by Jeanne Wolf
Kiefer Sutherland was looking forward to wreaking havoc on terrorists on 24, even if Jack Bauer wasn't. It's Sutherland's eighth season in his Emmy-winning role as the guy who puts his life on the line in death-defying acts of heroism, but this time Bauer has some doubts.
Sutherland told Parade.com's Jeanne Wolf that, this season, Jack Bauer is the one who needs saving.
Jack as a reluctant hero.
"He's in a very positive, hopeful space, very grateful to be alive. He's trying to reunite with his daughter. He's a grandfather, and he has a family to go back to. So Jack actually believes that a new life can start for himself. He even smiles a little. Then, a series of events pull him back. Traditionally, he's been the guy who's ready to step up and do his duty. But, he's much more conflicted this time and that's been interesting to play. This is the year that Jack Bauer has to save himself. It sounds simple, but it's a big shift that he's got something to live for."
Do you know Jack? Take the ultimate 24 quiz!
New faces.
"Jack's still going to have a bad day, and he'll be sharing that with characters that you've come to know and love, whether it's Chloe O'Brien or Cherry Jones. But, we have some great actors joining us -- Mykelti Williamson is the head of CTU, Freddie Prinze Jr. is playing my partner. So, it's this great balance between something that's new and what fans will find familiar."
He just can't stop jumping into action.
"It's amazing that I'm still alive. Jack Bauer's taken an ass-kicking, that's for sure. It's kind of in keeping with the character that he's taken as much as he's dished out. But you can't fake the physical side of it. If you're hanging underneath a garbage truck going 45 miles an hour, you're not going to be faking your fear. You jump off the side of a building, you're gonna react the way you should. Some of the stunts I can still barely do, but I've loved doing them. And the physicality of what Jack goes through is a huge part of why I think people like the show and have identified with him."
See Photos of the Top Action Film Stars of All-Time
Setting the season in New York.
"Some people think it's because 24 was jump-started by what happened on 9/11. That was never why we made the show. We started production six months prior to 9/11 and we'd already done ten episodes. In fact, when the Twin Towers went down, we all felt like we should stop because all of a sudden the great fantasy of the idea on which 24 is based became very close to a reality of what was happening in our world. That was a time when I think we all questioned what we did. If you weren't a firefighter or a nurse or a doctor or a teacher or a police officer, someone who was needed at that moment, you felt inconsequential. I had some guilt about working as an actor. But I think the Big Apple is an exciting place and will add some new dimensions to the show."
He's not treated like Jack Bauer at airport security.
"I get in the same line as everybody else and go through the same search as everybody else. They probably talk to me a little more than the other passengers, but that's about it. I've always been shocked that people that I'm actually flying with say, 'Oh, I feel safer on the plane with you.' I'm thinking, 'You must not watch the show because everybody around me gets killed.'"
Kiefer Sutherland Talks '24' Movie
Knowing when to quit.
"The biggest mistakes I made in my career were when I said, 'If I do this movie, I'll be able to do a couple more movies.' Those are the times I really got ugly. With the series, I'm a pretty loyal SOB. What's important to me is maintaining the quality of the show. It's not about whether people are going to watch it or not, it's whether we feel the show is about to take a dip. That would be when everybody would want it to end."
But, he's not looking forward to it.
"I would love to do 24 until I was 60, but I don't think anybody would accept it. Part of what's driving us is that we believe that we're capable of making a perfect season. I don't believe any of us have felt that we've done that. And every year we've learned something that made us go, 'Oh God, I wish I could fix that or do that better.'"
Sutherland told Parade.com's Jeanne Wolf that, this season, Jack Bauer is the one who needs saving.
Jack as a reluctant hero.
"He's in a very positive, hopeful space, very grateful to be alive. He's trying to reunite with his daughter. He's a grandfather, and he has a family to go back to. So Jack actually believes that a new life can start for himself. He even smiles a little. Then, a series of events pull him back. Traditionally, he's been the guy who's ready to step up and do his duty. But, he's much more conflicted this time and that's been interesting to play. This is the year that Jack Bauer has to save himself. It sounds simple, but it's a big shift that he's got something to live for."
Do you know Jack? Take the ultimate 24 quiz!
New faces.
"Jack's still going to have a bad day, and he'll be sharing that with characters that you've come to know and love, whether it's Chloe O'Brien or Cherry Jones. But, we have some great actors joining us -- Mykelti Williamson is the head of CTU, Freddie Prinze Jr. is playing my partner. So, it's this great balance between something that's new and what fans will find familiar."
He just can't stop jumping into action.
"It's amazing that I'm still alive. Jack Bauer's taken an ass-kicking, that's for sure. It's kind of in keeping with the character that he's taken as much as he's dished out. But you can't fake the physical side of it. If you're hanging underneath a garbage truck going 45 miles an hour, you're not going to be faking your fear. You jump off the side of a building, you're gonna react the way you should. Some of the stunts I can still barely do, but I've loved doing them. And the physicality of what Jack goes through is a huge part of why I think people like the show and have identified with him."
See Photos of the Top Action Film Stars of All-Time
Setting the season in New York.
"Some people think it's because 24 was jump-started by what happened on 9/11. That was never why we made the show. We started production six months prior to 9/11 and we'd already done ten episodes. In fact, when the Twin Towers went down, we all felt like we should stop because all of a sudden the great fantasy of the idea on which 24 is based became very close to a reality of what was happening in our world. That was a time when I think we all questioned what we did. If you weren't a firefighter or a nurse or a doctor or a teacher or a police officer, someone who was needed at that moment, you felt inconsequential. I had some guilt about working as an actor. But I think the Big Apple is an exciting place and will add some new dimensions to the show."
He's not treated like Jack Bauer at airport security.
"I get in the same line as everybody else and go through the same search as everybody else. They probably talk to me a little more than the other passengers, but that's about it. I've always been shocked that people that I'm actually flying with say, 'Oh, I feel safer on the plane with you.' I'm thinking, 'You must not watch the show because everybody around me gets killed.'"
Kiefer Sutherland Talks '24' Movie
Knowing when to quit.
"The biggest mistakes I made in my career were when I said, 'If I do this movie, I'll be able to do a couple more movies.' Those are the times I really got ugly. With the series, I'm a pretty loyal SOB. What's important to me is maintaining the quality of the show. It's not about whether people are going to watch it or not, it's whether we feel the show is about to take a dip. That would be when everybody would want it to end."
But, he's not looking forward to it.
"I would love to do 24 until I was 60, but I don't think anybody would accept it. Part of what's driving us is that we believe that we're capable of making a perfect season. I don't believe any of us have felt that we've done that. And every year we've learned something that made us go, 'Oh God, I wish I could fix that or do that better.'"
Source: parade.com
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