William Fichtner Discusses His Career Choices and Working on ‘Lucky’

Actor William Fichtner, known for his roles in numerous films and TV series, explained his approach to choosing projects and his experiences on set during an interview with Fox News Digital. The 69-year-old actor revealed that he has never regretted turning down any roles, even if those projects became successful.

Turning Down Roles

Fichtner shared, “I’ve been a bit pickier and choosier at moments in my life where I probably didn’t have a right to be.” He emphasized the importance of believing in a project. If he lacks confidence in a role, he prefers not to take it. He stated, “There are certain lines that I just don’t cross.”

He mentioned that declining roles isn’t something he takes pride in, but he stands by his decisions. “I’ve said no to a few jobs that were really good money,” he confessed. He knows instantly when a project isn’t right for him, and he feels no regret for roles he has turned down in the past.

Working on ‘Lucky’

Fichtner stars as Wayne Whittaker in the Apple TV miniseries “Lucky,” which featured Anya Taylor-Joy in a lead role. The series finale was aired on August 19. In “Lucky,” Taylor-Joy plays Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong, a character forced to undertake unlawful activities to secure her freedom. The finale includes a climactic encounter between Fichtner and Taylor-Joy’s characters that Fichtner described as intense and well-crafted.

“I gotta tell you something, man, it was hot,” Fichtner said about filming in the high desert location. “It just fed into all of this intensity.”

He praised Taylor-Joy for her exceptional performance, noting, “She is not backing down,” and recognizing her as a formidable presence on screen.

Career Reflections

Reflecting on his acting career that began in the 1990s, Fichtner is perhaps best known for his role as FBI Special Agent Alexander Mahone in “Prison Break,” which ran from 2006 to 2009. He compared working on a miniseries like “Lucky” to a regular series with multi-season arcs.

“Working on ‘Prison Break’… you’re putting the pieces together,” Fichtner explained, highlighting the unpredictability of episodic series. By contrast, in miniseries production, “You do have the scripts, you do see the arc of the character.”

Lori A. Bashian, an entertainment news writer at Fox News Digital, contributed to this story.