He’s the man who can take on a whole army of Chinese operatives, disobey the president’s orders, hacksaw a key witness’ head off and still live to see another day. Whatever plight faces the world of 24, be it nuclear attack, bioterrorism, or assassination attempts, the audience knows that everything will be okay when Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer is around. We caught up Sutherland at a season 7 finale screening and asked about some of the biggest plot twists this season, as well what the future has in store. Oh, and (SPOILER ALERT) fans, you can breathe easy: Executive Producer Howard Gordon told EW that Jack will live to see the sunrise at least once more.
(Editor’s note: Members of the press were asked to refrain from asking Sutherland and the cast any questions regarding their personal lives.)
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What’s it like to have Jack on the verge of death right now?
KIEFER SUTHERLAND: It has to go in stages and you just try to monitor in your head where physically you are with the character. From a dramatic perspective, it’s a great dynamic to be able to play that, certainly in the context of the relationship between Jack and his daughter. I have a 21 year old daughter and a 31 year old daughter, and I found that to be moving personally as a man. All of those things I was very excited to do.
Jack’s saving Kim Bauer yet again-or is she saving him?
I think Elisha Cuthbert is just a wonderful actor and I love that story line. It makes Jack a much more human character. When we brought her back we didn’t want anything that we’ve done before, whether she was kidnapped or whether she managed to be part of the crisis, and she wasn’t. It’s a much more emotional connection than we had together, and then it kind of follows her as a way of threatening people. They don’t really get her, so I like the way that was utilized throughout the season.
Talk about the decision to make Tony evil.
[Carlos Bernard] called me after the first couple episodes when they showed how bad he was, and I think people were kind of stunned. They kept going, “No he can’t be bad,” but I think two episodes in he started getting hate mail, then he started getting the hate phone calls. He said, “You must get used to this,” but it made him a little nervous.
What do you feel Jack’s mindset is going into season 8? The show is moving to New York and CTU is back.
Well the show is. I can’t really tell you what context I’ll be involved with the show, for a variety of reasons. I will always be a part of the show as a producer. Moving to Washington just gave us a lift I think for an audience to be able to kind of see a different backdrop made it exciting, certainly for us as actors. You can feel the power emanating from the walls when you walk down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, and it changed the way we walked, and it changed the attitude that we had, and New York, you’re not going to find a more energetic city in the world, and we thrive on that, and that’s a huge component of our show. NewYork will present a lot of difficulties for the characters next year. It’s not an easy city to get around in at certain times of the day, etc. So all of those things I think will be an interesting change for season 8.
What are your goals for Jack in season 8?
Well again, I’m not going to talk about him in season 8, but one of the really nice things for him in these two episodes has been this monumental shift that he is preparing to die, and I think he’s coming to grips with some of the things that he’s done in his life, and some he can justify and some he cannot, and that’s creating a very emotional transition for him. That’s something that’s much stronger in this season and specifically the last two episodes than everything else we’ve ever done.
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No, Carlos Bernard, we don’t hate you. We love you. We just want good Tony back. Is there any way of making that twist work in the finale, that Tony is only faking bad?
What about Renee and Jack? What are the plans for them as partners next season? Will she join CTU?
Big sigh of relief … I’m anxious for next Monday. It was exciting having Tony back, and I LOVE him being evil!!
My gut feeling – there is still possibility that Tony is good, but he’s dead inside, so he’s willing to do anything to maintain his cover, and probably knows (and hopes) that after he’s done what he needs to do that he gets gunned down, either by Jack or someone else.
“Well the show is. I can’t really tell you what context I’ll be involved with the show, for a variety of reasons. I will always be a part of the show as a producer. ”
“Well again, I’m not going to talk about him in season 8,”
Is Jack not coming back next season??
Zidane loves Kiefer and loves headbutting people. http://www.christiansinglesdate.com/
Uh, Mike… not sure if you’ve been following the series, but there is no CTU. It was shut down.
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Goodness, I don’t hate Carlos, I just hate that his character chose the path of the devil that’s all.
I’m seriously gonna cry when Jack finally does die keifer, when he shows emotion on 24 and it’s not often now it’s impossible not to cry when he does. I’ll miss my hero so much but then again I’ll feel relief too knowing Jack Bauer’s life in hell is over he can rest in peace at last.
Kiefer won’t say anything about his character next season because he doesn’t want to give away if he lives or dies before the finale. Of course he’ll be back. You guys shouldn’t have to question that. Especially after the spoiler at the beginning of the article.
um JS, CTU will be in season 8 but in New York, not LA>
What is Kiefer saying here exactly? Jack may or may not be in S8? Or he only has a small part? NOOOO!!! Jack HAS to be there! Every time Jack has taken a backseat in an episode (or several) it just misses something. Now I’m worried.
I live for Monday nights…this whole cast and crew keep my life in prospective,haha!
Tony’s still a good guy…he’s fighting for the life of his family…oops,i shouldn’t have said that!
Hate mail to Carlos??? Who are these people? This is a TV show it’s make believe. Good or bad Carlos has been doing his best acting to date- his facial expressions are the best. He is a torched soul, and plays it great. Thanks Carlos.
Love mail here.
Yeah, I don’t get the Carlos Bernard hate mail. He didn’t decide to make Tony evil. The writers did. If anything, rant at them.
I think it’s a brilliant move. Evil Tony is just as intriguing as good Tony, if not more so.
I would be okay with a new agent…Jack is getting a bit old! My vote is for Chloe…remeber when she picked up the machine gun! My favorite episode ever!
After and during the viewing of the finale of season 7 last night, i got to thinking that Renee will be the next female operative, if fox want to keep 24 going ( as to which i hope they do) then i can see this happening. Remember folks, Keifer has only signed on to do 8 so we’ll have to see.
24 would not be the same without Jack and Jack would not be the same without Kiefer. More Jack please!!!
I realy love 24 by jack buer.let me know when 24 season 8 is released.