Kiefer Sutherland Makes His Confession

The 24 actor teams with the one and only John Hurt for a new Web-only series.

April 1, 2011

by Scott Collura

There's Kiefer Sutherland, striking his best bad-ass pose. Gun in hand, he faces down yet another doomed target calmly and coolly... A single shot, and -- BANG! -- the job is done. We've seen this all before, right? But wait, why is Jack Bauer also making his confession in a Catholic church? And to John Hurt of all people! At gunpoint?!


That's because we haven't seen this before. Sure, at first glance you might think you're watching an episode of 24 that you missed way back when. But actually, The Confession isn't even a TV show. It's a Web series, and while it's true that Sutherland plays one of his textbook tough guys again, he's far from the agent of good that Bauer was. In fact, this time out he's playing a vicious assassin.


Interestingly, for Sutherland, who also helped to create and produce the 10-part series, the real challenge in making The Confession was in its unique delivery system and format. Each episode runs anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes long -- depending on the narrative needs of that particular segment -- and the series is currently only available for download on Hulu. In fact, it was designed that way.

"[The Web] has the biggest network in the world," says the actor of the millions upon millions upon millions of potential viewers. "This is the most unique project I've ever been on. It's one of the best experiences I've had." 

The first three episodes debuted this past Monday, while the remaining portion will arrive on Hulu in the coming weeks. Sutherland plays an unnamed killer who shows up in church one evening and forces Hurt's priest to take his confession -- at gunpoint. He wants to know how it is that he can be the way he is, why he feels nothing when he kills. Along the way, the story flashes back to show us how Sutherland's character became the man he is today. If a cold-blooded killer can really be called a man, that is. 

"This is a proper production," enthuses Hurt when comparing the series to most other Web shows. "This is a big deal. And we're all waiting to see how it all works out. We're all fascinated." 

He's right in that The Confession is certainly one of the most polished Web series you'll ever see. You might as well be watching an episode of 24, or any other high-end network drama, judging by the cinematography, sound design and general style of the three episodes screened for the press. Familiar guest stars also show up in episodes, adding another level of quality -- Max Casella (The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire) and Michael Badalucco (The Practice) both played roles in the first batch of episodes. Brad Mirman (Shadows in the Sun, Body of Evidence) wrote and directed the entire 10-segment run. 

"We've always known the world was going to change," says Hurt. "We've always known it was going to change from cinema to television, from television to whatever it's going to be. Suddenly somebody was prepared to put it altogether. And I became utterly intrigued." 

Still, despite the high-end production by Web standards, this was still a low-budget undertaking when compared to the big film and TV projects guys like Sutherland and Hurt are used to. Not that they minded this change in working methodology. In fact, both actors said that shooting long days and nights, rehearsing and rehearsing more, brought them back to their roots. 

"You suddenly felt like a kid again," laughs Hurt. "It was so thrilling." 

Watch The Confession on Hulu - THE CONFESSION

Source: IGN