Late star Donald Sutherland has played villainous characters in many instances in his legendary career. While the current generation may know him for his role in The Hunger Games franchise, Sutherland has established himself as a prominent actor in films like The Dirty Dozen, M*A*S*H, and Space Cowboys.
Sutherland’s sons are also part of the film industry, with Kiefer Sutherland being the most prominent one. The actor played the lead role of Jack Bauer in the espionage TV show 24. While the father-son duo have worked together before, Sutherland Senior reportedly refused to play Kiefer’s father in 24 for one wholesome reason.
Donald Sutherland Refused To Play Dad To Son Kiefer Sutherland In 24
Kiefer Sutherland has become a staple in pop culture for playing the role of Jack Bauer in the action spy series 24. For eight seasons, a movie, and a 12-episode revival series, Sutherland played the role of the CTU agent who has to race against time to stop a major threat to the security of the country.
In season 6, Jack Bauer is confronted by his father Phillip Bauer, who seemingly has terrorist links and becomes one of the antagonists of the season. Kiefer Sutherland has worked with his father on multiple films such as Max Dugan Returns and A Time to Kill, albeit never as an on-screen father-son duo.
So, when the opportunity came for casting Phillip Bauer in 24, Kiefer Sutherland reportedly approached his father, the legendary Donald Sutherland to play the role. However, senior Sutherland reportedly refused to play the role as he did not want to play a father who tried to kill his son (via The Things),
I told Kiefer, ‘I’d love to play Sean Connery to your Harrison Ford (referring to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), but not a father who wants to kill you.’ We’re looking for something else we can do together.
The role was ultimately played by Succession’s James Cromwell. Donald and Kiefer Sutherland ultimately played father and son in the negatively reviewed Western Forsaken.
James Cromwell Hated His Character In 24
After Donald Sutherland refused to play a villainous father to his son Kiefer Sutherland’s character in 24, the role of Philip Bauer was reportedly offered to actor James Cromwell. Cromwell was known for his roles in shows like Six Feet Under, American Horror Story: Asylum, and Succession.
While Cromwell did a good job with the role, he reportedly had issues with how Phillip progressed through the episodes. He said to Spoiler TV,
They paid me a lot of money to do it. And then I’ve taken my son captive and I’m torturing him, then I was going to take my grandson captive and threaten him. So I went to the producers and I said, ‘Look, are there any redeeming qualities to this character?’ They looked at me as though I was nuts, I was asking something bizarre.
Cromwell went on to bash the writers of the show for lacking imagination and even suggested how they could have redeemed the character but they reportedly did not take his suggestions.
24 is available to stream on Hulu.
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