James Morrison Interview

1. How and at what age did you start acting?
Well let’s see. I started when I was in High School and I expressed interest in it and my mother encouraged me. In fact she took me to the auditions. She said that she would audition with me. She would say, “If you want to go audition for the play I'll go with you.” It was a play called “Tiger At the Gate” and it was the local college production in conjunction with the community theatre, so I was seventeen and that’s how I started.

2. Did you ever attended an acting school of some sort?
Well, I have studied with various teachers, but I have been studying with the same acting teacher for 24 years. His name is Harry Mastrogeorge. I apprenticed as an actor at the Alaska Repertory theatre and I have studied with various people, but I decided that was the route I was going to choose instead of going to acting college, a university with an acting department.

3. What is a typical day like for you when you are working on 24?
A typical day begins with sitting in the “Hair Chair” and getting my hair darkened because if I don’t darken my hair I end up looking like a walking lightbulb (Laughs). Because my hair, I don’t know if you’ve noticed it's grayish white, and they darken it up for Buchanan. You head in and I shoot most of my stuff at CTU and we rehearse the scene with just the director and the cast and the script supervisor and we work out the kinks. Then we invite the crew in and shoot, but the most important thing in the typical day is, and not a lot of people can say this, but I spend time with the greatest people on Earth and some of my best friends. In fact, we just vacationed, there was about five of us in Maui. Yeah, so how many jobs in life do you know where you go on vacation with the people you work with. It's awesome.

4.Are you the only actor in your family or did your mother keep acting?
As a matter of fact, I got a role in the play and she didn’t, so she just did that to help me. You know how moms are. She just did that to give me support and encouragement, but I have a nephew that went to the same high school as I did, went to acting college but now he is not that much into it any more, so I guess I am the only actor in the family.

5.How has it been working on T.V. and movie sets for a portion of your life? Do you wake up every morning and love going to work on 24?
I do now because I work with a great crew and a great cast, but I can’t say that about everything I have done. It's just like everything else when you work freelance and you work job to job, sometimes you end up working with shmucks and you wish you didn’t (Laughs) and then other times you end up like it is now, but the essence of the work is always enjoyable. If you can wake up and do what you love, then life is pretty good.

6.How do you feel being in the spotlight all the time?
I feel pretty much the same people recognize me and they don’t know why because I look really different than I do as myself, as I do in the show. It's pretty much the same for me. I enjoy people recognizing me for my work on the show because it is such high quality T.V. and that’s always a pleasure. I am just a pretty low profile guy, basically I teach Yoga and I am just a family man.

7.How does it feel when a veteran actor character is killed off (like Carlos Bernard and Louis Lombardi) and they leave the show?
Yeah, that was sad. We knew Carlos was leaving because that was in the works for a while, but we didn’t know how or exactly when and with Louie that was a kind of surprise and because he’s a great guy and you enjoy being around him and suddenly it's like one of your pals is going to go missing. It's sad but you know that going in, and this job especially, it's not like other experiences. You know going in that everyone around you, including yourself, with the exception of Jack, because that’s just the reality of it, everyone has a target on their back. It’s a drag when your buddy gets knocked off (Laughs). It's kind of strange, but you're used to it as an actor when your constantly going from job to job, especially when your from the theatre. If you do fifty or one hundred plays in your career on whatever level you're always saying, "Hello", getting to know people and then leaving them. And so that’s why when you can't have a personal life on top of that, the stabilizing force. I think that’s why a lot of people end up leaving the business so often. They go not only do I have friends that I work with or have any permanent stair or job security wise, also my job makes it almost impossible to have any kind of stability in my real life. Especially when you are a young actor coming up. You’re always moving around, not making a lot of money, you know.

8.How much of you is in Bill Buchanan?
I think because these guys are really smart writers and they write to the actors strengths, I think a lot of me. The only thing that’s missing in Bill Buchanan that I have, I think, is a sense of humor and I think that Bill probably has one but he doesn’t have the chance to express it. He’s got to be in control. He has a sense of irony but not so much a sense of humor under the circumstances. I treat people fair and square just like he does, and I think you have to surround yourself with people who can be themselves around you and can do their jobs and I think we both have that in common. And I think if you treat people the way you would like to be treated then they treat you good too. I think Bill and I have that in common. So overall I think we have a lot.

9.After filming scenes do they turn out different than you would have expected?
Yeah I guess its because there are so many different ways to cut a certain scene but not really again because when you in the scene I am Bill Buchanan so if I am thinking about how its going to turn out that’s not a Bill Buchanan thought that’s a James Morrison thought. I know I am doing my best in my homework if I am thinking Bill thoughts only between cuts. I’m not thinking anything but the story and the circumstance that’s Only when I am at my best. When I start to think about all that other stuff it starts to take me out of CTU and out of the situation and that’s not my job. So I understand your question but yeah sometimes when I watch the scene I think why would they cut it like that but that’s only because there are several different ways you can cut a scene together and it is all very subjective but they have their reasons and its just not my job to question them. My job is to be Bill.

10.How did the cast and crew make you feel when you first came on set?
I was really excited no doubt about it I was excited but it’s always nerve wrecking the first day because your in a strange situation and there was no guarantee of any kind where this character would go. I knew nothing beyond the two weeks when I got the job. I came in to help them because Jack had been taken hostage. And that is all I knew. I knew something about the terrorists and the history of that day just like you did watching it. And I knew Michelle of course and I knew who Tony was and I had a past with Michelle and that’s all I had to go on. That’s all I really needed to know there was no more I needed to know under the circumstances because its so immediate and anything else would have been superfluous.

11.Was the episode when Jack shoots Chappell the only training or shadowing did you do for your role?
Yeah well I got the script when I got the job I looked at the situation and the story and I thought a lot about it. I just basically took what the writers gave me because the choice was made for me by them. I thought a lot about it to make it important to me but as far as hanging out with those bureaucratic g-man groups I didn’t do that. I just work with my imagination and what the writers give me.

12. Did you watch 24 before you became a part of the cast?
No you know I didn’t but the first episode I ever watched was the episode where Chappell is killed. I watched that the day before I auditioned. That was a great episode to watch and it was the highest stakes probably ever on the show. Of all the episodes I think of the show that’s the one that sums up the feeling of the show better than any of them. You will go to any lengths to do what you have to do. But no I didn’t watch the show. I know this sounds kind of weird but I don’t watch a lot of T.V. so I have to be very selective. I had heard great things about it but I had never gotten into it. But im sure glad I am now.(Laughs)

13. Do you watch the end product of 24 now reguarly?
Yeah I record it because I am usually working but yeah I watch it and I am a really big fan of the show the camera crew the special effects, the music the editors the whole kit and caboodle. I just think that their the greatest in the business there the top of the line craftsmen of the business and it’s a really artistically done show so I’m a huge fan.

14. Are all of the cast members on 24 close with each other?
We enjoy being around each other on the set. Some more than others because the people they are. I think that everyone keeps their distance somewhat. We don’t hang out. The only person I see outside work is Mary Lynn Rajskub(Chloe O’Brian) just because invite her to do things with me and she is always nicest enough to come. So we don’t hang unless we go to a party or something. It’s a close knit group of people is that answers your question. When were there working together everyone appreciates that it’s a very warm environment and you will see when your on set its unlike any other set I have been on its full of love and mutual respect.

15. What do you find that most of your fans ask you?
Lets see well most of my fans tell me things like it’s a great show and we are all doing great work but mostly people ask me if Chloe/Mary Lynn is really like that and I have to say no (Laughs) and you will see what I mean when you meet her. But I think that’s the most common thing and its because she’s such an endearing character and people over her so much. She’s just not like that.

16.How do you manage to multitask being on 24 teaching yoga and coaching you sons baseball team?
Well you know you do whats put in front of you so you’ve mentioned three things that I am very passionate about number one being my son of course and number two being my theatre practice because that keeps me conditioned not only mentally but physically and spiritually and everything else as well. Its hard to multitask when your doing things that you don’t like but when your doing things when your love its easy because you go oh boy I get to go do that now.

17.When your on set are you in a zone where you don’t want to be bothered because you are focused, do you have some fun or its one hundred percent work all the time?
You cant have fun and do 100% work all the time especially the situation were in the stakes are really high and its life or death in that world of 24, CTU ,Bill Buchanan and Chloe O’Brian you have to be able to break out of that to be able to have a balance because that’s what its all about and that’s also what yoga is balance and bringing the two things together and finding balance and if you don’t find the balance your going to have to suffer in one way or another. I think the one goal in live is to find a way to alleviate the suffering. You have to have moments where you break the tension. Besides like I said I really enjoy the people I work with and I also have to be 110%in my zone or I am not going to be accomplish what I need to accomplish professionally but then you have to be able to come out of it. You cant live in that place its too intense.

18. Bill Buchanan when he first came into CTU we 100% by the book now he is helping Chloe to really help Jack in the long run. Do you think in season 6 we will see a lot more of that or will Bill go back to the book?
Well your guess is as good as mine but I have a good feeling the reason Bill became that way is because as far as the audience sees he is already like that. You know a person doesn’t become arbitrary unless… well that’s not true its like the mother who lifts the car off of her child she found the strength to do that but she always had that strength in her and she exhibited it in other ways. I thought about this and I realized that this isn’t the first time that Bill has gone against authority on a certain level that’s in his personality a light bulb certainly didn’t go off and suddenly he is a stick up the but bearucrat and all of a sudden become a thoughtful take everything into his own hands do anything for the greater good kind of guy. I think he was always that kind of guy but he never was tested like this before.

19.Have you received you script yet or do you get it the first day you go back?
No we’ve wad it for a couple of weeks so we have time to prepare you know.

20.Now that you have been on 24 have you watched all the seasons?
I have watched seasons 3 and I have watched season 4. But I thought that I had better things to do than to watch 24 hours of T.V.(Laughs)

21.Do you have any idea whats going to happen in season six?
Not really but I do know that’s its going to be a very different feel and its going to be a great cast you can only imagine because they cast so well. D.B. Woodside(Wayne Palmer) is going to be the new president and Jayne Atkinson(Karen Hayes) is coming back so its going to be a great season.

22. What you describe the set of 24 as when you first walk in?
It depends who you are but for me I would describe it as immense and protective.

23. How is it like walking from CTU to the Presidential Retreat because it’s just over one of CTU’s walls?
It was on the same soundstage but a different half of it. You just walk across the soundstage and there you are.(Laughs)

24. How would you describe Prop Master Stearling Rush?
Oh Stearling Is a great guy he was on vacation with me in Maui we went snorkeling together he can fix anything (Laughs) Its was great there were 5 of us in this one villa in Maui.