‘Prison Break’ Season 5 update: Sarah Wayne Callies had second thoughts about playing Dr. Sara Tancredi after 7 years

“Prison Break” without Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows) and Dr. Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies) is unthinkable. Michael and Sara was a highly admired couple, who the fans came to love for their seamless onscreen chemistry. Still, when “Prison Break” Season 5 rumours started to spread, Callies was the last actor to sign on. She would have refused to reprise her role if she did not find the script good.

The former “The Walking Dead” actress, who is now starring on USA Network’s “Colony,” wanted to first make sure it was not just “a bunch of actors and executive producers” wanting “to cash some old checks,” Callies told Entertainment Weekly. Her first thought was the revival better be good.

Callies came to know about the possibility of a revival when Paul Adelstein, who played Paul Kellerman in the Fox’s high-intensity jail-break drama, broke the news to Callies. Her reaction was totally justified. Just like “Prison Break” fans, she too couldn’t believe it.

“It was, ‘No f—ing way, holy f—ing s—,’ like expletive filled. Totally did not believe it, like not in a million years, because I asked the same questions that everybody’s asking. They’re like, ‘But Michael’s dead?!” Callies said.

It was only when executive producer Dawn Olmstead approached her to ask her out for lunch that she was convinced. A big reason why Callies decided to join the “Prison Break” cast for a revival was show creator Paul Scheuring. Callies said “yes” as “Prison Break” was Scheuring’s baby and he was the main brain behind it.

The actress also stated that the show means a lot to her personally. Hence, she agreed to reprise her role only after she was convinced that the director and the cast were doing something brave. She also hesitated at the beginning as she was not sure if she could inhabit her role again.

However, Callies thought that she would be playing a very different role in the “Prison Break” revival as Sara has moved through her grief. It would have been difficult to play a facsimile of Sara Tancredi from Season 1. The thought of playing Sara Scofield seemed interesting.

“She’s changed hugely, just as I have. I don’t think I could play a facsimile of Sara Tancredi from season 1, but playing Sara Scofield in season 5 is both different and honest,” Callies said.