Sunday March 16, 2008
All in a day’s work
James Morrison talks about working on the sixth season of 24, as well as his other creative job.
BY MUMTAJ BEGUM
ACTOR James Morrison (not to be confused with the singer) who portrays Bill Buchanan in the series 24 has turned out to be quite an asset on the show.
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James Morrison has managed not only to survive 24's high attrition rate but his character has also become important to the show.-file photo |
Although the lifespan of a character on this series is extremely volatile (unless you’re Kiefer Sutherland’s character Jack Bauer), Morrison has managed to stay on for a good three seasons. And his character has developed quite nicely too – he is now the head of the Los Angeles Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU). In season six, he’s married to the powerful Karen Hayes (Jayne Atkinson) who counsels the US President no less.
With Bauer no longer working for the CTU, though, you might think Morrison’s character would also lose some importance. However, the storyline has Buchanan valuing Bauer’s work and dedication so much that he ends up working with Bauer in another race against time to stop an evil plot and save the United States.
It helps that Buchanan is similar to Bauer: he, too, is the kind of guy who doesn’t mind breaking the rules every now and then if it means getting the job done.
For those not up to speed with 24, it’s the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning TV series starring Sutherland that is presented in real time; that is, each episode clocks one hour, and each season depicts a 24-hour period in Bauer’s life, as he fights threats on US soil.
With Season Six hurtling towards its finale (tonight’s episode, 22, is entitled 3AM–4AM), viewers will see Buchanan playing an important role in capturing the baddie.
Here, the amiable actor reveals a bit about working on the thrilling show and about himself.
Who was Bill Buchanan when you first joined 24?
I had no idea. I don’t think anybody did. Another day at the office – there was no introduction to the character, no indication, in fact, that he was even going to enter the room until he did. And so, when I entered the room it was as much of a surprise to everybody else as it was to me. All I really got from Joel (Surnow, co-creator and executive producer) was, “this is going to be a good part”. It turned out to be prophetic.
Your interactions with Jack Bauer (Sutherland) are mostly on the phone and yet there’s chemistry between the both of you. How do you manage that?
Yeah, you know, it’s interesting. I’ve seen an interesting chemistry in the work between us. And I’m not exactly sure I can describe it because we don’t really spend that much time with each other when we’re not working. We don’t spend any time with each other when we’re not working. We discuss the work. It’s all about the work, and yet we have a good relationship ... but that intangible quality of chemistry ... is, I think, the main reason I’m still on the show, frankly.
Because of your chemistry with him?
Well, yeah. I mean, if there was none....
You’d be dead.
Well, what point would I serve, really? Or they’d make it more of a contentious relationship and capitalise on that. But I think they have sensed what I am about and they’ve exploited that, which they are very good about doing.
Do you have a pool to see who’s going to get whacked next on the show?
Yeah.
You do have one?
No! But we talk about it sometimes. It’s just one of the givens in the profession. So you come in knowing that the job is going to end, because that’s part of the job.
Is it true you teach yoga? Is that in your free time?
Like you’re saving the free world from terrorism in your day job and – how does the yoga fit into your life? Well, the acting is only really something that I’ve chosen to do in case the yoga teaching didn’t work out.
Have you been teaching yoga most of your life?
No, just five years. I’ve been practicing yoga quite a while, but I’ve been teaching for five years.
Are people a little freaked out when they show up for a yoga class and you’re the teacher?
A girl in my class – after class the other day, after we had our final resting pose – she came up and said, “You know, it was so weird during shivasina (a yoga pose), I thought I was in the CTU.” And I said, “How unfortunate for you, because it’s a really stressful place. I’m sorry I took you there.”
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