Wentworth Miller Discusses Role As 'Captain Cold' In THE FLASH And Returning To TV
Prison Break made Wentworth Miller a star, but apart from the odd movie here and there, he disappeared for a few years to focus on a career as a screenwriter. With a major role in The Flash as Captain Cold, he's back on TV, and talks in detail here about the character and more!
Wentworth Miller made his debut as Captain Cold in The Flash last night, and the reviews from fans and critics alike have been overwhelmingly positive. In a recent interview with IGN, the actor revealed that he wasn't familiar with the character when The CW first offered him the role, and while he did do some research, Miller didn't want to be beholden to the comics. "When I was cast, I went online and googled a few images and some of them I responded to and some of them I did not and I thought, “Let me take my cue from what the writers have planned." Because I got the sense early on that there was a willingness to respect what’s come before but also an interest in reinventing and giving things a fresh spin. So I thought let me take the character from the pages of the script specifically," he revealed before going to to discuss what about the role interests him. "What I responded to was this very powerful guy who has been at the top of his game for a long time and maybe he’s gotten a little bored, a little complacent and then suddenly this extremely worth adversary shows up and suddenly the game is interesting again. And I think while he has it out for the Flash, on some level there’s also an appreciation and a certain degree of resect. I like the fact that he’s a villain but there are hints that other things are stirring beneath the surface."
As for how he views the character, Miller was quick to point out that Leonard Snart isn't a "bad guy" in the traditional sense of the word. "Well I like the fact that I’m not strictly evil, that there are shades of gray, that there are things for me to explore and layer in that speak to the human side of Snart. Because he does have a history and it is complicated and it does speak to who he is now. It’s my hope that given time we have a chance to explore some of those things." That's an interesting perspective, and one that's actually accurate to the comic book version of Captain Cold!
The actor then went on to explain why he's missed working in television (despite a successful career as a screenwriter with Stoker and the upcoming The Disappointments Room),
and had this to say when the site asked if he has any words of advice for The Flash's leading man, Grant Gustin. "I don’t know that I would have listened to anyone who came to me with advice in the first season of Prison Break. I think you have to experience it for yourself and it’s impossible to anticipate and it’s probably different to a certain degree for everyone but he’s in for a ride, that’s for sure. But what I know about Grant and I think it’s one of the things that radiates from him on the screen in this character is he’s got this great heart and this innate sense of decency. You believe him as this character. I think given the various challenges of a challenging business, that should serve him well." What do you guys think of these comments? Share your thoughts below...