Kiefer Sutherland contemplates the death of Jack Bauer
March 4, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN
The Chicago Sun-Times
Kiefer Sutherland interrogated the evil, war-hawk president of the United States last year. At the time, he was playing secret agent Jack Bauer on "24."
I ask Sutherland -- a Canadian who leans left, toward socialism -- if he had fun torturing the president, even a fictional one.
"Yeah," Sutherland says. A smile spreads across his face and he repeats contentedly, "Yeah."
There's been a lot of political talk about "24." After it started in 2001, some liberals accused the drama of propagating stereotypes about Arab-Americans. Plus, "24" executive producer Joel Surnow recently created an alleged comedy show for the right-wing Fox News Channel.
But Sutherland -- another "24" producer -- is no Bush conservative. And quite a few "24" bad guys have been white right-wingers. This season, nefarious shadow figures on the show are trying to institute detention centers for Arab Americans.
What's more, the presidents on the show's various seasons always have made very bad choices, as I point out to Sutherland during a visit to the "24" set.
Sutherland grins again.
"I think that in itself is a fantastic statement," he says.
Some commentators on Fox News might not agree with Sutherland, since they've said the feds should torture suspects the way Jack Bauer treats them on the Fox action drama. Sutherland considers their idea and gets revved up.
"I think that's very dangerous," he says. "When you start taking a fantastical world like this, and try to apply the logic of this show to the real world, [it] is absolutely ridiculous and insane. I very strongly disagree with the idea that we need Jack Bauers out there in the world doing that."
He says torture and other dramatic devices merely demonstrate "how important a situation is within the context of a TV show."
"The idea that people think this is how we should actually go out there and behave is backward thinking," he says.
This "24" debate almost didn't happen. I often tell people we critics don't really have much power to turn a TV show into a hit or to keep it on the air. But Sutherland tells me Fox wasn't going to run the first season until TV critics raved about the show's first episode in 2001, before it aired.
"The reaction to '24' is why it got picked up," he tells me. "It wasn't on their roster. I had actually been told two weeks before that it wasn't gonna go. You guys saw it, and then all of a sudden it was gonna go."
Green-lighting "24" was a good move on Fox's part. It remains TV's most intense action-adventure. This sixth season started weaker than normal, but has become tauter and more arresting. In the ratings, it's still a Top 20 show.
At this point, Sutherland's Jack Bauer has saved the world (or at least Los Angeles) five times. He's in the process of saving it a sixth time.
Sutherland, 40, tells us critics it's getting harder to do the physical acting of the fictional, counter terrorist agent.
He also thinks Jack will die someday.
"I've felt that from the very beginning," Sutherland says. "The writers sometimes think that, and sometimes they don't. I'm sure when they've been mad at me, they've [said], 'Kill him now!' "
If Jack doesn't die, Sutherland would prefer Jack work things out with his daughter, Kim, and with his ex, Audrey, played by Kim Raver, who left the show this year to do ABC's new "The Nine" (now on hiatus with an uncertain future.)
Audrey "would be the one thing that would save him," Sutherland says.
One way or another, a few critics suggest this will be the role he ends up known for the most. Hearing this, Sutherland smiles again and objects politely.
"I'm not dead yet, mate."
BY DOUG ELFMAN
The Chicago Sun-Times
Kiefer Sutherland interrogated the evil, war-hawk president of the United States last year. At the time, he was playing secret agent Jack Bauer on "24."
I ask Sutherland -- a Canadian who leans left, toward socialism -- if he had fun torturing the president, even a fictional one.
"Yeah," Sutherland says. A smile spreads across his face and he repeats contentedly, "Yeah."
There's been a lot of political talk about "24." After it started in 2001, some liberals accused the drama of propagating stereotypes about Arab-Americans. Plus, "24" executive producer Joel Surnow recently created an alleged comedy show for the right-wing Fox News Channel.
But Sutherland -- another "24" producer -- is no Bush conservative. And quite a few "24" bad guys have been white right-wingers. This season, nefarious shadow figures on the show are trying to institute detention centers for Arab Americans.
What's more, the presidents on the show's various seasons always have made very bad choices, as I point out to Sutherland during a visit to the "24" set.
Sutherland grins again.
"I think that in itself is a fantastic statement," he says.
Some commentators on Fox News might not agree with Sutherland, since they've said the feds should torture suspects the way Jack Bauer treats them on the Fox action drama. Sutherland considers their idea and gets revved up.
"I think that's very dangerous," he says. "When you start taking a fantastical world like this, and try to apply the logic of this show to the real world, [it] is absolutely ridiculous and insane. I very strongly disagree with the idea that we need Jack Bauers out there in the world doing that."
He says torture and other dramatic devices merely demonstrate "how important a situation is within the context of a TV show."
"The idea that people think this is how we should actually go out there and behave is backward thinking," he says.
This "24" debate almost didn't happen. I often tell people we critics don't really have much power to turn a TV show into a hit or to keep it on the air. But Sutherland tells me Fox wasn't going to run the first season until TV critics raved about the show's first episode in 2001, before it aired.
"The reaction to '24' is why it got picked up," he tells me. "It wasn't on their roster. I had actually been told two weeks before that it wasn't gonna go. You guys saw it, and then all of a sudden it was gonna go."
Green-lighting "24" was a good move on Fox's part. It remains TV's most intense action-adventure. This sixth season started weaker than normal, but has become tauter and more arresting. In the ratings, it's still a Top 20 show.
At this point, Sutherland's Jack Bauer has saved the world (or at least Los Angeles) five times. He's in the process of saving it a sixth time.
Sutherland, 40, tells us critics it's getting harder to do the physical acting of the fictional, counter terrorist agent.
He also thinks Jack will die someday.
"I've felt that from the very beginning," Sutherland says. "The writers sometimes think that, and sometimes they don't. I'm sure when they've been mad at me, they've [said], 'Kill him now!' "
If Jack doesn't die, Sutherland would prefer Jack work things out with his daughter, Kim, and with his ex, Audrey, played by Kim Raver, who left the show this year to do ABC's new "The Nine" (now on hiatus with an uncertain future.)
Audrey "would be the one thing that would save him," Sutherland says.
One way or another, a few critics suggest this will be the role he ends up known for the most. Hearing this, Sutherland smiles again and objects politely.
"I'm not dead yet, mate."
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