Actor Dominic Purcell may have spent a lot of time behind bars during his stint on the show “Prison Break,” but it’s spending time in Vancouver he feels is the real jail sentence.
The English-born Australian actor has been in the city for months filming a nine-episode revival of the popular series, but apparently he’s not happy about it.
The 46-year-old took to Instagram to complain about Vancouver’s “leaking cloud” problem, saying that he’s seen maybe “four days of sun” in the past year.
Purcell said he’s sick of people telling him to go on hikes or bike rides, and that work is the only thing that’s keeping him here.
In the post starting with the words “Vancouver’s Gulag,” he also takes aim at the homeless problem in the city’s impoverished Downtown Eastside, saying politicians need to do more to help.
“It appears the Vancouver government and its politicians to my eyes at least are much more inclined to turn a blind eye to the mentally ill and homeless and rather focus on the enormous amount of construction serving foreign investment groups,” he wrote.
He says after enjoying the area’s beautiful mountains and parks, tourists visiting Vancouver should take a trip down East Hastings Street where things aren’t quite “as pretty.”
“It’s where you get to see a very, very real part of Vancouver,” he wrote, adding: “Can’t wait to read the hate comments I get.”
The Instagram rant to his 294,000 followers didn’t go unchallenged.
One follower told the actor it’s his own fault for taking a job on what’s commonly referred to as “The Wet Coast.”
“What kind of guy takes a job in a temperate rainforest and then complains about the weather?” wrote Instagram user EastVan_Guy. “As for the homelessness problem… what have you done about it since you arrived? Posting a grumpy selfie along with an ill-informed rant won’t make much of a difference.”
The comment was also noticed by one of Purcell's "Prison Break" costars. Sarah Wayne Callies, an American actress who played Sara Tancredi, responded to the comment by suggesting Purcell get involved in a performing arts program for kids living in the eastside and Strathcona.
"Hey brother we'd love your help over at @projectlimelight if you want to get involved…! #takeaction," Callies wrote.
The actor isn’t the first celebrity to express concern and outrage over the state of the Downtown Eastside.
Ahead of a concert at a local club last month, Snoop Dogg posted a video to Instagram as he drove through a back alley.
“They got an alley where they pass out needles for people to do heroin in,” he can be heard saying in the video.
“Clean this sh*t up out here.”
