Prison Break Magazine - Nick Santora
Interview taken from the Official Prison Break Magazine Issue 7 on sale November 2007.
How long have you known that Sarah Wayne Callies was not returning to the show? Is that something that has been planned since last season?
Nick Santora: We didn’t know it was definite until sometime in the summer, so we just had to change our storylines and come up with something that was jarring, emotional, and would still drive our characters and make it clear that even though Dr. Sara Tancredi is gone from this world, she is not gone from the heart, mind, and soul of Michael Scofield.
I know some people were saying she can’t be gone because the network and studio released statements that she plays an integral part in season three. Well, she does. She is a motivation for Michael who is thinking of her constantly. So Sara is still kind of alive.
Sara is ultimately beheaded as a warning to Michael and Linc. What kind of conversations did you have about her fate?
Nick: Once we realized we didn’t have the actress, and hence didn’t have the character, we just bandied around a bunch of ideas which we thought were creatively satisfying. The one thing that was never an option was recasting her with a completely different actress so that there would be someone who looked nothing like Sarah Wayne Callies, running through Panama pretending to be Dr. Tancredi. We couldn’t do that or insult our audience so we knew we had to figure out a way to explain why she wasn’t on camera.
Michael has dealt with a lot of loss lately. Will Sara’s murder finally push him over the edge?
Nick: You are going to see a side of Michael you’ve never seen before, but it is not going to be Here’s the straw that broke my back. I can’t take it anymore. It is going to be Michael turning around and saying, Enough is enough! I am going to go out there and get my pound of flesh now!
And Michael Scofield is going to do things you never imagined he could do. It is going to flip a switch. He is still going to be the same character, people are still going to love him, but we are going to sympathize with him and know where he is coming from.
Source: FemaleFirst
Tags: Nick Santora, nick-santora-interviewRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Michael Scofield, Nick Santora, Prison Break Season 3
27 opinions for Prison Break Magazine - Nick Santora
Tina
Oct 16, 2007 at 8:41 am
Well, Nick you did insult a viewer like myself with that dodgy story line you came up to kill Dr. Sara…the company killing their 50% leverage over the brothers.
And please don’t insult my intelligence any further if you think Mike is still going to be the same person he was when you completely changing him, as we know it Mike isn’t going to be the same, if he is driven by vengeance….no more hope or faith. Congratulation you have turned the show into hopelessness!
Anna
Oct 16, 2007 at 9:49 am
N.S. is still trying to overemphasize the fact that they “didn’t have the actress”. Well, they would still have her if (1) they hadn’t decided to “kill” her and (2) if they hadn’t asked her to work during her maternity leave (and on a job that she had already lost). Very nice, Mr. Santora, keep trying to pin this mess on an actress who was promoting this show overseas while being 7 months pregnant!
It's Prison, Yo!
Oct 16, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Yes, I remember SWC being over in Europe promoting PB while she was 7 months pregnant and thinking to myself, oh that poor lady. And then she finds out she did it for nothing. I don’t blame her one bit for feeling like she was stabbed in the back.
Jasmin
Oct 16, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Nick Santora is a coward.
He keeps not assuming that it was the writers (or someone else in FOX) that decided to “kill” Dra Sara Tancredi, and he`s still trying to full the viewers with this thing of “with did`nt had the actress”.
For God`s sake. This is a shame.
ks
Oct 16, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Can we really believe anything he say anymore? It’s really sad how they tried to pin this all on SWC. They crapped on SWC and she wasn’t going to just stand there and take it.
Anna
Oct 16, 2007 at 1:20 pm
I noticed how he says they were looking for something that would “drive our characters”. He doesn’t seem to realise that for a good portion of the viewers Sara WAS one of OUR characters and not just a motivational device for Michael. Sure, the ones who didn’t see her that way are still interested in the show, but for those of us that were watching PB as the brothers’ story as well as Sara’s, this move killed the plot. She was a character with a background (problematic relationship with the father, mother’s alcoholism, mother’s death, her addiction, father’s assassination, her torture and close escape from death in S2), and her storyline - including the romance angle - was far from exhausted. After everything she went through, the bad guys won. Not to mention that the character who is most beloved by everyone, Michael, has to endure this loss. We ‘re supposed to watch this as entertainment? We all have our share of grief in real life, thank you, I want no more.
dogloverkd
Oct 16, 2007 at 3:01 pm
I agree, she was a main character that most people related to and liked a lot. She was my favorite character. I agree her storyline just ended, she killed for Michael and Linc and then the compnay just killed her. Then to bring in Molly who seems to have the same motiviation and background as Sara. I think the best thing they could do is beg SWC to come back and write her in. That is what the fans want.
Logan
Oct 16, 2007 at 6:00 pm
You guys crack me up u really do…those of you who think the writers are to blame for swc greediness are delousial and u all need psychitic help honest to god already
Helen
Oct 17, 2007 at 2:37 am
N.S, stop blaming SWC saying “you didn’t have the actress to work with”, there was so many different way, you could have gone with the story since you supposed to be a creative writer but you didn’t. Now you’ve made your “kick-ass” bed so lie in it!!!
AND Nick, f*** you!!!! For turning this unique show into every other movie and show out there, by making it about revenge and I’m very sorry I put all my faith and time buying into your creation, thinking its more that “just a TV show”, and you went and screwed it up.
Anna, I’m with you…I want no more of this and this is the last time I’m commenting on this topic.
Now that Sara is dead all I can think about is that scene in season 2 on the train when Mike said “YOU CAN GET THAT BACK…ALL OF IT…YOU NEED TO BELIEVE THAT!”…YOU THINK YOU CAN GET THAT BACK?…..I CHOOSE TO HAVE FAITH!….WHAT? A HEAD IN A BOX?!! I GUESS THE JOKE IS ON US!! THEY’RE TOTALLY FALLING IN CONTRADICTION… WELCOME REVENGE…FAITH AND HOPE IS DEAD TOGETHER WITH PB!!!!
Anon
Oct 17, 2007 at 4:05 am
His comments are insulting, to say the least.
There is no way any fan of the show will accept the idea of a slaughtered Sara being ‘alive’ as a motivation for the character of Scofield! If Mr. Santora is attempting damage control, it isn’t working.
Why can’t the writers/producers simply admit they made a mistake and just FIX it?
loseless
Oct 17, 2007 at 8:04 am
@Helen
> For turning this unique show into every other movie and show out there
Wrong. In every other movie everyone is all right, everything goes into happy end and main characters are untouchable. Sure, there are several deaths, but only unimportant pawns die.
If anyone want sweet love story, go ahead, watch another show and enjoy it. But this is so-called (prison) drama - welcome in dirty world. Realistic world, where holy cows don’t exist.
For all of you, who are against Sara’s death - just tell me one thing: How would you deal with unavailability of SWC? Hire another actress? Simply not putting her into a screenplay of first episodes? For how long? What if she will never be back? Just make her disappear and let’s fans have hope? Again - for how long? Until end of show?
Tina
Oct 17, 2007 at 8:19 am
loseless, for the hundreds of times, the producers/writers wanted to KILL sara in season 3 whether they had the actress or not. Go and read about it here… http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Prison-Break-Exclusive/800024014
Prison Break Magazine - Issue 7
Oct 19, 2007 at 9:08 am
[…] cover art for Issue 7 of Prison Break Magazine - out in November. Here’s an interview with Nick Santora from the […]
Sarah
Oct 19, 2007 at 6:30 pm
I can’t believe this. Sara Tancredi was more than just ONE character, she tied in the romance angle, the friendship angle, the strong female angle and they just single-handedly ruined the one thing that kept Prison Break so special for me and so many fans I know - the love between Michael and Sara. Giving this crappy line about her death being Michael’s motivator ergo, creating episodes for a Prison Break I no longer want to watch is, in Sara’s on words, not gonna cut it for me. I don’t care how many people think that the brothers are the be-all and end-all of the show, certain characters MADE sure the brothers GOT to BE the be-all and the end-all. I am SO disappointed, I’m speechless. This is it, no one’s going to remember Prison Break after this.
MDBEC
Oct 19, 2007 at 8:52 pm
You guys need to get over it that Sarah is dead… Prison break would not be prison break if some major Drama didn’t happen… I have Watch and listen to ALL, litterally all the interviews about Prison Break… And from the beginning, it was said that NOBODY is safe in this show… so…
And the decision oh Sara not being in the show anymore was not only the decision of the network or the producers… She is raising her first child for god’s sake!!!! Can’t you people understand that? I mean Yes she promoted the show while she was 7 month pregnant, but now she is a mother… What? you want her to just leave her baby and go work 18 hours on the set to entertain you guys…
And it’s TV people… and Sara’s statement about her “being disappointed” came from the twisted french interview that was altering what she said.
Get back to reality people, Prison Break is not a romance story, it’s a dirty, hell hole story where good people are on a deadly journey EVERY second of their lives…
There are too many shows to watch happy endings… As far as I am concern, Prison Break reflects on the reality of the dirty/corrupt world in which we are living and gives us the reality RAW… Trust me, from where I am from, I have known about much worst hell stories due to politics and corruption etc…
If You guys want Romance, Prison Break is not the best show to watch…Prison Break is far from being a Pink story with flowers, it’s dirty, agressive and about corruption and we all have been warned about that from Season 1!!!!!!
sara
Oct 19, 2007 at 11:33 pm
i cant believe people freak out so much because of her death. she was a very weak character in my eyes. one that always seemed to drown in self-pity and not even notice what was happening.
prison break is amazing because of the drama and not the love story… i cant believe that some people only watched it because of sara/michael. oh well, ill be looking forward to the next episodes and the changed michael. :)
MDBEC
Oct 20, 2007 at 12:51 am
I second you in this comment Sara… LOL, when i want to watch Romance and pink stuff i watch Grey’s anatomy which I love and where there’s lots of lovey dovey going on :-) but prison break is about DRAMA, DRAMAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
I love Prison Break… I actually miss Abruzzi!!! Prison Break is a show where You even get to love hating the Bad guys…
meredith
Oct 20, 2007 at 3:58 am
i like sara. she is my favourite actress and she was my favourite character in this show. this whole thing is very disappointed,but i think i will watch it in the future, too. i still hope she will be back!
ratna
Oct 20, 2007 at 5:04 am
i love sarah’s character because she really really love michael,and michael too, they are my favorite character,so I really sad if sarah gone from this show,and I hope she back again.
I LOVE PRISON BREAK
sarah
Oct 20, 2007 at 6:04 am
i think it’s a shame that were all still talking about this in a negative way, i agree with ns that sara’s death will motivate michael and to give wentworth something else to play with emotionally. i will continue to watch the show regardless of the fact that swc is no longer in it (she was also one of my favs) because it is a great show, for people who want happy endings go watch greys (another fav show of mine) or something,i dont watch pb for happy endings it is a drama not a soap opera!
and for those people who blame the writers i say you’re all idiots, writers dont have anything to do with actors contracts with the networks that they work for, the writers did the best they could with swc’s departure and i get the impression that the writers werent happy either for swc not coming back cause they had stuff planned for her character, and for those who have got their backs up over the networks interference with the show , i didnt hear anyone complaining when the studio asked for sara tancredi to be included in season 2 after it was the writers plan for her to die of the overdose at the end of season one.
natasha
Oct 20, 2007 at 6:52 am
those of you who are interested in bringing back sarah tancredi please lookup the petition on the net and sign it!
evelyn
Oct 20, 2007 at 12:38 pm
MDBEC, decapitation on screen is called HORROR, HORROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!!!
loseless, go check SWC’s French magazine interview!
“If they call you back, (PB Team) will you accept? Of course! I don’t have another role right now. Right now, I need to find work.”
So obviously, THEY don’t want her!!!
MDBEC
Oct 20, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Evelyn,
This exact french interview is the one that was told to be altered which I mentioned earlier… It’s TV, you think TV does not have Horror???
When T-Bag was making all his horrors, you guys didn’t seem to mind… His victims were as innocent as Sarah, just not main characters. That Cop that he killed in the Jail , the girlfriend at the post office he killed, the vet that he tortured before killing him…
What about L.J’s mom and Step dad killed in front of him… You don’t having a mother being killed in front of her child is not a horror (beheaded or not she was murdered)???? How come You guys didn’t complain about that? Because Obviously the mother was not a main character…
What about Veronica? She was getting to be quite an important role when she got shot 3 times… Veronica left her husband to be on Linc side and You could feel the love getting back with these two and she was ready to fight to have him exonerated and what SHE IS DEAD!!!! Like I will repeat, nobody’s safe in Prison Break, that’s the objective of the show!
Have you also seen the interview with Went and dominic where Dominic says she has a family now and She wants to take care of her family…
You guys are dropping conclusions too fast…. How come it’s ONLY a french Magazine that corroborates this interview… Think about it… Kristin from E Entertainment that is or was a very big fan of the show says that she will not watch the show again because SWC is not in it anymore, but IF the fact that they didn’t want her was confirmed, Kristin WOULD have mentioned it and confirm it. NO OTHER MEDIA confirmed that interview EXCEPT that Magazine, other medias even mentioned that it was altered…
By the way, Check the post on this website dated in October 3rd 2007, You will see what I am talking about in the subject matter of the altered interview.
And by the way Yes, when you are a Star in a drama series where your character’s life is in danger, You do risk the fact that you need to find work because they might kill the character off.
mya
Oct 28, 2007 at 10:02 pm
So, renegotiate and BRING BACK SARA TANCREDI. As Sarah’s baby gets older, she’ll surely want to return to work at least part time. So FIND A WAY!!!!!!!! After all, it could have been someone else’s head in that box. We want our MiSa back…PLEASE!!!!!
someone
Nov 4, 2007 at 12:58 pm
yup i’ve heard from sources that they just pretend that sara’s dead, and that it was that girl in s03e01 at the mourges head in the box, and that sara is gonna come back later in the season. i think that’d be a great thing in the storyline …linc didn’t tell michael about her death and they start fighting and go separate ways, exciting to watch, it’s kind of boring when linc and michael always agree with each other and do all the same stuff so that’d be kind of cool too….
Angie
Nov 21, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Sorry, but I don’t buy it. If Sara plays a major part as motivation etc for Michael, why bring rebound girl Molly in so quickly? Secondly, I probably would have preferred a recast as opposed to blatant stealing of another writer’s idea. Even if you claim to “steal from the best”. Sorry, but that’s quitting guys, especially after having sold us so many smart plot moves over the course of two seasons … and that makes me wanna quit too. Too bad really, I loved this show.
bring sara back
Feb 18, 2008 at 4:57 am
its really sad and you shoulfnt do it and kill sara…none of my friends see it now…noone….before alla we were seeing it but now i dont want it to…!!!!!!!!a good way to bring sara back is to say tha it was a doll in the box and tha because of her father they couldnt kill her so they pretended to!and when michle stop giving them what they want they will tell him that she is actualkly alive!
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