LONDON, Dec 2: Actor Kiefer Sutherland almost missed the chance to play the iconic character of Jack Bauer on “24”.
Former Fox chairman Sandy Grushow has revealed that the show was almost cancelled because of 9/11 and Sutherland was not the first choice to play the lead character, reported Digital Spy.
“We talked about casting an unknown in the lead, thereby budgeting about USD 40,000 per episode for the Jack Bauer role. It was a bit of a struggle. Then late one night, I was in my office and I get a call. It was Tony Krantz from Imagine and he didn’t even say anything beyond two words: ‘Kiefer Sutherland’.
“My reaction was initially mixed. Kiefer’s career had stalled… and I just knew that suddenly we were going to a lead that would cost, I assumed, USD 100,000 per episode, notwithstanding that he was pretty cold in the market at that point,” Grushow said.
However, he felt that the “Lost Boys” star was a strong enough pull to stretch their budget.
“It’s a great example of how fragile these things are, and how many twists and turns they take along the way. They could go south a thousand different ways,” he added. (PTI)
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