TV Verdict

Carlos Bernard, who stars in the awesome scifi horror flick Alien Raiders as well as a little show called 24, took some time to talk about what attracted him to a movie about an alien running amok in a grocery store, his reputation as a “gun guy,” how he re-entered the 24 real-time fray and mysterious, extra-curricular activities with one Kiefer Sutherland.
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Dave Johnson: Hey Carlos. Thanks for taking some time to chat. I had a great time with Alien Raiders. It’s a fun, fast-paced genre film. What grabbed you about this movie?

Carlos Bernard: I liked the character first of all. The background story on the character, where’s he’s coming from, what he’s trying to do, that was all very interesting. I also loved how the story was told. I’ve been sent a lot of scifi/horror scripts, and this is the first one I decided to do.

DJ: Why do you think you get sent so many scifi scripts? Are you a fan of the genre?

CB: I don’t know why I get sent them actually! I guess it’s because people see me as an action guy, as a gun guy from 24. And I’m not a huge fan of scifi and horror. I’ve certainly seen scifi and horror movies, but for me it really is about the character and the story.

DJ: Your character does a lot physical stuff, especially the big smackdown at the end. Do you tend to do your own stunts, here and in 24?

CB: I do most of my stunts. In this movie, I think I did about 85% of stunts. There’s some stuff that you can’t do, like the scene at the end when the monster tosses me into the freezer. They wouldn’t let me do that one. The same thing for 24, I try to do most of my stunts, but if Tony is falling 20 feet, the producers won’t let me do that.

DJ: Whenever I watch a movie like Alien Raiders or a similar genre picture where there’s no shortage of fake blood and exotic fluid I always wonder: what do the actors think about this? Is that part of the fun of making a film like this or could you do without the blood?

CB: Blood is a pain in the ass, man. It’s sticky and it takes so long to shoot with the stuff and it gets cold.

DJ: There was a lot of alien goop in Alien Raiders.

CB: Yeah, but the good thing about that was if you’re covered in blood, your character was going to die almost immediately after. On 24, I would be covered in blood for weeks and weeks because of continuity so the few hours in this movie was nothing!

DJ: Speaking of 24, when did you know you were coming back for Season 7?

CB: Actually, I didn’t think I was going to come back. I know that they left it open and could bring me back if they wanted to, but I had sort of felt like we had moved on. They were going in a different direction and I was doing some other things. They had talked to me about coming back during Season 6 and even had some stuff written where I’d come back and grab Jack in an alley. But we didn’t think it would work. It just felt like we were manipulating the audience. That conversation eventually did lead to Tony coming back in Season 7, though. I was pleasantly surprised when they told me I was returning. I love working on the show and with everyone associated with it.

DJ: Were you psyched to get back into the real-time game?

CB: The show’s great, but the continuity is a challenge. Like whatever facial hair I was wearing at the first episode I had to keep the whole time. And this season, we filmed for one and a half years so I have to keep the same facial hair all that time.

DJ: Tony’s facial hair is legendary among the fan base of 24.

CB: (laughs) Yeah, I guess it is.

DJ: Tony and Jack, one on one, no guns or blades or frayed house-lamp electric cords: who wins?

CB: Well, I’m going to say Tony and Kiefer I’m sure would say Jack.

DJ: Do you and Kiefer have any kind of rivalry on the set, like who could do the most stunts?

CB: (laughs) No, we have a rivalry off the set! Seriously, I love Kiefer but sometimes we do like to go at each other. We have a great time, but we do have a rivalry, especially when it comes to partying.

DJ: Now that’s a tantalizingly cryptic answer! Thanks a lot Carlos. I’m a big fan, and really enjoyed the film and love 24. Good luck with future projects.

CB: Thank you very much.