Kiefer Sutherland was best known as one of the young ones in Stand By Me before he hit it big with the show 24. Playing Jack Bauer, a federal agent tasked with thwarting a terrorist threat within 24 hours, Sutherland became a household name and his character became one of the most celebrated agents in pop culture.
However, Sutherland is one of the few actors who got to own yet another action-oriented character on TV. He starred as the reluctant President Thomas Kirkman in Designated Survivor, which unfortunately did not enjoy the longevity of 24 despite his character’s similarity to Bauer.
Kiefer Sutherland found similarities between Designated Survivor’s Thomas Kirkman and Jack Bauer
Kiefer Sutherland played the role of Jack Bauer for nine seasons, a movie, and a 12-episode revival of 24. The actor was nominated for the Primetime Emmys multiple times for playing Bauer and even won an Emmy and Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Series Drama. Sutherland has been synonymous with the character, despite his previous work in films.
Sutherland’s second famous character who gets involved in a political conspiracy is Thomas Kirkman in the series Designated Survivor. While not as similar to the badass agent Jack Bauer, Kirkman is again pushed to a position he is not expected to be in and he has to make the right call while dealing with multiple attacks on other fronts.
The actor mentioned that while he never saw the similarities in the beginning, he slowly began to understand why he gravitated towards Kirkman as a character and why he loved playing him so much. He said (via EW),
Their circumstances are very different and what they end up having to deal with is very different. But this idea of self-sacrifice for a larger good was something that is very much a common thread in both of those characters. I found that interesting, actually, that in the first pass of a read I didn’t get that at all. Only until I was playing it did I realize, ‘Ah, that’s why I like this character that much.’ That’s why I like Jack Bauer that much.
The show was unceremoniously canceled after only three seasons, with the final one being produced by Netflix. While his tenure as Jack Bauer may have the issue of time running out, a return as Thomas Kirkman could definitely be in the cards.
Kiefer Sutherland revealed why he liked Thomas Kirkman as POTUS
With Designated Survivor, it might seem like someone thought of putting Jack Bauer in the Oval Office and ran with that Wattpad fan-fiction of that idea. However, Kiefer Sutherland’s masterful performance is what made him slightly different yet familiar to the agent that fans know and love. However, the actor seemed to have a different reason for liking the concept.
In an interview with The Guardian, Sutherland mentioned that he loved the idea of a man who did not go through the process of becoming President getting into the Oval Office. He said,
If you’re willing to put yourself through that process of becoming president, you’re probably not the person for the job. I liked the idea that – very much like in 1939’s Mr Smith Goes to Washington – someone is just pulled out of the crowd to become president who will approach politics purely from common sense.
While it is not known whether he will ever get to play Kirkman again, Sutherland expressed some enthusiasm at finishing the story of Jack Bauer and getting some closure on it.
24 is available to stream on Hulu while Designated Survivor is available on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
