Man of the Hour

Image credit: 24: Isabella Vosmikova

DEATH BECOMES HIM After all he's been through, if Jack Bauer eventually dies in the line of duty, Sutherland says he'd be ''100 percent supportive of that''

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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Does playing Jack ever get old?
KIEFER SUTHERLAND: The writers have given me things to do from season to season that have always made me feel I can take a fresh run at this. Last year, Jack was pulled back into his old life because of the death of his friends. It was the perfect example of ''They shouldn't have pissed him off.'' That was a real through-line for me — pissed-off Jack Bauer. That's what drove him last year, and all of that comes into play this year, too. You'll learn there was a wider scope to what happened last year. But as for Jack, the writers have come through yet again for me. He's at the lowest he's ever been. More than willing to just lay down and die. As a starting place, that's been a fantastic challenge.

Is there an area of Jack's life you'd like to see the show explore?
Yes, there is, and it would be impossible to do in the context of the show because we do it in ''real time.'' But it would be amazing to explore his past when he was training in the military. In this season, you'll understand a lot of his history in conversations with other characters. But it would be really interesting to see that explored on film. Also, the one thing that holds Jack Bauer together is this very odd hope, this faith in mankind. I think it would be interesting to find out what the hope is based on.

Maybe that could be explored in the upcoming 24 movie?
Maybe.

What can you say about the movie?
Only this: The writers have finished the screenplay. Right now, we're knee-deep in the middle of the season, so it's about being able to pull [exec producers] Joel Surnow and Bob Cochran off the show to prep the movie. So many things have to happen between now and May, when we would like to shoot the film. It's something we're certainly striving for.

You've said many times that you would support the idea of killing Jack if it best serves the story. Do you think death is inevitable for your character?
Yeah. I think it would be so cool. [Laughs] Is it something I want to happen on a personal level? Absolutely not! This has been the most creative, amazing learning experience I've ever had. But the idea of the show is so clever, I think it can go on for a very long time. It's just a question of with whom. This show has given me so much, I would be 100 percent supportive of that.

24 certainly looks like an intense experience to produce, both emotionally and physically. How do you prepare for the season?
I'll tell you how I prepared for this season. It was the first time I didn't do a film in the break. We knew that we had a successful fifth season. We liked the feeling of that, and we want it again. So Jon Cassar and I made ourselves available to the writers during the break. I let them know: If you wrote something and you're not sure about it, and you want to hear it read, call me. I'll be at your house in 40 minutes.

It sounds like the success of last season really galvanized you.
We're a competitive group of people. You tell a competitive group of people ''This is the best you can do,'' that's going to piss them off — in the most positive way. If there's a way to be gracious in response to the wonderful year we had from our fans and the Emmys, it's this: ''You gave us a beautiful gift; we're going to do everything we can to give you one back.''