Wentworth Miller has had enough of playing straight characters.
After 15 years of playing lead character Michael Scofield in fan-favorite series Prison Break, the out, 48-year-old Golden Globe-nominated actor (who we know and love from other projects like The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow) took to Instagram to reveal to fans that he is officially no longer attached to any possible future seasons of the hit FOX series — and how he is no longer interested in taking on straight roles going forward in his career.
"'This is my favorite IG account,' someone wrote in response to a recent post," Wentworth recalled on his Instagram account, talking about how so many of his fans have been reaching out to him recently. "Thank you. I want you to know I saw that. I see the positive comments and DMs (a lot of them anyway). Affectionate. Supportive. Appreciated (by me)."
Speaking on his recent decision to exit Prison Break, and how he no longer wishes to play straight characters in the future, he continued:
"On a related note...I'm out. Of PB. Officially. Not [because] of static on social media (although that has centered the issue). I just don't want to play straight characters. Their stories have been told (and told). So. No more Michael. If you were a fan of the show, hoping for additional seasons...I understand this is disappointing. I'm sorry. If you're hot and bothered [because] you fell in love with a fictional straight man played by a real gay one...that's your work."
While the news may have come as a shock to all the Prison Break stans out there, he's also been receiving plenty of support. His co-star Sarah Wayne Callies (who played Michael's love interest Sara in the series), even took to her Instagram to lend some of her own words of encouragement.
"Yesterday @wentworthmiller announced he’s done playing Michael Scofield because as a gay man he wants to focus on playing gay characters," she wrote. "With gratitude for all the work we did together, and with deep love, I’m voicing my support for that choice."
She continued:
"To all the fans, know this: the cast of Prison Break is a queer-friendly space. We stand with — and among — our friends & family in the LGBTQ+ community with full-throated support for their rights and artistic work. All the time. Always. And if that’s a problem for anyone, to quote a good man, 'That’s your work.'"
Considering how LGBTQ+ actors in Hollywood are still, to this day, not afforded the same career opportunities as their straight counterparts, and how straight narratives still overwhelmingly dominate when it comes to major film and TV releases, we can't say we blame Wentworth for his decision. We hope one day authentic queer stories get to be told by queer people (in front of AND behind the camera), and although it might be hard (straight actors still get all the praise and awards when they play queer) we can't wait to see what's in store for Wentworth in the future, because we sure do love seeing him on our small screens!
Besides, after playing Mariah Carey's love interest in the music video for her iconic, record-breaking 2005 classic "We Belong Together," what other hetero role do you even need?!?
