24's Kiefer Sutherland Insists On Distinction Between Television And Reality

Kiefer Sutherland, star of terrorporn fantasia 24, was recently interviewed by the London Guardian, and asked to account for the show's depictions of torture in terms of the effects they've had on national security policy. To his credit, Sutherland gamely attempts to assert that there's some sort of distinction to be made between fiction and reality:

"First off, I'm just going to tell you outright, the problem is not 24. To try and correlate from what's happening on a television show to what the military is doing in the real world, I think that's ridiculous." Does he mean he doesn't believe the reports of 24's influence? "Well I haven't read all those reports. But if that's actually happening, then the problem that you have in the US military is massive. If your ethics in the military, in your training, is going to be counterminded by a one-hour weekly television show we've got a really big problem." His growl grows heavy with contempt. "If you can't tell the difference between reality and what's happening on a made-up TV show, and you're correlating that back to how to do your job in the real world, that's a big, big problem."

Yes. This is an epochal breakthrough in elementary existentialism. Or maybe not, considering how much Sutherland has invested in the "reality" of his character:

"Jack Bauer," he asserts, "is to me an apolitical character." Really? "Well, can you tell me if Jack Bauer is a Democrat or a Republican?" I would say he's clearly a Republican. "Absolutely not!" Sutherland flashes back triumphantly. "Not a chance." Why not? "Because I'm not a Republican, and I created the character."

Ultimately, the whole exchange leaves Sutherland's interlocutor mightily confused ("...I wonder if I'd half forgotten myself that Sutherland isn't a Pentagon official, or a politician, but an actor."), neatly presaging the psychotic break that Sutherland's assertions are sure to inspire in the torture fans of the wingnutosphere. So, on balance, upside.

Comments

[Broken Sun]

Kiefer being democrat= Hilarious. That's like finding out V from V for vendetta supports the patriot act.

[cowman]

He's a Canadian.

[Bugboy]

Mr. Sutherland's on-going denial of the impact his show is having on social consciousness reminds me of the commercials I used to see where the guy says "Hi, I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV!"

People have enough trouble distinguishing between reality and fantasy, and all of his statements to the contrary will not change that, yet he continues to blithely say "I am not a torturerer, but I play one on TV!"

[colah]

Bugboy,
This is a ridiculous post. Sounds like you may be one of the people that NEED to be shown the difference between TV and the real world. Guns & religion..........

[SomeGuyFromCanada]

Kiefer Sutherland is the grandson of Tommy Douglas the leader of the first socialist government in North American (Saskatchewan) who brought in the first universal healthcare system in Canada which served as model for the rest of the country. As well, Douglas brought in government run car insurance as well as founding other government owned corporations. Kiefer has spoken out in Canada against privatizing healthcare which would undo his grandfather's work as well as describing himself as leaning towards socialist politics. But when it come to making a buck ($0.80 in Canada) he can prostitute himself with the best of them. If his grandfather was alive I doubt if he would approve of his role in 24.

[CarlyS119]

I think maybe his grandfather was intelligent enought to understand he's an actor and this is a FAKE TV show. Sadly, I can't say the same for you and it's great that you get to be so sure about the position of a family you've never met. Shows the intellect and sense applied to the rest of your assessment. GROW UP or jump off the roof in your Superman Jammies... you can fly. Promise.

[cowman]

So every character on TV has to be perfectly virtuous? How will we ever explore serious issues that way? Plus shows would be deathly boring.

[viewfromuphere]

so what do you want....Mr Sutherland to quit...and you don't think they'll find themselves another actor ???

[festry548]

"If you can't tell the difference between reality and what's happening on a made-up TV show, and you're correlating that back to how to do your job in the real world, that's a big, big problem."

Oh God, tell me about it. Can we introduce smart pills into the nation's water supplies?

Kill your television.

[colah]

LOL!

[cowman]

Actually Mercury is essentially stupid pills in the water supply, Al Gore's tried to draw attention to this.

[bazokbros]

Does what Kiefer said even merit analysis? Next you're going to say Santa Claus us not real.

[taotedali]

Unfortunately when Congressmen are quoting Jack Bauer in their affirmation of torture, I think it's pretty important that Keifer lets out the ole Scooby Doo.... huh?!

[viewfromuphere]

OK that says more about the stupidty of the Congressmen ....so maybe Americans should request some sort restricted television access for their elected representatives.

[punk]

Americans are such idiots that they frequently need to be instructed that TV is not reality.

[Mediated]

dude- where were you during the campaign last year? maybe we wouldn't be suffering through this scandal plagued day in and dy out. There is more reality in 24- then there was in a certain someones campaign.

[viewfromuphere]

yeh OK junior...

[contemporarymom]

Its fiction, educated people should no better.

However, I have to admit, there are times I wished we had a Jack B. running around. Come on, admit it, you have to.

[cowman]

You don't have to be educated to know TV isn't real, you just have to be a functional adult. Clearly congress doesn't set the bar that high.

[26041]

Keifer said a long time ago that he was not "Jack" and didn't believe in torture. He has decried torture in many other interviews not just the one that is the basis for this story. Don't forget that "Jack" this season was pulled from being grilled by Congress over torture to help the FBI in their hunt for Tony. The Republican political aspect of the show comes from Joel Surnow, he co-creator and executive producer of “24.” He is a former producer at Fox News and reportedly is a good friend of Limbaugh. The New Yorker ran a piece on him back in 07 that was highly enlightening but we should all remember that fiction is fiction and fact is fact.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/02/19/070219fa_fact_mayer

[shades3]

"24' IS FICTION, not a primer for learning how to interrogate prisoners, or how to run government.
Perhaps Dick Cheney and George W. Bush and Co. should learn the difference between a made-up story line for a television drama and THE REAL WORLD. WHEW!!

[MT-Eman]

Hey genius, maybe you haven't heard, Bush, Cheney & Co. are no longer in charge now. The new administration is Obama & Biden--the not ready for prime time guys. Surely you've seen the news, it's been all over the newspapers, even on TV about 2-weeks ago. At least you can tell the difference between TV Fiction and reality.

[cowman]

And surely you're smart enough to know that 2 weeks isn't a lot of time to undo 8 years of missteps. But Obama's already taken 2 major steps towards ending torture at the hands of the US.

Also 24 ran over 6 seasons and one TV movie during the Bush administration - they've aired exactly 2 episodes during the Obama administration.

[ccairnes]

I'm glad you wrote this article. It is true a lot of people have lost touch with reality because they spend so much time with their heads in the "box". I call it "cathode ray poisoning". I'm not even sure TV is cathode ray any more. I haven't owned a TV in over 20 years. But I sure saw it at work when I was sitting on a grand jury. The other jurors were looking at the murder case before us as if it were a TV show. Scary.

[CarlyS119]

It's not an "article" - it's a nutjob blog and I say that as a liberal. Do you want Hugh Laurie to examine you the next time you're sick or do you want to go to an actual DOCTOR. PS... Spongebob isn't real either but if you'd like to go live under the sea and blame Squidward when you drown, feel free.

[djgonebad]

Why didn't he tell the Neo-Cons this eight years ago?!!!

[chaos4700]

Yeah. Not only is 24 /not/ reality, it's not even well-written. Seriously, did they really think a serious of gimmicks and hokey premises slapped together and covered with a thick layer of war-crime-justifying apologist diatribe would make for good television?

God, I miss Joss Whedon. Hopefully the network doesn't butcher "Dollhouse" the way they butchered "Firefly."

[Mat8675]

I've already heard that FOX made some changes to his pilot to make it more mainstream. : (

I'll still be watching though, because Firefly was amazing (god rest it's soul).

[katiedex]

I absolutely love 24! It is so intense and yet when the hour ends I want two more. I just can't get enough. The torture scenes make me squirm, I hate torture, but the show is so incredibly well done that I'm still able to enjoy the story and non-stop action. This season has not had as much torture as previous seasons, perhaps Jack is trying to move on from that as well? I'm so relieved to hear Kiefer say he isn't a Republican, now I'm an even bigger fan, if that's possible.

[CarlyS119]

He's Canadian... he can't even VOTE.

[SaltySaltillo]

OK, further evidence that political-social columnists make for very poor art critics. First, my creds: decidedly not Republican or conservative, but a happy weekly viewer of, as you put it, "terrorporn fantasia" 24.
Second, to understand and appreciate 24, you must have an aesthetic understanding of "camp." 24 is national security drama camp. Go read Susan Sontag. Then watch a bundle of national security dramas like 3 Days of the Condor. Then rent a season of 24. It is a comic book subversion of all of the traditional motifs and elements of the national security spy drama. If you understand the genre, and you understand what camp is, you realize - 24 is spy camp. for example, in your typical national security drama, the women are all sensual and the men all OOOZZE masculinity. In the 24, the heroes are all nerds and geeks - brainy computer programmers who all sleep with each other and then go around their work of saving the world from the bad guys while feeling incredibly nervous around each other. And Sutherland himself - unlike Bond, he never gets the girl. He is an exagerated, stoic mountain of emotionless testosterone. And the Presidents in 24 are all indecisive, foolish, angst-ridden puppets of the evil characters who surround them and manipulate them, unlike the traditional national security drama where the head of state is always a strong, decisive, high atop Olympus figure in the background of the drama.

[katiedex]

hmmmm. Not to nitpick your comment, but as a fellow weekly viewer I must protest a couple of your points. Do you remember President Palmer? He could not have been more decisive and strong. When I see him doing Allstate commercials, I still call him Mr. President. If only we could have such a strong, wise president with so much integrity. Wait- hopefully we finally do! And Jack Bauer emotionless? He is tortured by his emotions and sense of duty. He has gotten some girls, and lost them. Remember his wife? And of course Audrey Rains. Also, the nerds don't all sleep with each other, but I know what you mean about the way they all give funny, nervous looks. It's the soap opera portion of the show. I guess it can't all be F-18's and black hawks. Anyway, still love your comment, just had to say those few things from my perspective and give Pres. Palmer his props.

[wyntka]

wow, I enjoyed your post. I never thought of 24 as camp, just goofy sometimes. People can get from one side of LA to the other in 5 minutes. But aside from the real-time discrepencies, the thing that kills me is how I say I hate the show the whole time I'm faithfully tuning in.

And as far as influencing our reality, it was scary to hear W's people refer to the show in discussions of torture.

But the show did have our first black president., so it's a trade-off...

[rollingdivision]

Does this mean Paul Newman didn't make all those pool shots or eat all those eggs? I'm crushed.

[CFAmick]

If anyone was man enough to eat 50 eggs in one hour, it'd be Paul Newman!

[stevi]

Justice Scalia needs to know this, has he heard about this interview????? OMG