If we learned anything from the red carpet premiere of the 24 season finale last night, it's that the writers of the show are "amazing." Or that the show is "great." Or that the characters are "amazing." Or that making the show is "such a great experience." In other words: No one talked about Kiefer Sutherland's recent facial assault. But with all the great amazingness floating around, there was no reason to comment on actual news. We also learned what happens in the finale, but revealing those details would be too great and way too amazing for you to handle.
It was a joyous night at the Wadsworth Theatre as the cast members toasted the seventh season of the show and the release of that same season on DVD and Blu-ray next Tuesday, May 19. Most important, however, was the general excitement over heaving a steady gig on a successful franchise in a down economy. A smattering of thoughts:
- Keifer Sutherland (Jack Bauer): "I've been doing this for 27 years, [24's] been really the nicest experience I've had in my career. It's been the greatest learning experience I've ever had as an actor."
- Fan favorite Glenn Morshower (Agent Aaron Pierce): "It's a dream role in a dream show and it's all I ever wanted to do since I was a little boy."
- Sprague Grayden (Olivia Taylor): "The writers and producers saw more in me than I saw in myself."
- Michael C. Miller, from the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson, on behalf of Kiefer Sutherland: "We are troubled by the untruthful and self-serving information circulating regarding Kiefer Sutherland and events of last Monday evening. We are confident, however, that the investigation being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the NYPD will confirm that Kiefer Sutherland was neither the instigator nor a wrongdoer in this incident. Out of respect for this law enforcement process, Kiefer Sutherland will not be making any comment."
In the end, this night was primarily about the hundreds of fans allowed to see the sneak preview, and from the cheers and boos and appreciative laughs during the screening, they enjoyed themselves. We kept our critical distance, especially as the Q&A was turned over to the first audience member who asked Mary Lynn Rajskub: "What do you do on a daily basis to be so awesome?" Ms. Rajskub is pretty awesome, but seriously, people.
At least Jon Voight, his character Jonas Hodges having died in a recent episode, managed to reflect on something other than 24, specifically the 40th anniversary of his career-making film Midnight Cowboy: