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Compiled by: Jack Foley
KIEFER Sutherland is interviewed by the press.
Q. You said last October that you might die in this series.
So what's the deal with that? Can the show continue without you?
A: I think it's very important to believe and know that
on any given moment, any actor can die on this show. I think we
proved that with season one, and I'm no exception to that. Otherwise,
you'd know Jack's always getting out of it, and that's not the
case. Eventually, you know, there's going to be some things that'll
happen, and I'm not exempt from that.
Q. But isn't that the end of the series, though?
A: I don't think so. I think the show can go on for 20
years and go through multiple cast changes and things like that,
because the star of this show is the time format and what it did
to the thriller genre. And we all service that.
Q. I think a lot of people actually do watch it for you
and Jack Bauer.
A. Again, I think that the show will do fine. I hope
I get to do this show for a long time.
Q. So you've got no plans to move.
A: Not as of yet.
Q. You say that the show is bigger than the actors, but
in this case, you helped the show to get out. You were bigger
than the show at the beginning.
A. Yeah.
Q. So how do you balance that at this time?
A: I approach my work no differently than I approach
anything else. I just do everything I can to make it as good as
possible, and we've been very fortunate that we've got a fantastic
crew, the writers have done a fantastic job, the cast is amazing
- not only the regular cast, but the day actors that we have come
in to do smaller parts - we've just been lucky how fantastic everybody's
been.
Our focus is on trying to make the best show, period, and we don't
worry about the rest of it.
Q. Are you never disappointed when you read the script?
A: It's a constant process. There'll be things that I
won't like in a script. Generally, if I don't like something and
Jon, one of the directors, doesn't like something, and one of
the writers doesn't like something, we'll change it.
It works like that. I didn't want Leslie Hope to die. I thought
that that was not great, but it ended up being one of our signature
moments, you know. It certainly doesn't stop me from having an
opinion about it. And whether they take it or not is up to them.
Q. How much a dark hero is Jack? Probably the darkest
hero we've seen in TV for a long time. Is that your input, in
a way? I mean, making him so...
A. I think that one of the things I was attracted to
in the character when I first read the pilot was that this guy
was set in a position to become this hero, and yet he's dealing
with a failed marriage and his inadequacies as a father, not being
able to control a 16-year-old daughter.
I thought that that dynamic was fantastic. He's a very reactionary
person and a very reactionary character. Some of those impulses
are going to be wrong. And I like that about his character. There
are consequences to the things he does, and some of them are not
right. I think that makes him more interesting.
Q. Did Jack change your personal life in any way? You
used to do characters in the movies, and then, with this one,
you have to go live with him.
A. Not on a personal level, but it's certainly changed
my professional life. I think the writers have done such a fantastic
job in creating new dynamics, so the character never feels old,
because he's dealing with such different situations all the time,
and can deal with them differently.
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Q. Do people expect you to
be a kind of tough guy in real life?
A: No. There was a very funny moment, I was skiing, and
a guy who actually worked for the CIA was sharing the chair-lift
with me. (laugh) And he looked over and he said, "I ought
to hit you." And I said, "Why?" He said, "Don't
tell anybody this, but I work for the CIA and I'm an operative,
and my mom is a huge fan of your show, and we all are too,"
and I said, "Well, trust me, we know that it's a fantasy
show and it's not--" He said, "Yeah. Anyway, I was in
Europe for like four months, my mother was getting' upset because
I wasn't coming home and she said, ‘You should be more like
Jack Bauer and get it done in a hurry.’" He laughed
so hard. I think for the most part, people realise that it's a
television show.
Q. Do you get tired of living the same day during one
year?
A: No, because they have a lot of stuff going on in that
day. I think some of the girls get a little frustrated, because
they have to wear the same clothes all the time, but it doesn't
bother me at all.
Q. In the series, Jack's working with his daughter. Could
you actually work with your daughter in real life?
A. She worked on this show. She was a production assistant
and an AD for a little while.
Q. What does your father think about 24?
A. He likes watching it in Europe a lot more than he
does here, because they don't have commercials. He gets very frustrated
when he's here, because he likes to watch the show, but he gets
very frustrated by the commercial breaks.
Q. Do you like the fact that people many times compare
between you, because you also look very much alike?
A: They compare us on that level. You're talking about
one of the greatest actors in film, period. He's the real deal,
my dad. He's it. You know. I will work very hard over the course
of my career to try and be as good as I can be.
But from my perspective, he's an icon. You take a look at the
variety of work, from Ordinary People to Fellini’s Casanova,
to 1900, to Day of the Locust, and just take a look at the difference
in all those characters; it's staggering. Eye of the Needle. Don’t
Look Now. You're talking about some of the most important work
in cinema.
Q. Is it frustrating, as well?
A: For what?
Q. To have such a high role model.
A: Oh my God, no, it's fantastic. My God. Most people
would be very lucky to even meet him, and I have him as a dad.
Q. Would you work with him?
A: If we ever found the right piece, yeah.
Q. Are you guys close? I mean, personally.
A. We don't see each other a whole lot. He lives in France
and I live here. And that's hard. I grew up in Canada, when he
lived here, and so we’ve never been able to spend as much
time together as I think both of us would've liked. But I have
a huge respect for him and I believe that's mutual. I care for
him a lot.
Q. Would you bring him in as a guest star on 24?
A: I wouldn't even dare, no.
Q. Why?
A: I don't think that. He's an icon. You wouldn't do
that to that kind of an actor.
Q. Would you think about doing like a franchise of 24
like they are doing with CSI all the time?
A: You would have to ask the producers or Fox about that.
Q. But you think that it would be a good idea or not?
A: Do I think it would be a good idea? Right now, it's
hard enough to do this one show. I, personally, think it waters
that down. When the Law and Orders broke off and became others,
it just watered all of them down. It's hard enough to make one
show good, and you should focus all your energy on doing that.
Q. How many seasons do you think you still have?
A: I have no idea.
Q. I mean, not you. The show.
A: I have no idea. I really don't. We take that, unfortunately,
one year at a time. Right now, we're just trying to make sure
we do a fourth.
Q. Is 24 hours enough in one day?
A: Doesn't seem to be. (laughter) We're working on it.
Related stories: Season
4 review
Season 3 review
Season 3 - Kiefer Sutherland
interview
Season 2 - review
Season 1 - review
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