Prison Break

Dominic Purcell Interview

Sept. 5 - The good news is that Dominic Purcell's Lincoln Burrows, who spent the first and second seasons of "Prison Break" respectively on Death Row and on the lam, is now a free man. The bad news is that Linc's younger brother, Michael Scofield, played by Wentworth Miller, is an indefinite "guest" of the Panamanian prison known as SONA.

Purcell recently chatted with AOL TV's Michael Maloney, offering up dish on the upcoming season of 'Prison Break', how his character will lighten up a little bit and why this show is just so darned addictive.

Michael being in jail gives Lincoln a chance to pay him back big time for Michael saving Linc's life in season one.
Yeah. I'm not sure Lincoln sees it [exactly] as that. He may not see it as a favor ... It's just something that he has to do without question. The heart and soul of 'Prison Break' is the brothers, their love and what they're willing to do for one another. We all understand the capacity of unconditional love. It's what these two guys have for each other.

What are you going to be doing this year on the show?
We're getting to see the real Lincoln now that he's been exonerated. We'll see Lincoln's soul. He's going to come into his own. We'll see him by himself dealing with everything that's going on. There's not that sense of claustrophobia [he's had in the past]

Will you and Wentworth get to work together much this season? I'm assuming Lincoln won't be breaking into jail like Michael did because SONA is a tougher place.
I'm going to be working a lot with Wentworth, but [our characters] are going to be separated by a wire fence. Lincoln will see him during visitations. I'm still not sure how [or when] Michael will get out, but apparently, there is going to be some kind of emotional crisis between the brothers that will cause them to drift apart. [But] I don't know what that is.

What were your initial thoughts when you read the 'Prison Break' pilot?
I was blown away. I did think, "How do you maintain a series like this?" The second season was actually a no-brainer -- they've escaped and they're on the run. But the third season had me concerned. What they've come up with for this year is the best. From what I'm hearing from the network, the producers and [fans] is that the third season is going to be great. It's like 'Midnight Express' quadrupled. Michael is in a Panamanian prison. We're not talking about a structured institution like Joliet or any prison in America where there are guards, cages and yards. There's no protection in this place. It's a free market.

Your hair is short even though Lincoln's a free man now. Is that your choice?
[This year picks up] three weeks later, so I'm keeping it short halfway through the season. Then, I'll probably grow it out.

They're not going to pull anything where his being exonerated is reversed?
No. He's done [with all that]. It's all up to Lincoln to get his brother out using his street smarts. Lincoln will be charming at times. I'm getting to play a lot of charisma.

Will he have more of a sense of humor this year?
Yes. Not being able to do something different with him has been hard. I've wanted to, but I couldn't find any justifications for Lincoln to ever smile or for him to be liked. I had to play the situation that he was in.

What have you had to learn since you started playing this role?
I'll have to speak a little Spanish this year. I'm looking forward to that.