Donald Sutherland passed on a major role in 24 alongside his son Kiefer, but he did it for the sweetest of reasons. Donald Sutherland passed away at the age of 88 in July 2024 and despite having (somehow) never been nominated for an Academy Award, he was seen as one of the best actors of his generation. During the 1970s, Sutherland went on a positively eye-watering run of great movies, fronting Robert Altman’s MASH, Don’t Look Now, Klute, 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers and more.

Sutherland had no shortage of great roles in the decades that followed, from his incredible cameo as a pyromaniac in Backdraft to his chilling turn in the Hunger Games franchise as President Snow. Many of Sutherland’s children followed him into show business, including Angus, Rossif and Kiefer. The latter has become an icon in his own right, with his most famous role being that of stressed-out counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer on 24. Sutherland played Jack across nine seasons, a TV movie and even a PlayStation 2 video game.

Donald Sutherland Rejected 24 Because He Didn’t Want To Play A Father Trying To Kill His Son

24 season 6 introduced Jack’s evil father, Phillip

24 was hugely popular during its prime, though like many long-running shows, its quality waned in later years. When it comes to ranking every season of 24, the sixth series is commonly cited as the weakest. This is where it began to blatantly recycle plots and explore Jack’s family, which past series had largely avoided. 24 season 6 introduced Phillip Bauer, Jack’s estranged father who is revealed to be a villain who was in league with the terrorists behind that day’s attacks.

The role of Phillip was penned with Donald in mind, and during an interview with the BBC in 2006, the star recalled discussing it with Kiefer. Donald rejected 24 because he didn’t want the first time he acted with his son to be as a father trying to kill him. He wanted their first collaboration to be something lighter, and cited a certain Steven Spielberg sequel as inspiration.

We had a long dinner and he asked me to play his dad in 24. I said OK but on one condition, the relationship has to be the same sort of relationship Sean Connery had with Harrison Ford (in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). He said, ‘I’ll go back and see what the writers have in mind’. He came back and said, ‘No dad, they want you to try and kill me’. I said, ‘No way, that’s not going to work’. So they hired James Cromwell instead.

Indeed, James Cromwell ended up taking the Phillip Bauer role, despite not having much of a resemblance to Kiefer. Unfortunately, the whole Phillip storyline was a muddled one with the character’s actions being erratic. Cromwell himself wasn’t a fan of the show or his character, candidly stating to The Palm Beach Post years later that he disliked 24’s use of torture and that he couldn’t understand Phillip’s confused motives, which included killing his sons to preserve his “legacy.”

Sutherland Made A Failed Pitch To Kiefer About Playing Jack Bauer’s REAL Father

Donald pitched the father of all 24 twists

Despite passing on the Phillip Bauer role for a surprisingly sweet reason, Donald was still eager to work with Kiefer. Once he learned Phillip was a bad guy, he recalled pitching a twist for that season’s finale that would have reframed the entire story. Sadly, it seems 24’s showrunners never gave it any real consideration.

I said, ‘Maybe you could have me at the very end, rescuing you from someplace and I could look at you and you could look at me and I say ‘He (Phillip Bauer) was your mother’s husband but I’m your biological dad’. But I don’t think they’ll ever do that.

In truth, this late-in-the-day reveal would have further complicated a messy season. 24 season 6 ends with Phillip dead and the resolution of the Bauer clan saga, with most of the characters introduced in that series never reappearing. Intriguingly, Donald’s pitch about playing Jack’s real (and presumably more heroic) father mirrored some finale twists that were rejected. Producers mulled bringing back two supposedly dead characters to confront Jack in season 6’s final moments; one would have been his former boss, Christopher Henderson (Peter Weller), while the other was Jack’s best friend Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard).

Deciding neither idea worked, 24 season 6’s finale instead ends on a more melancholy, character-based note for Jack. That said, Tony Almeida was later resurrected for season 7. Had Donald Sutherland suddenly popped out of the shadows as Jack’s true father, this would have undermined the moment, and forced the showrunners to commit to that story for the following season.

Donald & Kiefer Sutherland Made 3 Movies Together (But Only Shared Scenes In 1)

Forsaken was a mini-24 reunion

Before the 24 offer, Donald and Kiefer Sutherland had both been part of two movies; 1983’s Max Dugan Returns and 1996’s A Time to Kill. Father and son didn’t share any scenes in either project, however. The first and only time Donald and Kiefer shared the screen was for 2015 Western Forsaken, where the latter plays a gunfighter estranged from his Reverend father. The movie itself was something of a 24 reunion, being directed by one of the show’s long-serving directors Jon Cassar and co-starring Live Another Day’s Michael Wincott.

Forsaken’s reviews were lukewarm overall, but the scenes between father and son are where it shone. Ultimately, Sutherland was wise to pass on 24, because while it would have been great to see him act with Kiefer, they deserved better material to work with. Whatever its faults, Forsaken was more deserving of the Sutherland’s talents.

Source. BBC, The Palm Beach Post