Kiefer Sutherland: DUI A "Really Dumb Mistake"

Kiefer Sutherland says making sure 24 could proceed without a hitch was his top priority when he served seven weeks in jail last winter following convictions for DUI and violating probation - which he called a "dumb mistake."

Sutherland served 48 days behind bars in Glendale, Calif. during the writers' strike.

"It made what I had to do - obviously a very stupid thing that I did - it made that easier because I could go and the show was not affected by it," Sutherland, 42, said Monday during the Television Critics Association conference in Beverly Hills.

"I made a really dumb mistake, and to be able to go back to work, which is something I feel comfortable doing, it's a safe place for me, I was grateful to have that opportunity," he told a group of reporters. "I've had very good friends that have made similar mistakes and have not been that lucky. So, I was very aware of how lucky I was to have that opportunity."

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