Adoni Maropis talks Abu Fayed

Why we love to hate him
After the five truly bad days Jack Bauer has been through — not to mention his recent two-year stint in a Chinese prison — it takes a hell of a guy to rattle our unflappable hero. Enter Abu Fayed, who proves his multitasking prowess in the Jan. 14 season premiere by torturing Bauer while also coordinating multiple terrorist plots.

Convince us Fayed is not actually that bad
”[Bauer] has tortured and killed my brother,” the 43-year-old Maropis explains, referencing Fayed’s vengeful streak. ”When I was 10 years old, my dad was in an airport and he got attacked by the PLO. My dad survived — he had some shrapnel in his leg and ran out. I relate to this guy.”

Why it’s bad to be good
Two seasons ago, he actually played a good guy on Fox’s 24 — the small part of a father who got caught up in a subplot and shot. Unfortunately, the scene was cut. ”I told everyone I had this part, so my parents and my brothers got hooked on the show,” he says. ”And I was so upset [about the axed scene] that I quit watching. My family would tell me what had happened, and I was like, Yeah, 24, whatever.”

Best part of being a villain
”We try to keep the beast down as real people, but as an actor, I can go there,” says Maropis, who’s also played meanies in Mortal Kombat and Bad Company. ”I’m a full-blooded Greek, so it’s all there — I’ve got the swarthiness and the passion.”

The least badass part he’s ever played
”For an audition, I once had to wear a corset, boots, and a wig and do a transsexual voice,” he says. ”But even then, the character turned out to be a boxer — a dominatrix transvestite boxer. My characters always have something going on.”