Kiefer Sutherland doesn't have a computer. He just plays someone who knows how to use one on TV
In a Q interview, the actor talked about his new espionage thriller Rabbit Hole
Kiefer Sutherland may be best known for starring in high-tech spy thrillers like 24 and the new Paramount+ series Rabbit Hole, but ironically, the actor is a much more low-tech guy in real life — he doesn't even have email.
"It's funny because I don't have a relationship with my phone," Sutherland said in an interview on Q with Tom Power. "I don't have a computer and I don't have email. I still write my letters with a pen…. I don't have a tablet, and every time I've ever tried to get a tablet and get it to work, it doesn't."
Though he said he's "not a proud Luddite," the actor is content to do things the old-fashioned way. "I seem to be happier than my other friends who have computers and are slaves to their email accounts," he told Power with a laugh.
Still, Sutherland's mostly tech-free lifestyle stands in contrast to those of the characters he plays on TV, like counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer on 24. While he "can fake it all" when it comes to using various types of technology on-screen, there can also be a bit of a learning curve.
WATCH | Kiefer Sutherland's full interview with Tom Power:
"When we were doing 24, every possible gadget that was available — and even before they were available — Jack Bauer was using," he said. "But I mean, I do remember directors coming up to me and going, 'No one types that fast. Slow it down' … because I didn't know what I was doing. I was just banging away on the keyboard."
Sutherland's latest role in Rabbit Hole requires even more faking it with tech than 24 did. He plays a corporate espionage expert named John Weir who's good at manipulating markets to make his clients rich. Tricking people is what he does best (he calls it "consulting") until he's thrust into a conspiracy and realizes he's the one being deceived.
WATCH | Official trailer for Rabbit Hole:
"The backdrop of this story — the thing that I've always found kind of really interesting — is that you don't know who's telling the truth," said Sutherland. "We live in a society now where finding the truth and understanding what is actually the truth is getting harder and harder and harder because news and information is being catered to what people want to hear and what they want to see. And that plays a huge factor in our show."
"As someone who just wants to hear the truth, I don't need to be at the forefront of technology. I just need to be someone who wants to, you know, see the truth for what it is. And it was very interesting to do a show which challenges that."
The full interview with Kiefer Sutherland is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Kiefer Sutherland produced by Jennifer Warren.
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