By TIM NIXON CARLOS BERNARD has suffered bruises from flying fists, bouts of "deathly" poisoning, bust-ups and stomach-churning all-night adventures in 24.
And we're not talking about his daredevil alter-ego Tony Almeida.
The actor admits playing the rogue federal agent in the hit US show carries its own risks, not least when he's trading punches with co-star KIEFER SUTHERLAND.
Then there's the wild drunken "air guitar" nights with his castmates and the challenge of shooting scenes while violently vomiting after a dodgy meal.
It's all in a day's work for Mr Bernard, who's answered your questions on all things 24 in our exclusive webchat.
Carlos left fans of the show dumbstruck when he burst back onto the scene in season 7, after his character had seemingly kicked the bucket in the arms of Jack a couple of series prior.
But Jack soon learns to his horror that former sidekick Tony - engulfed by rage and bitterness over the explosive death of his wife Michelle at the beginning of season 5 - is now working with the terrorists he used to be hell bent on wiping out.
Read on for Carlos' answers to your questions.
You've said that you love the journey that Tony has taken to get to this point but what do you think of the vehemence with which fans have reacted, both positive and negative?
Avery, New Orleans
I can only feel good that people react either way, positively or negatively. Whether they're angry or supportive of the character, if they're reacting with a lot of passion then that's great. It means they care.
Did you ever worry that Tony's change from 'good guy' to 'villain' would be hard for fans to accept?
Lucy and Will, Scotland
Well, I don't consider him a villain. I don't consider him a good guy or a bad guy. He's a human being who's been through traumatic events, he's damaged. He's gone to a dark place in his life. Most of us go through those times in our lives - not to that extent - but he's doing what he needs to do to take care of himself. I'm not saying I agree with everything he's done to get there. I'm biased as well - I have to play the character and really get to a pace where I understand emotionally where he's coming from.
When you filmed your 'death' in season 5, were you aware that you would be back in season 7?
Steph
I was aware that everybody was not completely satisfied with the ending for that character. The producers left a crack in the door for the character to come back. So I knew that there was a possibility. That being said, I didn't really think they would ask me back. It's kind of like a break-up with a girl that you're in love with - you realise it's time to move on but then they call you one day asking to meet for coffee. And you go!
What's the hardest scene you've had to shoot on 24?
Thaize Cooper, London
One of the hardest scenes I had to shoot - and it was only because I was deathly ill with food poisoning - was the interrogation scene with Kiefer in the third episode of season 7. I was going into the hallway during breaks and puking. I hadn't slept all night because I couldn't stop throwing up. So that was kind of tough.
Have you ever injured Kiefer or has he ever injured you in a fight scene?
Roger
You get your bumps and bruises in fight scenes. It's usually a stray elbow or a kick or something. We've woken up sore the next day because of each other definitely. But nothing too bad - no broken teeth or bones.
One on one, no weapons... Who would win in a fight - you or Kiefer? And I don't mean your characters!
Dewi Fon Evans, North Wales
Oh, I would. He'd probably have his own answer though!
What has been your favourite moment of Tony's throughout all the seasons he has been in?
Lucy, London
Coming back in season 4 was a lot of fun, when Jack and Audrey were cornered in a garage. One of my favourite episodes though was episode three of season 7 because it's just classic 24. If someone were to ask me, 'Well, what is 24?' I would say that episode is a great example of the show.
I've read that you're not too keen on watching your own work - is that really the case? Do you ever sit down to watch an episode of 24?
Antonio, Mexico City
Yeah, I really don't. I will watch bits and pieces that I'm concerned about. I'll go into the editing room to see what takes they use of me because I'm concerned about what performances they go for. Or if there's an actor on the show that I really admire, I'll go into the editing room to watch their stuff. I mean, there are actors on the show that I don't get to work with. We only see each other at the after-parties, which is strange.
Touring the world with Kiefer and the 24 cast to promote the show must have involved plenty of 24 hour partying sessions. What has been your most outrageous night out and where?
Jules
There was a pretty fun night in Munich in January. Put it this way, I'm really happy none of it popped up on YouTube because I thought it would. There is a video tape of it! We were having a few drinks, to say the least, and they kept the bar open for us. We were doing some ridiculous air guitar and singing and dancing. We were partying until five in the morning and then we had to leave for a press conference at 6. All of us were completely fried. So I'm at a baseball game a few months back and I get this email that says, 'Check out this YouTube clip of you guys in Germany.' I was like, 'No!' Thankfully, it was fake! But I thought for sure it was the real thing.
Obviously when a main character gets killed off, the actor playing him or her leaves the show. Who have you been saddest to see go?
Olivia Pink
I think James Morrison, who played Bill Buchanan. And there was actually a character who got killed in the second episode of season 1 played by Michael O'Neill. He's a great character actor. He was Jack's boss at the very beginning and he got killed off in the second episode and I was so bummed because he never really got a chance to get going. James got a few years of being on the show, but Michael's character I thought would have been such a great character on the show. I couldn't believe it when they killed him off so quickly.
What's it like working with a legend of the screen like Jon Voight?
Andrew
Fantastic. I grew up watching him. He's one of those actors who loves it so much. He shows up with such an enthusiasm and excitement to go to work. Literally, in the make-up trailer, he'll be in character. I remember the first time I met up him and he comes up to me in the make-up trailer, shakes my hand and says, "Almeida... Tony Almeida..." He's already in character!
Often tensions run high between the characters. Have you ever come to blows with any of your castmates offscreen?
Matilda
Almost, one time, with Xander Berkeley, who played George Mason. It's funny because we're really good friends and I really like him a lot. I think he's incredibly talented and a really funny guy - but I nearly ripped his throat out once! It was mainly because we're both control freaks and there's that point with two control freaks where one crosses the line into the other control freak's territory and it's not good! And he crossed over into my territory one time. It was something to do with my character.
Do you think that 24 broke the mould for action thrillers and has improved other programmes and films, such as James Bond?
Ray Smythe, Staffordshire
I definitely see the difference in the new Bond as opposed to the more classic Bond. It's got a more hectic pace to it, a quicker pulse. I don't know that it's 24, I think it's just that people's sensibilities have changed. Maybe there's a lack of patience in audiences these days, and they want a quicker pace. If you go back and look at some of the great movies from the 70s that are sort of slow, where people may not even talk for 10-15 minutes. If you look at Three Days Of The Condor, there's this deliberate pace that almost couldn't exist now, because we're such fast consumers. But I think the first episode of 24 was definitely ground-breaking.
A typical 24-hour day in the life of Tony involves terrorist shoot-outs, bombings and kidnappings, but what does a typical 24-hour day in the life of Carlos entail?
Jules
The opposite! If I'm not working I will take my daughter to school, maybe hang out outside her classroom for as long as they'll let me. I'll probably go and work out. Then I'll get some writing done - I've written as long as I've been an actor. It's a big part of my life. At some point I'll sit down and smoke a cigar and, depending on what I'm doing for the rest of the day, have a drink. Then I'll come home and play with my daughter and maybe watch a ball game at night or a TV show. Pretty boring really!
Will Almeida be back in the next series?
Almost everyone
I don't know.
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