Emmy Contender: Kiefer Sutherland feared reviving ‘good friend’ Jack Bauer

During the eight-season run of “24,” Fox’s gritty spy drama, counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer never had a good day.

In his Emmy-winning portrayal of Bauer, Kiefer Sutherland endured relentless obstacles and fought a host of personal demons while saving America over and over again from terrorists and other evil-doers.

The series was a hit, and even after the series finale in 2010, millions of fans wanted more “24” ... and more Bauer. Last year, Sutherland and others from the cast returned for “24: Live Another Day,” a 12-episode reboot.

Sutherland, who stopped by The Times to chat about the show, was eloquent and candid about revisting his most iconic role: “I feel the character changes so many times in small ways from season to season, so it was always interesting for me to play. Jack Bauer is a really good friend of mine, and it was a hard thing to let go, so when the opportunity presented itself, I was thrilled to do that.”

But he added that he was also fearful about filming those later episodes: “I don’t think I was ever more scared doing ‘24’ than I was in that ninth season. We had managed in eight seasons to leave a legacy that was still positive,” and he didn’t want to ruin that should the ninth not live up to expectations.

He added, “We were very happy with the outcome but also thrilled that the audience response was as positive as it was. It was nervy to say the least.”

He also spoke about the future of “24,” which may involve him in a different capacity than the series. Take a look at the video above to see what all he had to say and look for other Emmy conversations as well.