Kiefer Sutherland makes me lose the plot, says 24 star Branko Tomovic
Even the most focused actors can be distracted in the presence of those who are at the top of their game, as Branko Tomović discovered while filming alongside Kiefer Sutherland in Jack Bauer’s long-awaited return in 24: Live Another Day.
“I absolutely enjoy working with Kiefer,’ London-based Serb Branko Tomovic told Wild Rooster. “He is a brilliant and fantastic actor.
“He is so great, so focused and intelligent, which I absolutely admire, and also such a wonderful person. I really enjoy working with him so much. I find him so fascinating to watch that I actually sometimes forget that I am in the scene as well and have to act!
“I also have a lot of scenes with Mary Lynn Rajskub who plays Chloe in the series. She is absolutely wonderful and great fun to work with as well.”
24: Live Another Day
The days that fans of Fox Television’s action series 24 have been waiting for arrives on May 5, as the latest 12-episode installment in the US franchise airs worldwide. 24: Live Another Day picks up the story of iconic anti-terror agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland).
“Jack was on the run for four years, hiding somewhere in Eastern Europe,’ Branko explained. “Now he is in London, living in the shadows and hunted by his own government. We shot the whole series in London.”
At his side is Belcheck, an enigmatic silent type, played by British-based Serb Branko Tomović. “Belcheck is a mysterious presence from Jack’s past,’ said Branko. “I am like his right hand man. I am only loyal to Jack, almost like a watchdog, a doberman. I am good with vehicles, demolition, firearms and explosions, which comes in handy.
“Belcheck is a great character to play. He is very mysterious and only speaks when he has something important to say, so his underlying motives are unclear.
Good people do bad stuff
“The good thing with a show like 24 is that it’s not just black and white. There are good people who do bad stuff and bad people on the good side. You can never be certain. Belcheck spent time in the Serbian mob but he is very secretive and ambiguous. It’s not about national stereotyping at all, which appealed to me.”
When the first episode screens this week, Branko can relax, being among the few who have already seen the action opener. “The opening episode is really brilliant and very exciting,’ said Branko.
“I usually don’t watch myself, but we had a cast and crew screening a few days ago, on the CIA set at the studio. It was really cool to see it for the first time with everyone together, the whole cast. We have such a wonderful crew who are all working really hard and to see that the result is so fantastic is really wonderful.”
Branko Tomovic, international man of action
Although Branko has some major film projects in the pipeline, the broad international appeal of the 24 franchise will provide him with his biggest screen role to date. This could be a game changer for Branko.
“24 is such a huge thing globally. It was groundbreaking and changed television because it had such a high quality,’ he said. “It is one of the most successful TV series ever, having won all the major awards, so it’s a great honour to be part of this.”
Winning the role came as a bit of a surprise for Branko, though, throwing his plans up in the air. “When I had a casting for 24 in January, it was only for one episode,’ he said. “I was set to fly to Los Angeles for five weeks for pilot season and had already paid for my flight, hotel and car. Three days before I was supposed to fly out I received the offer for 24 and so had to cancel the LA trip as the new series was to be filmed in the UK.
“I was thrilled and excited when I received the offer to be part of this series. It is the first time that I accepted a part without really knowing what the character was. But because I was a fan of the show before, I trusted that 24: Live Another Day would be something great and cool so I just really wanted to do it.
Growing the role in 24
Working on a series such as 24 does not always guarantee security, though, as the show has shown itself to be unafraid of killing off a major character at any given moment. Thankfully, that fate has not yet befallen Branko’s character.
“The producers seem to like my character and what I did, so my role has kind of grown from there and they wrote me into more episodes. We are currently shooting episodes nine & ten out of 12 and my character is still alive.
“We receive the scripts as we do it, so we don’t know what will happen and, of course, each time I’m scared to read the next script because I don’t want my character to die!
“Anyone could die at anytime in such a series. That is part of what makes it so exciting to work on such a big show.”
Cinema is not the only option for Branko, though, with the lure of internationally acclaimed event television having a strong attraction for him. “I really enjoy watching shows like Game of Thrones and American Horror Story,’ said Branko. “I would love to be part of those shows!”
24 hours of guns and explosions
Working on an action series, with all the inevitable shoot outs and explosions, Branko had to undergo some pretty rigorous training. “I have done quite a few action projects recently and worked with a lot of stunt people, so I am getting quite good at it,’ he said. “I actually really enjoy stunt driving!
“On 24 we have specialists for every department on set, and the armoury guys came up with some really cool and inventive stuff. On my very first filming day I suddenly found myself holding this rocket propelled grenade launcher in my hands and blowing things up.”
It is not just a familiarity with weaponry that has come from Branko’s recent projects. He is no stranger to working alongside some of the biggest names in film and TV, having recently wrapped on David Ayer’s intense WWII drama Fury, starring Brad Pitt. “I had a few shooting days with Brad,’ said Branko. “It was a very emotional and gripping scene within this WWII setting, so it was very intense. David is a brilliant director who was involved in every aspect of the movie, to the smallest detail. Authenticity was paramount to him.
Brad Pitt: wonderful and professional
“Brad was a wonderful colleague and very professional. When you work together you don’t see them as a star, you forget about all of that and see the character in front of you and only focus on that.”
“Each time you work with a well know actor it is so different really. Most of the time we feel like we know someone because we have read all about them in the papers and things like that. But as an actor it doesn’t really matter, we have to do our job, not become friends with everyone. So you try and forget everything around them and yourself and only concentrate on the work.
“But let me tell you – there are many secrets! Some people that you have admired throughout your whole youth turn out to be complete idiots when you finally meet them in person and sometimes people you didn’t like before, because you read something bad about them, turn out to be the most innocent and nicest people! You never really know, we are all human in the end.”
Maybe I am a sociopath: Branko Tomovic
Don’t expect to see Branko parading his life all over social media in the style of many actors and celebrities, though. That type of exposure is not for him. “I am not a fan of social media,’ he explained. “Maybe I am a sociopath but I don’t really get it. It’s just too much noise and everyone thinks they have something important to say, when in fact, they haven’t.
“Especially for an actor it is suicidal, in my opinion. It is so important to be believable in the parts you play. I just think the less you know about an actor, the better and the more serious you will take them as an actor. There is so much information about everyone out there these days and I find it very distracting to watch an actor when you know what they just had for dinner last night or know all their pets by name.”
With all of the excitement of 24 coming to an end soon, what is next for Branko? “There are a couple of things open right now, but one thing I can talk about is a thriller called Schism, which Steve Stone will be directing,’ said Branko.
“I worked with Steve already on Entity and I am very much looking forward to be working with him again. The story is mostly set in an interrogation room in a mental asylum. I’d be playing a psychiatrist interviewing a woman who has been found with the bodies of four children in a wheat field, but they disappeared…”
24: Live Another Day airs internationally 5 May 2014. Check listings for exact times and channels.
(Branko Tomovic Photo credit: Laura Radford)
No comments yet.
Be first to leave your comment!