Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) joins the Resident Evil franchise with a starring role in the fourth film of the video game-inspired series – and the first to be shot in 3-D – Resident Evil: Afterlife, written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Milla Jovovich returns as Alice, battling the Umbrella Corporation and still trying to save survivors from the undead. Miller plays Chris Redfield, the older brother of Claire (Ali Larter, who also returns for more action), a tough fighter who’s part of a military organization fighting the infected.
Because his character starts off the film in prison, Miller wasn’t initially interested in the part after having spent four years playing Michael Scofield on Prison Break. “When I first got the script, I thought it was practical joke,” said Miller. “You meet my character in prison and the first thing out of his mouth is, ‘I know a way out of here.’ As great as the part is and as terrific as the franchise is, I thought it felt too familiar. But I developed a different perspective after a while. If you don’t know me from Prison Break, then you’re going to watch this and nothing’s amiss. For those who do, it’s kind of a cool wink-wink to all the fans who stuck with Michael Scofield for 81 episodes. In a way, this is my chance to give that character a different ending.”

Miller sat down with journalists at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con to talk about his role, the franchise, and working opposite women who kick ass.

Wentworth Miller Resident Evil: Afterlife Roundtable Interview

Did you have any special training for this movie?
Wentworth Miller: “You know what? I got my training on Prison Break. It was four years of stunt work and choreography and all of that came into play very specifically with Resident Evil.”

This is your first movie since Prison Break ended. How carefully did you choose what was coming your way and why did you pick this?

Wentworth Miller: “Well, the first thing I did after Prison Break was actually an episode of Law and Order, which was a show I want to be a part of in some small way. I think that was a pretty clear indication of where my head was at as far as – there’s a certain well-worn narrative in this industry about a TV actor who wraps up a series that put him on the map, and now it’s time to throw your hat into the feature film ring. I don’t subscribe to that narrative. It’s not my story. For me a role is a role is a role, and whether that’s TV, film or theater, I just have to go with what inspires me.”

Are you a gamer at all?

Wentworth Miller: “I am not. My family put an emphasis on education so it was all about homework. There wasn’t much time for comic books or video games, so this is kind of my chance to have a second childhood. It’s like a do-over.”

Did you get a crash course in the series through either the games or the other films?

Wentworth Miller: “I did. I had to do my homework. I was aware of the series and I remember specifically the trailer for the third movie with that shot over Vegas, and it’s buried in the sand. It was very iconic and arresting. I asked the producers to put together a montage of significant sequences from the video game that explained or spoke to my character’s history or mythology. That was part of my research.”

How was it working with all the kick-ass women on this film? Were you able to keep up with the gun-wielding?

Wentworth Miller: “Yeah, she’s pretty bad-ass, and she slips into this part like a second skin at this point. I enjoy being part of something that is inherently female-driven. I come from a show that was about, ‘Let’s throw a bunch of alpha males in a box and shake it, see who comes out on top,’ so this was a nice change, definitely.”

How different is your character from the video game to the movie? Doesn’t the character have biceps the size of his head in the video game?

Wentworth Miller: “Oh yeah, that’s the first difference. In preparing for the role, I felt the need to respect what was already out there, in terms of the video game mythology. I did my research online, going to fan sites and blogs to find out what the conversation was about this character, what the expectations might be. But then I had to balance that with who I am as an actor, and what I inherently bring to the table, and who is the Chris Redfield that Paul W.S. Anderson establishes in this movie. He’s very specific to the feature film interpretation of Resident Evil, rather than the video game. It was a question of balancing all three influences, and I’d like to think that I did my best.”

When you did your research on fan sites and blogs, were they also reacting to your casting as well?

Wentworth Miller: “I didn’t read those reactions. I felt like I already knew what they were going to be. I imagine that the reception is going to be across the board. It’s only natural, and people become attached to a certain story or a certain character. They invest deeply, so they care when they finally see that character up on screen. They’re going to have opinions, and that’s to be expected.”

This isn’t your first video game connection, because they released the first Prison Break video game.

Wentworth Miller: “Yeah, I worked with them on my character’s appearance, certainly, and also lent my voice to the narration and the voice-over for the various characters. It’s strange to think of people repeatedly killing me on the small screen, but I’m kind of tickled to be part of it at the same time.”

Were you ever in touch with the BioShock movie?

Wentworth Miller: “That was a rumor that showed up one day and took a while to go away. No connection with that.”

You were recently described as a writer trapped in an actor’s body. Is that a fair assessment of how you see yourself?

Wentworth Miller: “I’d like to believe that there’s lots of things I could do, lots of different things I could do in this business. The temptation is certainly strong. Acting’s been great, but there’s only so much control you have over the story you’re a part of. So the temptation is there to explore other capacities if you’re allowed to, if you got the opportunity and the timing.”

But you’ve actually sent your scripts out under a pseudonym?

Wentworth Miller: “I did. That wasn’t about protecting my identity so much as I felt it was important for the scripts to sink or swim on their own. I just thought that seeing my name on the cover might create static of some kind; maybe positive, maybe negative, but it just wasn’t something that I wanted to factor into the equation. I wanted them to stand on their own two feet or go back in the drawer.”

You have Stoker, but you also wrote a prequel to it?

Wentworth Miller: “There’s a prequel called Uncle Charlie.”

Is that a tip of the hat to Shadow of a Doubt?

Wentworth Miller: “Absolutely. There’s a leaping off point in Stoker that was directly inspired by Shadow of a Doubt, so there’s a character named Uncle Charlie and the prequel is called Uncle Charlie, so that’s our tip of the hat.”

Can you tell us a little bit more about Stoker? Carey Mulligan and Jodie Foster are attached but is there a male lead attached? What is the story about?

Wentworth Miller: “I wish I could give you all kinds of details… It’s still in development. I have to say when I hear some of these names, it’s pretty exciting. There’s some incredibly talented people taking an active interest, so I’m very hopeful that it’s going to come together in a powerful way.”

Will you be in it?

Wentworth Miller: “I’m not in it, no.”

Is that by design?

Wentworth Miller: “You know, writing it was probably the most creatively satisfying experience I’ve had, hands down, just on a personal level – regardless of where these two movies go, or two scripts go. In a way, that was the main event for me, putting pen to paper, or fingertips to keyboard, as it were. As soon as I was done with both scripts, I really just wanted to hand them off to someone else and say, ‘See ya at the premiere,’ show up, and get my big bucket of popcorn and watch someone else’s interpretation of what I’ve laid out there on the page.”

Was writing a common experience on the daily TV stuff that you did?

Wentworth Miller: “The answer is yes and no. The process is kind of a frenzy for me. The story showed up one day, and the idea had been percolating for a long time. I actually spent four years telling myself that I didn’t know how to write a script, and then four weeks actually sitting down and proving myself wrong. So that was maybe 10 or 12 hour days over the course of four weeks. It was a very intense experience. But, at the same time, there was something calming about it because it was completely self-generated, which is not an experience I’ve had working in TV or film. We were waiting for a hundred other people to do their job first so you get a chance to do yours.”

Source: http://movies.about.com/