24 Star: "I Will Survive"
As 24's Agent Tony Almeida, Carlos Bernard is always embroiled in CTU intrigues. Especially since Tony's wife and co-worker Michelle (Reiko Aylesworth) is right there with him in the antiterrorist trenches. And now, she may be infected with the lethal virus, which means Tony's more torn than ever between his duty and dedication to his spouse.
"That's the underlying theme of this season for most of the characters," Bernard tells TV Guide Online. "How do you have a relationship and do a job like that? In the last few episodes of the season, a couple of us are really put to the test. Do you choose your job or relationship? Without telling you what happens, it's a tough decision."
Speaking of agonizing choices, Tony's missus recently made one: She ordered suicide capsules for the Chandler Hotel's virus victims, just in case they needed 'em. Yikes! "I don't think it's too extreme," he says. "I mean, if I was exposed to something as gruesome and painful as that death is, I think I'd rather take a cyanide capsule than sit through it. As long as it's a sure bet that you can't do anything about it."
Crazy things happen constantly on this show — such as Tony's miraculous recovery from that gunshot to the neck. Don't plot twists like that test Bernard's credulity just a bit? "Absolutely!" he laughs. "Although, I think Jack died and came back to life last year, didn't he? So if he can get away with that...
"Of course, I questioned it," he adds. "Everybody [in the cast] talked about it. Here's how I dealt with it: I had major surgery last year. I had badly dislocated my ankle playing basketball. My leg was a bag of bones and they had to screw all the bones back together to hold them in place. My foot was going in the wrong direction! It sucked. But I had major surgery and was up and around, since I had to get back to work in a week or so."
Well, we hate to quibble, but a sports injury isn't quite the same as Tony's near-fatal gunshot wound! "No, I wasn't shot in the neck, but I was on one leg!" he chuckles. "Listen, if you're gonna nitpick about stuff like that, you got the wrong show."
On the bright side, Tony will likely live to see more danger beyond this season. "I've seen the last script, but they're really good at giving out fake scripts. Key scenes will be different," Bernard explains. "In the version I saw, yes, I do survive. However, something pretty interesting happens to my character at the end. It's very cool, but not in a good way."
