Wentworth Miller Back on 'SVU', Seeking Authenticity in Every Role

Wentworth Miller returns to "Law and Order: SVU" this week as ADA Isaiah Holmes, a character he has played before. "This marks the 48-year-old out actor's first major on-screen role since announcing in November that he was done playing straight characters," writes Entertainment Weekly in an interview with the out actor.

In his post, Miller explained why he wouldn't would not be reprising his "Prison Break" character Michael Schofield in a proposed reboot of the Fox series that made him a star. "I just don't want to play straight characters. Their stories have been told (and told)," he wrote. Holmes, his "SVU" character, marks the series' first LGBTQ district attorney.

"SVU's" showrunner Warren Leight told ET that Holmes appearance last year was too brief. "He's a character with multiple layers -- a man of integrity and intelligence, burdened with guilt, shame, and in his mind, a lot to atone for. Early in his life, his 'otherness' left him unsure and passive, now his identity as a queer POC empowers him," Leight said, adding, "As Wentworth told me, Isaiah Holmes now 'knows who he is/what he stands for, and is fearless in advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves.'"

Miller and Leight were simpatico in discussing the character. "The first time I met Warren, we agreed any character I'd play would be gay and a POC. That took all of 30 seconds. Then it was like, 'And?' What else? Who is this person? What's he bringing to the table? Savvy? Integrity? Resourcefulness? That's what we're exploring now. And I think we see hints in this next episode... Warren's been very open to that conversation."

He added that his while he sees himself having much in common with Holmes, "we're not the same person. Obviously. I had things in common with Michael Scofield too. What feels more truthful maybe, more authentic about Isaiah is I don't have to spend time servicing straightness. Straight relationships. Acting is investigating. For me. Mapping new territory. Articulating things I don't get to articulate in my day-to-day. Mapping straightness, at this point... feels like a dead end."

He also gave a shout out to out actor B.D. Wong. "Actually I thought about BD Wong [the out actor who played George Huang for 15 seasons]. His legacy, his presence on that show... I was a fan. You sat up a little straighter when Dr. Huang entered the chat."

And asked if there were any specific stories he would like to tell, Miller said: "Sure. I'd like to tell -- to watch -- more stories where gay characters are informed by their struggles, but not defined. Not getting sacrificed so straight characters can enjoy some kind of epiphany. I don't think that's too much to ask. It's so important queer audiences -- queer kids -- see stories that don't center suffering. See us empowered, in positions of authority. Moving through the world with purpose. Confidence. Dignity. It makes it easier to imagine those things are available to us in real life too."