Actress Sarah Wayne Callies’ extensive background in theater trained her effectively for her ascending career in film and television. But at one point it almost doomed her — until a casting director offered invaluable advice. Perform in the room, the director advised. You don’t need to reach the 700th person in the second balcony. Disappear for three months and learn to audition for a smaller venue, or you will never get a part.
Living in New York at the time, Callies practiced her material on the subway every day. If people stared at her, she realized she was “being too big.”
The result of all the hard work? The 2003 USA network series “Tarzan,” her first significant role, and a path to a new career.
Though her character on “Prison Break” appeared to meet her demise with a beheading last season, fan outcry at Dr. Sara Tancredi’s departure prompted Fox executives to renegotiate Callies’ contract for the fourth season — now under way — culminating in a more substantial role than ever.
The Punahou School, Dartmouth College and National Theatre Conservatory graduate plays Tancredi with a subtlety that arose from her own contributions to the evolution of the character.
“The writers make themselves very available to a dialogue with us,” Callies said by phone from Los Angeles. “They make it a real collaboration, which is such a gift because it’s not that way on every set.” Continue Reading »
Prison Break
