Sarah Wayne Callies opened up about her "toxic and painful" experience on the hit series Prison Break.
The actor appeared on Monday's episode of Rachel Bilson's Broad Ideas podcast, where she discussed the ups and downs of her time on the show. At one point, she discussed her own podcast with hosts Bilson and Olivia Allen.
Callies and her Prison Break costar Paul Adelstein launched Prison Breaking with Sarah and Paul in January. Callies shared that her Prison Break rewatch podcast dives into everything that went into making the show—both the great and the "toxic and painful" parts.
She told the hosts:
"... I could not have done this until this year because the show... I couldn't get beyond the parts that were toxic and painful, and so I couldn't have done this."
The actor shared that Adelstein had approached her about the idea a few years back, but she was reluctant. However, as she began writing and directing, she also began reflecting on the opportunities the series provided her “despite the rampant misogyny” and “all of the challenges” she faced for being “the only woman around” on the set.
Now, nearly two decades following the series' debut, Callies said she is ready to tackle the tough conversations and touched on an incident she'll be exploring further on her own podcast.
On being the only woman on set, Callies said:
"There were two edges to that sword."
"I mean... I've had an actor spit in my face, and I was like holy sh*t!"
She added:
“I would go home some nights and have to spend an hour talking my husband out of going to hospitalize somebody.”
The actor also noted:
“Some of the guys were great, and some of them were totally gentlemen."
And while she acknowledged that she made "lifelong friends" on the show, she also revealed she had to keep herself from being sent into a "spiral" of examining:
“What did I let them do to me? What did I let them say to me?"
"What did I put up with? What did I not report?”
You can watch below.
WARNING: NSFW language
Sarah Wayne Callies on Getting Spat in the Face on Prison Break Set, and Giving Birth with Her Dogyoutu.be
People on social media learning about the difficulties Callies faced expressed their outrage.
Your Problematic Fave/Facebook
Your Problematic Fave/Facebook
A few, however, also noted that her experience is not that surprising.
Your Problematic Fave/Facebook
Prison Breaking with Sarah & Paul is available on Spotify. The newest episode streams on April 17.