happens in the first few years. I know what happens. I’m not telling you though.On the lam for Season Two, Lincoln and brother Michael still have to prove Lincoln’s innocence in the murder of the now president’s brother (who is actually still alive). The fact that other ex-cons are going after D.B. Cooper’s five million dollars is irrelevant to them.I think Lincoln doesn’t care two ways about the money, said Purcell. It’s more about first of all, saving himself, getting away from the chair and then dealing with the damage that he created before incarceration. The relationship with LJ, trying to work out who took out his ex-wife and stuff like that. So there’s a lot of stuff that’s going on in Lincoln’s mind before he can just escape with Michael across the border and that helps the show.Filming has moved to Dallas, which provides exciting locations to stage action sequences. We get to see the scope of where we are, lots of action, planes, trains, car crashes, jumping across buildings and just a lot of interesting, cool stuff, he said. Prison Break also welcomes a new addition to the cast. William Fichtner plays an FBI agent on the trail of the convicts. I’m so happy that William’s involved with the show, Purcell said. Obviously, William’s a great actor and he brings a new element to the show, certainly a great energy to the show, an intense energy. It just adds to the story arc of Prison Break. It brings a credibility to the show of course. It’s only beneficial for him to be involved. http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=68 http://www.dominicpurcell.net/cms/articles.php?lng=en&pg=68 Australian Woman's Day MagazineJanuary 30, 2006Dominic Purcell reveals he has a lot in common with his death-row-inimate characterHe may be a Hollywood star with his new role in the hit show Prison Break, but Aussie-raised hunk Dominic Purcell, 35, still can't stand the sight of himself in the mirror!"Every morning I see my ugly head reflecting back and it's like, 'Gee, I'd like longer, Fabio hair," he says.One-time Bondi boy Dominic shaved his head just after landing the role of death-row inmate Lincoln Burrows, which he admits is almost a mirror image of his own brooding personality. "I'm very grumpy, angry, intense, dark, sometimes happy, neurotic... I can really relate to him," he reveals.One way Dominic differs from his character is that he is happily married - to wife Rebecca - and is a doting dad to their four children, Joe, Audrey, and twins Lily and Gus.He and Rebecca met at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where movie star Hugh Jackman was a class mate. Before mving his brood to LA to make it big, Dominic starred in the show RAW FM, back in 1997.While his family remain at their LA home, Dominic is now forced to be a weekends-only dad while he shoots the series in a real Chicago prison. And with only male co-stars, it's not just family Dominic is missing.I'd love to see some beautiful women walking around just to brighten my day!"That's where 22-year-old Neighbours starlet Holly Valance steps in - as a "mystery woman" close to Lincoln's brother Michael Scofield, played by sexy former model Wentworth Miller, 33. Together they must put Micheal's elaborate plan of escape into action before Lincoln's days are over.