Elisha Cuthbert: she's been kidnapped, shot at, and used as live bait, but it's just another long day at the office for TV's toughest daughter

Interview, April, 2003 by Scott Lyle Cohen

Perhaps the most popular underage actress on TV not working for the WB network, Elisha Cuthbert, 20, plays star Kiefer Sutherland's daughter on Fox's 24. The show's format--a 24-episode season covering just one full day, each hour-long show airing in real time, with only commercial breaks interrupting all 86,400 seconds--makes for great television and, explains Cuthbert, a fertile, if unorthodox, work environment. "My character's not growing over the course of months or a year, like on other shows," she says. "Her arc is condensed into minutes and seconds. It's intense ... and awesome." Any drawbacks? "Well, because it's only one day, I have to wear the same clothes for an entire season. I work with wardrobe to make sure we get it right, but can you imagine the pressure, picking that one outfit?"

There will be plenty of opportunity to see Cuthbert in a wide array of clothes and projects in the coming months. In addition to an increased presence on 24, the actress is segueing into films. Currently appearing in Old School, she recently wrapped a bit part opposite Hugh Grant in Love Actually and her first lead in The Girl Next Door (both expected later this year), where she plays an ex-porn star seeking a fresh start in a small town. "It has its moments, but it's not racy," she explains. "It's a sweet love story. And there's more than one day to it."

Scott Lyle Cohen is Interview's Senior Editor.