Prison Break: A look back (Sona)

This is my last time on set for season 2. This is the last episode of the season and it was a short scene for me. My time on season two has come full circle. I was approached by casting to play a Prison Guard in the Panamanian Prison, Sona. Which coincidently is the name of the episode, Sona. At first I was a little concerned about performing in that role. Simply because of how the episode in Mexico was. But of course I said yes. I mean, who would really say no here?

The scene took place in the worst of the worst prisons in the world The Federal Penitentiary of Sona, which was loosely based on the Brazilian prison Carandiru Penitentiary. “Sona Prison” was actually three locations. The old meat packing plant behind the Ft. Worth Stockyards (for the exterior shots), A child detention center off of Harry Hines Blvd. in Dallas (for the courtyard shots), & The Studios of Las Colinas (for the cells and interior shots). I arrived at base camp in the evening around six pm. Base camp this time was located in the Fort Worth Stockyards in the parking lot not far from one of my favorite BBQ restaurants Risky’s BBQ. After I parked I made my way to the casting assistant and checked in. I then made my way to wardrobe and props. I got dressed in my uniform and propped up with an AK-47 machine gun. The cool thing about this production is that the guns were real guns. Just made so that they can’t be fired.

While waiting for them to set up the cameras and everything. I was walking around and had seen Bill Fichtner walking around the parking lot. I had been a fan of his since Grace Under Fire. I had only worked with him on two other episodes of PB and he was usually so busy I didn’t want to bother him. So I didn’t want to miss an opportunity since this could be my last episode on the show. So I asked him if he would sign an autograph for me. He said “Sure do you have a photo or something”? I said it was in my car. He said “go get it and I’ll sign it before we start”. So I went to my truck and got the pic and he signed it. Luckily he signed it when he did, because right when I took it back to my truck we had to go to set.

The set wasn’t that far away and we could have easily just walked over. But we all got in the van and they shuttled us over there. It didn’t take that long to get there and we got out of the van and Kevin Hooks came over and went over the scene with us. The scene was that Scofield and Mahone (Wentworth and Bill) have been taken into custody and are being placed in Sona Prison. Right as Kevin finished talking to us in came two huge tanker trucks full of water. They parked them out of the way of the cameras and nighttime had completely fallen so it was totally dark. They hooked up the rain rig to the trucks. The scene was two different “Sona” vans pulled up. One carrying Scofield and the other Mahone. They get out and see each other. Mahone went one way and Scofield was escorted to the door. Where yours truly was waiting, machine gun in hand, to open the door and slam it behind him.

It was a very quick scene, only lasting a few hours. But let me tell you, with the “rain” pouring down, it made it feel a lot longer than it was. That water was freezing. But I did get paid more for getting wet. To help pass the time in between shots, Wentworth and I were looking inside the building. We actually only used the outside of it, so we didn’t need to go in. But while waiting to set up another angle, we went in a little to check it out. Since we weren’t filming inside, there were no lights. So you could only see as far as the outside lights would shine in. Man it was creepy. All concrete and graffiti all over the place. You get that chill coming over like someone was watching you. They set up to get the shot of Scofield going in and me slamming the steel door (wasn’t really steel. Sound effects added later lol) and then they panned up to the name of the prison above the door. Kevin did about four takes of that then we hear “Cut! Check the gate”. Shot was good. “Cut the water” he said then starts clapping. “Great job everyone”. Then they bring us all towels and we dry off as much as we can then head back to wardrobe. Another successful day.

I’ll probably only do one more of these. The next day I’m on set is for the first episode of season three and there is a pretty cool tie up of the last episode of season 2 and the first of season 3.

Prison Break: A look back ( Orientación)

Alright, now this is first day on set of season three. Even though I did plenty of episodes after this one. This will be my last post about Prison Break (maybe?). Honestly, I think people are tired of hearing about them. lol This day picked up right after the finale of season two. At the end of season two, I slammed the door behind Scofield locking him in Sona Prison. Season three picks up right on the other side of that door. It shows Scofield walking down the corridor. The corridor is filled with all kinds of people. Huge brutes, druggies, transvestites, etc. Scofield sees a bloody and half naked Bellick on the floor as he walks by. Then into the courtyard where a lot of prisoners are watching a fight about to ensue. And it is raining like crazy. This episode is called Orientacion. We did multiple scenes in this episode that day. So we didn’t film in chronological order. Which most of the time it’s not done that way anyway. But let’s not jump too far ahead just yet.

This season is a totally different dynamic than season two was. I play the same character in every episode in season three. This season I am playing a prisoner in Sona. I arrive at base camp around 8am. Base camp this time is actually the parking lot of the location of the set. It’s the courtyard of the prison. It’s really an old child detention center almost the corner of Harry Hines Blvd. & Market Center Blvd in Dallas, TX. As soon as the production was over it was leveled. When I arrived I found the casting assistant and she takes me to wardrobe. I go get my clothes. Which were shorts, a shirt, and some low top vans. Then one of make-up people open up this jar of movie dirt (“Dirt” that is specifically made for the movies. To my knowledge it’s really make up that looks like dirt) and apply it to my hands, arms, and face. I remember it being real soft feeling. They would also spritz me with water on my back, pits, neck, & underarms. To make it seem like it is just scorching hot. Which anyone from Texas knows, that it really was. Some of the actors had their own little spritz bottle to spray their face with water to make it look like they were sweating. I didn’t have one but Laurence (Mason) gave me one of his. You may remember Laurence as Tin Tin on the movie The Crow.

Our scenes were all in the courtyard at this location. The courtyard as I said before was at the Child Detention center. Actually it was the basketball court at the center. They brought in a bunch of sand and added a second floor. They even had a “professional” tagger come and paint graffiti on the walls. It looked just awesome. I worked with some awesome people that day. I worked with Wentworth Miller, Wade Williams, Robert Knepper, Robert Wisdom, Bill Fichtner, Laurence Mason, & Sala Baker (Yes, Sauron from Lord of the Rings and many other things. Who is one of the nicest guys you will meet. I wish I could have got his autograph. Probably will never have the opportunity again.). There was so much that was going on that day. It would be so long to break everything down. So I’ll just give the part that ties the season two cliffhanger with the season three premier.

If you remember at the end of season two I slammed the door to Sona prison behind Scofield locking him inside. On the other side of the door we follow Scofield down the hallway. After walking the above mentioned crowd of people he comes to a door that leads outside to the courtyard. If you remember at the end of season two, it was raining outside of Sona. So naturally it is raining when he goes into the courtyard. As soon as he opens the door, he just sees a massive amount of prisoners running around in a circle and yelling. Inside that circle was Laurence Mason (Sammy. Aka Tin Tin from The Crow) and another guy about to throw down. Sammy then throws down a chicken foot. When the chicken foot is thrown down, it’s time to rumble. So the rain, the fight, the camera man in your face. It was an awesome night. And all that was before the credits.

Prior to all that we filmed what happened after the fight. The guy was dead on the ground, and everyone was either walking around him or over him. Until finally they threw him out the back door. So long story very short. To tie the episodes together with me. If you were to watch the season two finale and the season three premier back to back in one continuous loop, you would see me as a guard putting Scofield in Sona then following him in and see me as a prisoner in the courtyard. I also made it on the DVD menu of disc one. Lol thank you for your time and have an awesome day everyone. I hope you enjoyed reading about a small blip in my life.  

Prison Break: A Look Back (Otis)

          This was my second day on set. To say it wasn’t as good as my first day would be the understatement of the year. I don’t even remember the call time. I think it was around 9:00 am. I do know that it was hotter than hell and I got a sunburn in the shade. Being in an all-black Fox River Correctional Officer uniform didn’t help. Little did I know that would set the tone for the rest of the day. After I arrived, I found a couple guys that I knew and we waited to be sent to wardrobe. The casting assistant came over and got us and took us to wardrobe and then to props. Wardrobe happened to be right next to the main “stars” trailers and we got to meet them coming in and out. I saw Bill (Fichtner) again, Sara, Amaury, and guest star John Heard (But I didn’t meet him). 

           I was so pumped about this episode. It was only about a week and a half between my time on set from the first and second episode. Casting called me the day before I was scheduled to be there and asked if I could shave my mustache. I really didn’t have a problem with doing because I was only keeping it because of continuity on the show. But they said it was ok and that if I shaved it there would be a big scene that I would be featured and credited in. So the answer was an easy yes of course I’ll shave it. After I got on set I found the A.D. He told me where I needed to be until they were ready for me. Ok no problem. I was one of the few that would do what was asked of me without complaining. It seemed that some of the others would not do the same. Periodically he would come out and tell us that there was a delay and to hold tight. Most of us didn't have a problem doing that. We knew it was a hurry and wait situation.

           After about twenty or thirty minutes the strangest thing happened. We were all off the path of the sidewalk away from everyone. Then John Heard comes walking up with the AD taking him to set. He is carrying an umbrella blocking the sun. He stops at the end of the sidewalk and whispers in the AD's ear. Next thing we know the AD is coming over to us telling us to stay at least 20 feet from him and don’t look or talk to him or you will be asked to leave. Everyone was just baffled because not one person said a word to him or anything. Then he just walked in. Very strange and really uncalled for in my opinion. I was a fan of his since Big with Tom Hanks. But that has since changed.

 

         So after that were still waiting. Come to find out there was a new director and he must have been in a foul mood that day. He ended up changing up the script , reshooting scenes, and he was yelling at everyone. Before that, I did my part then just patiently waited. About 3:00 pm we broke for lunch, which was just as good as the first time. This time was different. They had the main cast away from everyone else. But Wade Williams and a couple others didn't eat with the others that day. After lunch I was talking to Wade, the man has a memory that is uncanny. Lol. He came up to me and said “Hey Riley, how’s it going?” So we spoke for just a little while as it was getting closer to go back to set. So I asked him if he would sign my index card and take a photo with me. He, just like Philip Van Lear, said it would be an honor. So one of the guys from the crew took our picture with my phone and that was it. He said “I’ll see you later Riley” I said ok and went back to set.

          The rest of the day progressed just like the first half did, long and hot. It was about 7:00pm and they came out and told us we can go home. The AD came out and apologized to me. Most of the day after I did my one scene,  I wasn't doing anything. A lot of the guys were happy to leave and they were saying they should have already let us go home. But I was upset because I really didn’t want to leave. Yea, I got paid for doing almost nothing, but I was there to work, not to hang around and do nothing.  So I made my way back to wardrobe and props to change and turn in my props. What made things even worse, when I went to leave, it was so hot it drained my battery in my truck. Luckily one of the guys from the crew had a battery jumper and gave me a jump so I can go. 

Prison Break: A look back ( Manhunt )

I actually got the call to be on Prison Break on my last day on the set of Walking Tall: Lone Justice. For most of my scenes in Walking Tall I was a Dallas Policeman. We had just broke for lunch, as I was eating one of the casting crew approached me and said someone wanted to talk to me on his cell. I gave a confused look and took the call. It was casting from Fox’s Prison Break. She said she had seen a photo of me and casting told them of me. He then proceeded to tell me that they were about to start shooting the second season of Prison Break and asked if I wanted to work as a Fox River Correctional Officer for a few episodes. Then more other “various” roles if I wanted throughout the season. With zero hesitation I said yes. So I went to go finish my lunch. To my surprise the CD already told the others and I came back to them telling me congratulations. Which was weird, but I just said thank you and finished my lunch.

So after a long day of shooting, we wrapped up. My final scene was my favorite. The cast and crew thanked everyone and it was time to go home. For Walking Tall, I had a mustache and goatee. But for Prison Break I really wanted to impress them. Not only with my performance but with my look. I really wanted to look the part of a Prison Guard. So I shaved my goatee off. I just kept my mustache and soul patch. Didn’t look half bad if I must say so myself.

My call time was 6:00 am in McKinney, TX. This was for the Season Two premier. This episode was called “Manhunt”. I was a Fox River Correctional Officer. I arrived at base camp at 5:00 am. From my past experience on other sets, I find it best to always get to set early. Better to be early than late. So I walk from the parking lot to the dining area and wait for the casting agent to arrive. About thirty minutes later she arrived. I then checked in and went to craft services and got something to eat. They had a rented a building down the street from the set as “base camp”. So the caterers were set up in there and there were tables etc. I sat down to eat and some of the main cast joined me. I was eating with Dom Purcell, Peter Stomare, Wentworth Miller, Amaury Nolasco, and a few others. They were really cool and very nice to meet and talk to. One of the many great things I can say about this production, they seem to feed you well. After I got through eating I went over to wardrobe and got my costume then I headed to props. The prop guy gave me everything I needed, like my badge, keys, gun belt, sidearm, and shotgun. Everything I needed to become a Fox River Correctional Officer. When I was through with wardrobe and props, I and a few others were driven to the set.

This episode picked up from the end of season one with Scofield and the others escaping from Fox River and are now on the run. This day happened to be at a storage facility. This particular storage facility in McKinney, TX in the middle of the Texas summer. On the show it was supposed to be in the winter in Oswego, IL. So all of the Fox River Officers were all in thick heavy coats and long sleeve shirts. Lol Not exactly a comfortable day. The escaped convicts were believed to be hiding in one of the storage units. At first I was with Philip Van Lear aka C.O. Patterson and Wade Williams aka Captain Brad Bellick. Then later we were joined by William Fichtner aka Special Agent Alex Mahone.

The day was very hot. But the other background people I was working with as well as Wade and Philip, made it so much better. I even got complimented by the Assistant Director. I was extremely nervous, especially with it being my first day on this set, and I didn’t want to make a stupid mistake that might jeopardize me coming back. I noticed almost all the other “background” was getting yelled at by the A.D. “Assistant Director” and the Director for not following directions. I was worried I was doing something wrong, so I asked if everything I was doing was alright. Their exact words were “If we’re not yelling at you, you’re doing a great job, keep it up”. Let me tell you, that was a confidence booster. The main scene I was in I even got to improvise most of it, and it made it on the final cut (even though, a lot of my screen time was cut). So we continued do to our scenes, over and over and over and over. It was so hot that day. Between each take the make-up ladies would come by and put sun block on us (it helped, but just a little) and make sure we were hydrated. So we did our final scene for the day and wrapped it up.

Kevin Hooks (director/producer) (You might know Kevin from the 70’s show “The White Shadow”) thanked everyone for doing such a great job and even came up to just me and asked me if I was a real cop in real life. Because of my mustache. Lol. Philip and Wade came over and shook my hand and told me good job. I asked if I could get a quick pic of them and they let me take a pic of the two of them with my cell phone. I was talking to Philip a little and I said “maybe I can get your autograph one day”, he said it would be an honor. All I had was an index card, so he signed that and said it was a pleasure working with me. It was an awesome day, especially for being my first day on this set. Just a really awesome, hot, and great day. I knew that if all the days on set where this good, I was going to have a great time.