Opening in theaters and on VOD on November 21st is the new Christmas movie ‘Tinsel Town’, which was directed by Chris Foggin (‘This is Christmas’), and stars Kiefer Sutherland (‘24’), Rebel Wilson (‘Pitch Perfect’), Alice Eve (‘Star Trek Into Darkness’), and Derek Jacobi (‘The King’s Speech’).
iM6znIWXDM4g8zAVs7T5WMoviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kiefer Sutherland about his work on ‘Tinsel Town’, his first reaction to the screenplay, making his first Christmas movie, his character and his relationship to his daughter, the UK’s holiday tradition of pantomime, and working with the cast and director Chris Foggin, as well as an update on the future of ‘24’ and what it was like acting opposite Al Pacino in the upcoming ‘Father Joe’.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.
Related Article: Kiefer Sutherland Teases Potential Return for ‘24’, Has Seen a Script
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and is this the first Christmas movie you’ve ever made?
Kiefer Sutherland: It is the first Christmas movie that I’ve ever been in, and I was really moved by the script. Obviously, this is not something that I normally do, a comedy that is as broad as this. I thought it was incredibly funny. I think the British make these kinds of movies, kind of a warmhearted stories, they do them well. Chris Foggin is a fantastic director, but I loved the script. I found it very funny, and I just thought it was a nice story about someone who had lost their way as a human being, and the worst their life got, the better human being they became. I think that’s a kind of a wonderful fable. I found that the stuff between him and his daughter to be really moving as well. So, it had a lot of elements, whether it was the comedy and a touching drama at the same time, and it kind of came together. Piers Ashwood, who wrote the screenplay, I think just did a masterful job. So, I thought it was very funny right away and I was excited to be a part of it.
MF: Your character, Bradley Mack, is a difficult Hollywood actor. Did you draw influence from any difficult actors that you have worked with along the way?
KS: Well, I think first off, I had to take a very serious look at myself, right? I think over 43 years, I think there’s probably been moments where I have maybe been difficult. Certainly, in my younger years, I know that when you’re trying to find your way, you can make some mistakes and things like that. So, I drew upon those memories. Then, yes, I’ve seen some other actors be kind of demanding and maybe more demanding than their talent deserved, and Bradley Mack is kind of a perfect composite of that. What I really liked again about the screenplay is that he’s not a bad person. He’s just gone down a bad path, and that we all can find our way back. That’s really what the film is about. It’s just told in a very funny way.
MF: Bradley Mack is specifically an action star; did you feel like that gave you a chance to spoof your iconic ‘24’ persona in a way?
KS: I think a little bit, yeah, and it was fun. You know, I think it was fun. It’s very funny that people that kind of do an action movie here and there can sometimes start to think that they’re very skilled, either as a fighter or with weapons and things like that. The truth is you’re not. You’re taught just enough to fake it. So, I’ve always found that very funny. So, to be able to play that in a character for a film was a lot of fun.
MF: Can you talk about Bradley’s estranged relationship with his daughter and this experience makes him a better father?
KS: Well, again, he was confronted with a reality that he was, in fact, a bad father. Then, he is just forced to spend some time with his daughter because of these certain circumstances and he falls in love with her. My daughter was played by Matilda Firth, who is an extraordinary, gifted young actor. In the context of our movie, she was the adult in the relationship. That was a lot of fun and she guided her father back to being a better human being. I find that a very touching aspect of the film.
MF: How familiar were you with the UK’s holiday tradition of pantomime, called Panto? Did you do any research into the tradition?
KS: I did, absolutely. I certainly was not as familiar before the film I am now. I had never really seen a live pantomime, I’ve seen film versions here and there of a pantomime, but I’ve never been to one. So, when we got to Leeds, England, I was very excited because they had a pantomime on for that season, and unfortunately, it had closed two days before, so I wasn’t able to see it. But obviously, I got a great deal of help from everybody there, and it is a significant tradition in the UK and people take it very seriously. We talk about it in the context of the film, but it financially supports a lot of those theaters through the rest of the year. So, I think it’s very cool and it was fun to make a movie about it.
MF: Can you talk about working with Rebel Wilson, Alice Eve and legendary actor Sir Derek Jacobi, as well as the rest of the cast?
KS: Alice was fantastic. I only worked for her for a few days, but her timing is extraordinary, and she’s so incredibly funny as my divorced wife and James (Lance) did a great job as well, who played her new husband. Derek Jacobi is one of the great actors of all time, Sir Derek Jacobi, and to be able to have an opportunity to work with him was fantastic. Maria Friedman, Meera Syal, Danny Dyer, just all those fantastic actors, all just had such beautiful timing, and all kind of added personal moments to the movie. So, it was an absolute thrill to work with everybody.
MF: What was it like collaborating with director Chris Foggin on this film and what are you looking for from a director on set?
KS: For me, I’m looking for someone to be in charge. You know, the director is the one person who’s going to travel from the pre-production stage of a movie to the production stage and filming of the movie, the post-production stage where they’re editing and finalizing the music and all the special effects. So that’s the person that has the vision that’s going to carry its way through the entire film. I’m looking for someone to lead that, and that’s what the director is supposed to do. You know, having done this for quite some time, if you’re not working towards a shared vision, you’re going to end up on the cutting room floor. So, Chris is someone that I asked for guidance from, and at the end of the day, especially if you’re doing a comedy, you finish a scene and look over and if he’s laughing, we did something right, and if he’s not, we better figure this out. So, he was a fantastic director and I think just did a beautiful job with the film.
MF: Earlier this year, you talked about speaking to the ‘24’ creators about some ideas to bring back the show in some way and that there were steps being taken to move forward. Are there any updates that you can give us on that?
KS: You’d have to ask Howard Gordon how he was approached, but he did come up with what I thought was a really good idea. So, he wrote a piece, and I really enjoyed it. That’s kind of where we’re at and we’ll see if it gets made. But, you know, at this stage, I thought it was a really good idea, and that’s where we’re kind of at.
MF: Is Jack Bauer still locked up in a Russian prison?
KS: Yeah. So, he’s been there for a while, and he’s not happy about it.
MF: Finally, I know that you are shooting the upcoming movie ‘Father Joe’ right now. What has it been like working with the legendary Al Pacino on that project?
KS: Working with Al Pacino, you know, they always say, be careful about meeting your idols because they might let you down. That’s the opposite experience that I had with Al Pacino. Al Pacino was everything I’d hoped he’d be. He’s an extraordinarily powerful actor, but he’s a kind human being. So, I just really enjoyed it. I hope when I’m his age that I’m still working as well.
What is the plot of ‘Tinsel Town’?
A washed-up Hollywood action hero (Kiefer Sutherland) is tricked into starring in a small English town’s chaotic Christmas pantomime, where a straight-talking dance instructor and his estranged daughter just might help him rediscover the magic of the season.
Who is in the cast of ‘Tinsel Town’?
- Kiefer Sutherland as Bradley Mack
- Rebel Wilson as Jill
- Matilda Firth as Emma
- Alice Eve
- Derek Jacobi
List of Kiefer Sutherland Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘Max Dugan Returns‘ (1983)
- ‘At Close Range‘ (1986)
- ‘Stand By Me’ (1986)
- ‘The Lost Boys’ (1987)
- ‘Young Guns’ (1988)
- ‘Bright Lights, Big City‘ (1988)
- ‘1969‘ (1988)
- ‘Renegades‘ (1989)
- ‘Flatliners’ (1990)
- ‘Flashback‘ (1990)
- ‘Young Guns II‘ (1990)
- ‘Article 99‘ (1992)
- ‘A Few Good Men’ (1992)
- ‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me‘ (1992)
- ‘The Vanishing‘ (1993)
- ‘The Three Musketeers‘ (1993)
- ‘The Cowboy Way‘ (1994)
- ‘A Time to Kill’ (1996)
- ‘Freeway‘ (1996)
- ‘Dark City’ (1998)
- ‘24‘ (2001-2014)
- ‘Phone Booth‘ (2003)
- ‘Taking Lives‘ (2004)
- ‘The Sentinel‘ (2006)
- ‘Mirrors’ (2008)
- ‘Touch‘ (2012-2013)
- ‘Pompeii‘ (2014)
- ‘Designated Survivor‘ (2016-2019)
- ‘Forsaken‘ (2016)
- ‘Flatliners‘ (2017)
- ‘The Fugitive‘ (2020)
- ‘The Contractor‘ (2022)
- ‘They Cloned Tyrone’ (2023)
- ‘Rabbit Hole‘ (2023)
- ‘The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial’ (2023)
- ‘Juror #2’ (2024)
- ‘Tinsel Town‘ (2025)
