The 24 franchise has become one of the most popular action franchises of all time, and a major chunk of this recognition and fame goes to none other than Kiefer Sutherland. This is because the actor immaculately embodied the lead role of Jack Bauer for more than a decade, giving such an epic performance that we fans aren’t willing to have anyone else in the role anymore.
Then again, reboots of such major sagas are only inevitable, and for one as successful and fan-beloved as this respective one, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea as it will make a lot of fans’ wishes come true. But while that’s that, I’m convinced no one could replace Sutherland and work in his place better than the actor himself, especially after his remark on his 24 journey.
Kiefer Sutherland has really set the bar high with his remarks about his 24 journey
While he has embodied a ton of characters over the years and given an iconic performance in pretty much every single one of them, Kiefer Sutherland is particularly widely commended for his portrayal of agent Jack Bauer of Los Angeles’ Counter Terrorist Unit in 24, who, along with his team, tries to prevent multiple terrorist plots to protect innocent people.
In fact, his embodiment of the character has been so praiseworthy that the actor has since been known synonymously as Jack, even being typecast in similar roles since then. However, unlike many other actors who feel discomforted in this situation and haunted by the characters they get typecast as, Sutherland has a different take, being as embracing of Jack as ever.
During an interview with Variety, the Designated Survivor star talked about how many other actors who fall into the typecast trope have trouble adjusting to the fame, but not him.
I think for some actors, they would have a hard time with it. I still have people come up to me and call me Jack. I find it amusing. I know that would bother some other people, but it doesn’t bother me.
Continuing, he emphasized how much the show means to him for him to be annoyed with the typecast problem, saying, “‘24’ is such a big part of my life. When I started on it my daughter was 12. When I finally finished, she had graduated from university. It’s been a huge part of my life and my family’s life. It’s something I feel really positively about.”
Needless to say, as optimistic as Sutherland is about it, it’s not a usual feat to see in Hollywood. For one, actors usually have a hard time navigating through it all after being typecast in a role, so Sutherland’s embracing it all is pretty much a rare feat in the entertainment industry. And that’s exactly why I’m convinced they can’t really replace him in the role in a 24 reboot.
Kiefer Sutherland takes being recognized as Jack Bauer as “a compliment”
Although his comment about holding Jack’s saga dear to him even after being typecast in similar roles instead of being haunted by was more than enough to win me over, The Lost Boys star really landed the final nail in the coffin for his successful replacement when he didn’t hesitate to let known just how proud he is of what he has done on the 24 lore over the years—even after all this time.
When asked if he felt typecast in similar roles after playing Jack for so long, his name was used synonymously with him, Sutherland candidly confessed, “No, I’ve been allowed to do other work, that’s not been a problem. I am proud of what we did (on ‘24’). It’s not something I tried to escape. I take it as a compliment that people think of me as Jack Bauer.”
With all of this being put out there, I don’t think I need to emphasize more that Sutherland can’t really be replaced in the role of Jack for one too many reasons, with the biggest one being: No other actor could hold as optimistic an approach to playing the fan-beloved character and navigate through his fame as Sutherland, and that’s an unarguable fact.
24 can currently be streamed on Prime Video/Hulu.
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