Elisha Cuthbert: having to wear same outfit is “driving me nuts”

While almost nothing is predictable about 24, Fox’s twisting and turning drama, one thing you can count on is that, due to the show’s real-time narrative, kidnapped Kimberly Bauer will still be wearing the same increasingly grimy T-shirt and jeans.

How does Elisha Cuthbert feel about her character’s ready-to-walk-on-its-own wardrobe? “It boils down to two things. One, constantly having to look the same is driving me nuts as a female. I’m going bonkers!” she tells TV Guide Online with a laugh. “Two, I’m being really friendly to the writers, with the hope that Kimberly might someday pull a new outfit out of her back pocket.

“Seriously, when I took the role I didn’t pay much consideration to that,” she adds. “It’s actually kind of cool to see this crazy outfit go through all this stuff. My wardrobe is getting very, um, ‘pleasant.'”

Sartorial issues aside, Cuthbert exudes fan-like enthusiasm for 24‘s top-secret, tension-filled storylines. But, like a good soldier, she is tight-lipped about what’s ahead. “My family’s the worst at trying to get information out of me. It’s just not happening,” she declares with a smile. “I’m like ‘Mom, Dad, leave me alone. I don’t want to get in a whole bunch of trouble!'”

While all that off- and on-screen drama can take a lot out of an actress, Cuthbert — who now is filming Old School, a comedy — was thrilled when 24 received its full-season commitment. “It’s below zero with a lot of snow back home in Calgary,” she notes, “so I am quite thankful to be sitting in the Los Angeles sun!”