Skip to main content

Former 24 star Kiefer Sutherland says he will not return to the show ‘in any way’

kiefer sutherland will definitely not return to 24 in any way
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Longtime 24 star Kiefer Sutherland will not “return in any way” to the hit TV show’s current reboot. From 2001 to 2010, Sutherland was best-known by many as the counter-terrorism agent  Jack Bauer. While the 48 year-old actor returned to the show last year in its spin-off series, 24: Live Another Dayhe told the BBC that his reign on the show — even for cameos — is over. “It’s one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given as an actor,” said Sutherland, “but it’s moving on without me, I want to do other things.”

Sutherland began his acting career two decades earlier, appearing in several iconic films in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but starring in 24 took his career to the next level while the actor was in a bit of a cool period.”There are some movies I’ve made people might have enjoyed, but there were nine of them watching,” he said. “And so 24 was so refreshing — the most significant thing was that it was accessible to a lot of people and to know they enjoyed it was so rewarding for me.”

Recommended Videos

The actor doesn’t yet have any publicly confirmed TV roles, but don’t think that he’s done with the small screen. “I want to do more television,” he told BBC. “…I don’t think there’s a better medium than television out there at the moment. [I] think I want to do more of it and look for projects where I can repeat my experience.”

Please enable Javascript to view this content

In the meantime, he’s promoting the recently-debuted western Forsaken which also stars his father, Donald. The film is Kiefer’s first western since the 90’s sequel Young Guns 2. He told the BBC he’s wanted to act alongside his father for 30 years. “Some fathers take their sons fishing to connect — I got to make a movie with my dad,” said Sutherland, “even if it was a little late in life.”

Chris Leo Palermino
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Chris Leo Palermino is a music, tech, business, and culture journalist based between New York and Boston. He also contributes…
5 great Netflix movies to watch on Christmas
A TSA agent runs in Carry-On.

To quote a notorious line from a James Bond movie, "Christmas comes but once a year." Since that's the case, you better have something fun planned, or the holidays can quickly turn sour. You could watch a football game or go to the movie theater, but why bother with all that hassle when Netflix is just sitting right there?

The streamer has plenty of movies available, especially Christmas-themed ones. But the following list doesn't include such recent films as Hot Frosty or The Merry Gentlemen. Instead, these five movies are all guaranteed crowd-pleasers, even if they don't explicitly involve the holiday.

Read more
5 great drama movies to watch on Christmas
A man puts his hand on the steering wheel in a car in a scene from The Noel Diary.

'Tis the season for watching movies. It's a great opportunity to watch a movie since many of us will be off during the holiday season. There are so many Christmas movies to choose from that it can be overwhelming. Family-friendly classics like Elf, Home Alone, and A Christmas Story never go out of style. Rom-coms like Love Actually and The Holiday always play well this time of year.

There are significantly fewer Christmas dramas than the two categories mentioned above. However, the dramas that are available to stream are worth watching. Our picks for drama movies to watch on Christmas include a famous psychological drama from a master, an iconic adaptation of a novel, and a Netflix romance.

Read more
1999 had the greatest lineup of Christmas movies ever
Two men work on a film projector in The Cider House Rules.

We all have our traditions for Christmas. Some sing carols around the neighborhood while others wear ugly sweaters to work and make gingerbread at home. For myself, every year I always go to one place of worship on Christmas Day: the movie theater. I'll be there this year, plunging myself into the Gothic darkness of Robert Eggers' Nosferatu remake, watching Nicole Kidman submit to unspeakable carnal pleasures in Babygirl, and witnessing the birth of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.

For as long as I can remember, I've gone to the theater on Christmas and watched three or four movies, usually from different genres, and it's always been the one present to myself that's satisfied me the most. But there was one year when my holiday movie marathon hit a perfect score, all 10s, and no notes: 1999. That was a great movie year, so it stands to reason its Christmas Day offerings would tower over the rest.

Read more