Sarah Wayne Callies On The Return of ‘Prison Break’: ‘It Was Emotional’

When Prison Break’s four-season run concluded in 2009, Sara Tancredi’s (Sarah Wayne Callies, above, with Dominic Purcell) ending was bittersweet: The pregnant former prison physician married seemingly terminal former con Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller). In the nine-episode revival, premiering tonight, Sara is raising her son, Michael Jr., and has remarried—then she gets word that Michael may still be alive. Callies (who also stars on USA’s Colony) shares why she stepped back into Sara’s shoes.

Did you always want to return for the revival?
I didn’t think we would be able to make it happen. They were unbelievably generous at Colony. And I’ll be honest, I wasn’t willing to come back just because it’s Prison Break. I wanted to make sure this was going to be good and something I was proud of.

What is Sara’s reaction when she learns Michael may be alive?
There’s no small amount of heartbreak. There is a level of outrage. But once those emotions cool down, there are a lot of questions, [because] Michael Scofield wouldn’t walk out on his family.

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What was it like the first time you and Wentworth filmed a scene together again?
It was emotional. It took us both a fair amount of time after to catch our breath. We sat there with our arms around each other for a second, just holding it all together. We both tried to take out of our heads what it may mean to fans and play the moment honestly. When they come back into each other’s orbit, they’re really unsure if they’re welcome.

Would you be open to coming back for another season?
When I agreed to do it, this was an event series. What I always said about Prison Break was we stop telling the story when we’re out of story to tell. All I am in charge of is my participation. So we’ll take it a year at a time.

Prison Break, Series Return, Tuesday, April 4, 9/8c, Fox