24's New Baddie Says: Watch Me Kick Ass

Given everything that has happened on 24 this season, it's hard to believe the action's just getting started. Now that megalomaniac Jonas Hodges (played by Jon Voight) is back in the picture, it's time to "make some holy hell for Jack Bauer," series newcomer Michael Rodrick tells TVGuide.com. The actor, who plays Hodges' cohort, Stokes, gave us a preview of the bloody mess to come.
TVGuide.com: I've been trying to read up on Stokes and there's nothing besides "deadly military operative." So who is he and how do we meet him?
Michael Rodrick: [Laughs] Well, you know how it is. Basically Jon Voight is just going to start to unleash a lot of bedlam and I'm one of the henchmen there to get things rolling. It's going to be a lot of psychological warfare. Then it's gonna escalate and be a lot of physical warfare — aka torture — to get what we want.
TVGuide.com: What can we expect on this week's episode?
Rodrick: We'll be bringing a bio-weapon onto U.S. soil, as part of a plan. We have orders that we want to execute and of course [Jack] gets in the way. In the last episode, he was on his way to the containing yard. We're going to be there — and we're gonna make sure he doesn't win.
TVGuide.com: We just got re-introduced to Hodges. What's his overall motivation?
Rodrick: Yeah, what is his overall motivation? [Laughs] In terms of the overall arc, I'm not privy to that. But I think these private mercenaries for the most part are motivated by the fact that their country has let them down in some way. I think that's what [Hodges] is all about and what I am all about. We're a private army and we feel like how Tony Almeida feels, except Tony's still doing the right thing and we're not.
TVGuide.com: Are you loyal to Hodges?
Rodrick: Oh, I always have my own agenda. That's all I'm gonna say. You'll get to know Stokes very well. Be prepared for me to psychologically tear a lot of people apart and kidnap them. Watch me kick ... ass! [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Do you get your ass kicked?
Rodrick: Uh... I'm pretty tough. I withstand a lot of pain. I'm like the Harrison Ford who keeps getting kicked around but keeps coming back.
TVGuide.com: The talk is that Hodges will prove to be one of 24's best villains ever. Do you agree?
Rodrick: Defintely. I think that this corporate entity he represents will frighten people to the bone. To make that jump of disbelief is quite easy when you think of a private army gone mad. It's gonna be fascinating. The viewers will be entranced by it and him.
TVGuide.com: Were you intimidated to work with Jon Voight?
Rodrick: We went to the same college, so I knew I had an icebreaker. But we were in a production van and I'm telling this techie who's got twin boys about raising twins, because I'm a twin. As I'm saying this, Jon Voight's like, "Hold on! Hold on!" It never even occurred to me that Angelina Jolie just had twins, so of course he wants to know this stuff! I think he absorbed everything that I said. He's very proud to be a grandpa. ... He's a real guy's guy. He smashed an ankle [in one scene] — didn't say anything, gets an ice pack and ices it himself. What a tough guy. You look at him walk and the way he talks — it's that whole generation. Him and Clint Eastwood, they've got this gait. They're all cowboys.
TVGuide.com: What was it like working with Kiefer Sutherland?
Rodrick: Kiefer is so intense, an incredible bundle of energy. He's landing helicopters, running around and shooting people. ... And in between takes, he's playing chess! He sets up this chessboard and everyone's got to be really quiet. If you're a Kiefer fan, grab a chessboard and get him to sign it.
TVGuide.com: Is there a chance we will see Stokes beyond this arc?
Rodrick: [Laughs] I cannot say, but you'll definitely be surprised what happens to him.