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Talking 24 Politics with Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor
by Troy Rogers
 Taking the office of President in Fox's 24 is a tough job for any character that steps into the Oval Office. In Day 7 of 24 actress Cherry Jones walks in the presidential footsteps laid by actor Dennis Haysbert and President David Palmer who departed the show in Day 5. Over the course of seven seasons, 24 has helped to change how we view Presidents since we've already seen the election of a black leader six years prior to Obama and now the first female president in Cherry Jones' Allison Taylor.
With the world of 24 still gripped with conflict on Monday, February 16 on Fox, Jones steps into the shoes of President Taylor who must deal with painful circumstances within the First Family and her daughter while Jack Bauer attempts to thwart a terror attack with Agent Walker.
Just in time for President's Day, we caught up with Cherry Jones on a conference call to learn more about her job as the new 24 President, whether she gets a sense of the real job in the White House, and how she feels about Allison Taylor and how her character handles political situations.
THE DEADBOLT: Allison’s a very idealistic President. So how will that make Jack’s job easier or harder in season seven?
 CHERRY JONES: Well, that makes them a very odd pair. I think Allison is also incredibly pragmatic and that’s their common ground. And they both have a steely resolve, which I think creates a lot of mutual respect between them.
THE DEADBOLT: Even though this is just a TV character, do you get a sense of the difficult job the actual President has, especially when it comes to things like sending troops to ...?
JONES: Well, I can’t even begin to imagine. It is my job as an actor to imagine, that’s what we get paid to do. So when I walked into that Oval Office, it was very easy to imagine what it must be like on that first day and the bond that those men must feel for those who’ve come before them. I’m sure it’s why Barack Obama was carrying around those biographies of Abraham Lincoln almost like a security blanket. He needed that camaraderie and that wisdom and that mentoring from a former great President.
THE DEADBOLT: I’ve heard your character described as Hillary Clinton if there was no Obama. How would you describe Allison Taylor?
JONES: I think she’s not at all like Hillary Clinton. In the first place, she is very - I think she’s battling depression. I think of Hillary Clinton as a very gregarious and pragmatic person and I think Allison Taylor is a ... I think she’s in a very emotionally compromised place right now because of the loss of her child. And I don’t see Hillary Clinton invading Darfur. I just don’t. It’s a very bold move that these writers have made with the initial episode of this woman planning an invasion of an African country, an intervention, I should say.
Other Conference Call Highlights:
Cherry Jones on whether it's difficult to be a character that has to play everything slightly ambiguously:
 "No. I don’t worry about playing it ambiguously. I don’t think I really play anything about Allison Taylor ambiguously because I don’t worry about that. I let the writers worry about that. And then if they have some explaining to do, they can do that later on down the line. But I just try to go for broke. I want her to think quickly and speak quickly and decide things quickly. I wanted her to be one of those people.
"Sometimes on television, I think as actors we can take an awful lot of time when the clock is ticking, and I always wanted to remember when I’m in that Oval Office that the clock is ticking and this decision has to be made three minutes ago. And I just want to say about this character, I wanted her to be older than I am. I wanted her to show a life that has been difficult. And I wanted you to see the mask of grief on that face, because this is someone who’s just lost a grown child in the last six months and has had no time to mourn the passing of that child. And so she is very compromised. She’s emotionally compromised when Day 7 begins. And yet, she’s the President of the United States and I wanted to come in with all of that. And she’s not a cuddly person; she’s a tough nut who’s under a tremendous amount of emotional stress."
Jones on the difference between playing somebody who’s powerful within their own environment and playing the President:
"It’s interesting because on stage you know the beginning, the middle, and the end and you can sculpt and create the arc through to the end of the evening. And you know who you are and what you’ve got to accomplish. Then when the curtain goes up you forget all that you know and just go into the moment. On television, in 24, I don’t really completely know who she is. I just have to take what I’m given in the moment "
Cherry Jones on how she feels about how President Taylor handles situations and makes decisions:
 "Well, it’s interesting because I don’t really know what the world of 24 is before we begin. All I know is that every single President before me has either been assassinated or resigned in disgrace, and several have been killed. It’s a very patriotic thing, I think, on 24 to run for President because you have a large target on your back.
"But not knowing, as far as foreign relations, exactly why she’s invading that country except that I gather that like our own country, our real country. We have lost credibility with the rest of the world and it seems crucial to Allison Taylor that that be restored. And she also is fed up with what has been going on in our fictional Sangala. I am an idealistic person and I love that she’s taking a stand. Whether it’s the wisest thing to do, I’m not sure, because I don’t really know what else is going on in the world, fictionally, around 24. But I admire her for doing it. It sure has gotten us into a big mess, however."
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