Cherry Jones is now in her second year in office on Fox's 24, and she still has no clue whether her character, President Allison Taylor, is a Republican or a Democrat, a conservative or a liberal.
"My hairstyle has changed parties since last season," she notes. "I no longer have Republican hair. But beyond that, I just do not know."
If the actress playing the role can't be sure, how is anyone else to know?
"I feel the same way the viewer must: When she is doing what I want her to do, she is a member of my party," Jones says. "And when she's leaning the other way, I think she's a member of the other party."
Truth be told, details don't really matter on 24, now in its eighth season and airing at 8 p.m. Mondays.
What counts on this show is that there's a ticking time bomb somewhere for indefatigable Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) to deal with.
Still, we thought it would be a fun and informative to spend Presidents Day with President Taylor.
In eight seasons of 24, nine different people have held the office of president. This version of America is clearly not a very stable country, is it?
It sounds practically Italian, doesn't it? Actually, the presidential turnover in 24 makes Italy (eight leaders in the past 16 years) look extremely stable. And I'm not sure Allison Taylor will ultimately prove to be the stabilizing factor either, because one never knows what predicament she'll find herself in next.
Is there a president, past or present, from whom you draw inspiration in your performance?
Having lived long enough, I've seen many of them. I campaigned for Kennedy when I was 4. I was a child during Lyndon Johnson's reign and got to see his appendix scar along with the rest of the country. I watched the shenanigans of Nixon. So I realize that there are just as many personalities in the presidency as there are human beings walking the Earth. The one thing that I guess they all have to have in common is a tremendous amount of confidence that makes them think that they can lead a nation.
Do you believe that confidence can also be the cause for one's downfall?
It often seems to be the case. I heard a fascinating interview with the wife of Mark Sanford from South Carolina. She was talking about these people getting into high places in politics. And it's not that they've changed as a person; it's just that their access to power has changed. Power is an aphrodisiac. It does strange things to people -- makes them think they can do anything, makes them believe they're untouchable. Power seems to have corrupted a lot of leaders on 24.
Has playing a TV president given you any insight into how hard the real job must be?
Not even a crack in the door of an idea. When something is scripted for you, I don't think you have a chance to imagine what it must be like to live in that unscripted world. I remember President Daniels (played by Powers Booth) had a line to me in the Oval Office on Inaugural Day for Allison Taylor. He said that the presidency is made up of jagged edges and moving parts that smack you in the face, and most of the time you didn't even see them coming. I think that's got to be what it feels like sometimes for [President] Obama.
What is your take on the show's leading man, Kiefer Sutherland?
I have tremendous respect for Kiefer. It is not easy, what he does. I have watched other friends on other television shows who had long runs of it. And you see sometimes that it really does become just a job. They do their best, but there's a different attitude about the work. But Kiefer has maintained this very rigorous and disciplined focus. When you're working with Kiefer, everything is ratcheted up. Off the set, he is always completely pleasant and generous and delightful. But on that stage, he is intensity personified.
If anyone tried to recruit you to enter politics, even if it were just Screen Actors Guild politics, would you be interested?
Not even remotely. I admire people who want to take on that kind of responsibility. It takes a real rare bird to do that. But I'm honestly not even interested in my own union politics. I mean, I'm interested, but the nuts and bolts of what it takes to govern is so beyond me. So I will vote every time, but that is it.
Source: star-telegram.com
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