Welcome To Elizabeth's Place!: 24: Kiefer Sutherland on Jack Bauer's Future

Kiefer Sutherland's Return To Television Gets Cautious Praise

Kiefer Sutherland can't have felt anything but pressure as his first major TV role since 10 phenomenal years spent on '24' aired for the first time last night (26 January 2012).
Fans and critics were certainly eager to see how the Canadian actor was going to follow up what has come to be known as one of the iconic TV characters of the 21st century in secret agent Jack Bauer.
'Touch,' which sees Sutherland playing a single father of a mute son who sees things other cannot, aired last night for the first time - and the answer to whether he's managed to follow up what may be career defining role successfully?
A cautious yes, according to the critics.
Newsday was effusive in its praise, saying the program was "A bit melodramatic, a bit manipulative, Touch is still one of the best pilots of the 2011-12 season to date," and others were similar praiseworthy though understandably a little more cautious given it was the pilot episode.
"It's Mr. Sutherland's portrayal of the father--unyielding in his effort to break through to his mute child and grasp what he's trying to say with his numbers--that is the heart of this story, the power likely to sustain this promising enterprise," said the Wall Street Journal, whilst
TV Guide said "[Touch is] emotionally compelling but wildly fantastical and undeniably manipulative."Not all were enthused though, The New York Times commented "The 11-year-old boy at the center of the story has never spoken and is also the show's narrator.
It's a perfectly acceptable device, if not a particularly interesting one in this case," whilst the Los Angeles Times weren't fans at all, stating "Ironically, given a show that so clearly wants to touch its audience--from that weighty one-word title on down--we have met, apart from Martin, hardly a single character who incorporates more than the hint of an actual person.
"Contactmusic

Friday, January 30, 2009

24: Kiefer Sutherland on Jack Bauer's Future

Q: Is Audrey still a presence in Jack's life?

Sutherland: Emotionally, in the damage of losing her. Not necessarily a physical presence, but she absolutely lingers in why he might not be able to engage on an emotional level with other people. And it certainly adds a huge sense of lose that informs almost everything that he does. Q: But she's not dead…

Sutherland: No, she's not. And I think she finally stopped dribbling!

Q: The show has such a serious tone. Can you talk about when there are mishaps or bloopers on set?

Sutherland: Things go wrong all the time. When we're working, we take things very seriously, but if we're supposed to disconnect the bomb and we cut the cord and the clock keeps ticking, it's like, "Okay… that didn't work." That stuff is inherently funny, because if you're going to be that serious and intense in a scene and something technically breaks that tension, just the change in expression is funny enough.

Q: Is there a time when you just cracked up?

Sutherland: Oh my god, yeah. Carlos used to do it to me all the time. There was a name I used to get wrong all the time… [As Sutherland tries to remember the name, he looks around for Carlos Bernard, who is standing nearby] …Marwan!

I used to get the name Marwan wrong all the time. I used to say Marwin. And there was one time we had so much physical stuff to do and I said Marwin, and he went, "Who's Marwin?" and I started to laugh, and then right before every take, for about an hour, he'd go, "Marwin…" and I was so nervous about it…

There was one time a [camera] guy had a very big camera move and when he came around, I was on my knees I was laughing so hard.
Sutherland with Annie Wersching ("Renee Walker") in 24

Q: Renee brings out a different dynamic in Jack. Did you feel there was a good chemistry there with Annie Wersching right away?

Sutherland: Absolutely. And you'll see… As the writers started throwing more stuff towards that character, she started handling it as beautifully as she did. She became this unbelievably dynamic aspect of our show.

But she has a counterbalance to Jack about what is right and legal. And again, he reiterates, "Do you want to accomplish this or not?" And so she is the antithesis of this debate. And yet, there's this unbelievable respect between the two of them.

[At this point, Carlos Bernard walked over and joined the conversation] Sutherland: [to Bernard] I was trying to remember the Marwan story. I couldn't remember Marwan's name.

Bernard: Oh, this is why you bring me over? He brings me over… [smiles and shakes his head] By the way [Kiefer], your cleaning will be at your house tomorrow by noon.

Sutherland: Great, yeah.

Q: With Carlos returning to the series after a couple of years, has your dynamic changed off screen, as it has onscreen?

Sutherland: Absolutely no.

Q: So it's safe to say Carlos isn't acting any more serious these days? Bernard: Very serious! Sutherland: Carlos is in charge of set levity and his department flourished this year. We had a lot of fun.Q: Carlos, did they assure you that Tony would quickly be revealed as a good guy again? Bernard: No!

Sutherland: The only thing we assured him of was if he died, he was really died.

Bernard: Right.

http://tv.ign.com/articles/949/949738p2.html

TY, Deb