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| Photo: Guy D’Alema/FOX |
FOX’s “24” is back as “24: Legacy,” an all-new action-packed story set in real time over the course of one day. The clock is still beaming brightly on the screen as the story unfolds in real time. The show got the prime post-Superbowl spot and continues on its regular night, tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is not around to save the day, but Eric Carter is. In this day, which takes place beginning at noon, six months ago in Yemen, an elite squad of U.S. Army Rangers, led by Carter (Corey Hawkins,) killed terrorist leader Sheik Ibrahim Bin-Khalid. In the aftermath, Bin-Khalid’s followers declared a fatwah against Carter, his squad and their families, forcing them into federal witness protection. But a recent attempt on Carter’s own life makes it clear to him that his team has been exposed. Carter turns to former CTU director Rebecca Ingram for help. She ran the raid that killed Bin-Khalid. Rebecca has recently stepped down from her post as National Director of CTU to support her husband, Senator John Donovan (Jimmy Smits) in his bid for the White House. Bin-Khalid’s men are planning terrorist attacks on American soil and Eric, Rebecca and the current CTU squad only have a day to track them down.
TVMusic Network caught up with Corey Hawkins after a screening of the first episode to get his thoughts on his new role and filling the “Jack Bauer” role that made Kiefer Sutherland a household name.
Check out the interview below:
Phyllis: Congratulations on the show. Did you watch the original?
Corey Hawkins: Yes. I was a huge, huge fan of the original show. I had all the DVD box sets and I watched it as it came on, back then we then we couldn’t watch it all at once. With this show, it’s sort of good. You sort of need a breather watching it – a glass of wine, go take a jog or do what you’ve got to do and then come back to it next week for that next hour. I was a huge fan of Kiefer [Sutherland], the entire cast, the writers…they all were great.
Phyllis: Had you seen the first episode in advance of tonight and what was your reaction?
Corey Hawkins: I saw an earlier version of the pilot and this is definitely more…I’m just amazed, I’m just blown away by the performances of my cast. That’s the thing, I’m literally watching it, like “Oh My God…”
Phyllis: One of the things this show does well and is consistent with the original is how well they tell a back story in the course of 45 minutes. There’s a lot more to learn but, when ou first heard abut Eric Carter, how much did you know about him?
Corey Hawkins: All I knew was what was written on the page and we had…part of it is, the backstory becomes apparent as the watch. But the thing is, it only takes place over the course of one day. So the challenge is figuring out the back story and loading it up. Even though we were shooting it over a long period of time, the show is actually only one day long. We have the best writers, producers and creators nd that so given the opportunity to work with them made me feel good to be there.
Phyllis: There’s always that apprehension when you don’t have a lot of the original cast around. People are worried about that but after seeing what you did in the first hour, there’s nothing to worry about.
Corey Hawkins: I understand the apprehension and I love that. That’s what makes me work harder. I would be apprehensive in the same way. When “Straight Outta Compton” came around I was like, “I don’t know who’s going to play that role, Dre. They better do it right.” That’s how I felt with this. Because I was nervous about it and scared about it, I made me say I had to do it. It’s just a hope that the fans or the original can have the same feelings about it as you just had.
Phyllis: Kiefer Sutherland’s name is in the credits as an executive producer. How involved is he? Did you get to talk to him? Did he give you any advice? Is he going to pop up? Chloe? Somebody…
Corey Hawkins: [Original series character] Tony (Carlos Bernard) will be around so things are going to get stirred up. But with Kiefer, I was shooting “King Kong [Kong: Skull: Island]” at the time and literally got right off the plane from Viet Nam and straight into this. So we didn’t have the chance to talk before. Part of that is a good thing. But he’s been giving his notes on the show, loving what he sees and giving us feedback and stuff like that. That blessing [from him] is everything we needed to keep going.
Phyllis: Can we talk about how physical the role is? You have to be in incredible shape just to last an hour, let alone an entire day. How did you get in shape for this? Did your theater background help with that at all?
Corey Hawkins: Yes. Broadway, doing shows night after night, performing for audiences of thousands, you have to have that endurance. At Juilliard, we had to be in great shape or you couldn’t make it through. That’s the thing about this show. You have to be in good shape or you won’t make it though the filming of it. The cast, we’re all doing what we can… We’re all passing the baton. For me, I worked with the Army Rangers, I worked with trainers…just doing what I had to do. Part of it also is that Eric is just a normal guy. He’s a normal hero but he’s an extraordinary guy. And these are the members of the Armed Forces, the guys that Eric represents. They don’t walk around all big and bulky. They are guys that are unassuming until you put them in this situation, then its on. It’s a lot of work but I’m thankful for it.
Phyllis: Lastly, is there anything you can tease, share as the day goes on?
Corey Hawkins: No. (Laughs)
Catch “24: Legacy” on its regular night, Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
