15 Secrets You Didn’t Know About Prison Break - Part 1
9. PARTS OF THE SHOW WERE FILMED IN JOHN WAYNE GACY’S CELL
When delving into life in prison and the details of breaking out, producers wanted the prison itself to be as real as possible. They found the perfect filming location in the Joliet Correctional Center, which has a long history spanning over 150 years. The prison stopped housing inmates three years before the show’s production, opening it up for filming. Many cast members commented that filming in Joliet aided their performance, as it made their characters’ time in prison feel real. Dominic Purcell ended up filming in a cell with a notorious history. Purcell’s Joliet cell once housed the serial killer John Wayne Gacy, which was a little too creepy for some of the crew. Purcell remembered, “I got on set and the makeup person refused to go into the cell. I said, `What’s going on?’ and she said, `That’s where Gacy was.'”
8. THE MOVE TO THE MIDDLE EAST WAS CONTROVERSIAL
The long-awaited return of Prison Break brought the story to Yemen, where Michael was imprisoned as a terrorist. The new storyline was somewhat controversial, taking Michael and the rest into ISIS-controlled territory. The story did not seem to shy away from weaving in the complex political and religious situation of the region. Despite this, the producers were very clear that they did not want the story to be political. Series creator Paul Scheuring stated that he has no interest in making political commentary within the show.
However, the show premiered at a time of high tension in the United States when Islamophobia was at the forefront of the national conversation.
This brought Prison Break into the sphere of political commentary, regardless of the producers’ intentions. Some critics praised the revival for a few positive portrayals of Muslim characters, but other critics lambasted the show for playing into Islamophobia.
7. DOMINIC PURCELL WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED DURING FILMING
The filming of Prison Break has always been arduous, but once it became dangerous for Dominic Purcell. While filming the season five revival, Purcell sustained a serious injury while on set. After an iron bar fell on his head, he had to be airlifted to a hospital in Casablanca, Morocco. He received treatment for a head injury and a broken nose, requiring 150 stitches. Purcell commented, “My stunt guy came up beside me, and I looked at him and said, ‘Dude…What happened?’ And he said, ‘Your head’s split right open, I can see your skull, your nose is on the other side of your face.’… I thought I was going to die.” Finding medical treatment in the remote location was also difficult. Purcell made a full recovery and was back on set within weeks. He was not written out of any scenes, but his injuries had to be written in.
6. SARA WAS KILLED OFF BECAUSE OF PREGNANCY AND CONTRACT DISPUTES
The third season took a dark turn when Sara Tancredi was killed off the show. Though she eventually did return, the head-in-a-box reveal left fans shocked and fairly convinced that her character death was final. However, Sara’s death was not supposed to happen at all. The plot twist resulted from Sarah Wayne Callies’ real-life pregnancy. The writers originally did not plan to kill off Sara when Callies’ pregnancy was announced, but they later decided it would provide plot motivation for Michael. Callies was supposed to have 13 episodes for her and Michael to say goodbye, but Callies would have had to make a new contract with Fox, which she declined to do. Her pregnancy also complicated filming, making Sara’s death rather unceremonious in the final cut. However, the fourth season renewal brought Sara back to life once the issues with Callies had been resolved.
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