How did the Captain Cold role on The Flash come about for you, Wentworth?

WM: I hadn't acted in a while. I was focusing on my writing. But I was missing the community that happens on set when a cast and crew are putting a TV show together week in and week out. So I told my reps I was interested in getting back into the acting game. Suddenly, there was a call from [executive producer] Greg Berlanti's office. They wanted to meet me, there was the role, there was the offer, and it was just the right role at the right time.

During my first episode, in a conversation with [DC Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer] Geoff Johns, he said, "We're trying to cast this Heat Wave character. He's this hothead, aggressive, unpredictable, force of nature. Are there any actors you can think of?" I said. "Dominic Purcell." I was 90% serious, 10% joking, because I didn't think they could pull it off or that they would even be interested in such a pairing — not knowing they were huge Prison Break fans. They must have made the call that afternoon.

DP: They did.

What did they say?

DP: Wentworth dropped me an email and asked if I would be interested and I said, "Fuck yeah!" To work with Wentworth again? Yes. I was just excited to see Wentworth. It wasn't about The Flash; it was about reconnecting with him and having a blast. Now that I'm on the show, I'm very thankful that the show is the success that it is. I'm humbled by it, I appreciate it, I love the cast, and it allows us to be operatic. As actors, that's all you ever really want to do: You want to go big!

WM: My training ground was Prison Break. That was a show that was not unlike a comic book. The challenge every episode was, We've got explosions, we've got stunts, we've got gunfights, but we have to care about you as a character at the same time, so can you ground this in something that feels real and honest and true? And that's what we're doing here — we have the opportunities to play these larger-than-life characters and do something operatic at the same time. As an actor, I want to make sure that it also feels human on some level.

How much had you kept in touch over the last five years?

DP: The unique thing about Wentworth and I is we have profound respect for one another. Wentworth is a dear friend, very, very close, but I think one of the reasons our relationship works so well is because we're not in each other's faces. It's like having a brother — you don't need to see him every fucking day. So we didn't see each other for four or five years. We kept in touch via email or whatever, so, again, when the opportunity came to be on set with Wentworth again, I jumped at it.

Was that time apart necessary after working together so closely for five years?

WM: After Prison Break was over, it occurred to me that Dominic and I had a drink in the hotel bar when we shot the pilot. And that was the last time we ever saw each other out socially for the next four years.

DP: Totally!

WM: I spent 14 hours a day with this man, five days a week (laughs).

DP: We didn't need to fucking hang out with each other (laughs).