Life changes for TV's 'Heroes'
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, April 20, 2007
Pictured, from left, Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura, Ali Larter as Niki Sanders, Noah Gray-Cabey as Micah Sanders, Leonard Roberts as D.L Hawkins, Milo Ventimiglia as Peter Petrelli, Adrian Pasdar as Nathan Petrelli, Hayden Panettiere as Clair Bennet, Jack Coleman as H.R.G., Sendhil Ramamurthy as Mohinder Suresh, Greg Grunberg as Matt Parkman, Santiago Cabrera as Isaac Mendez. (NBC Photo)
PASADENA, Calif. -- Before landing the breakout role in "Heroes," Masi Oka worked for George Lucas' special effects department.
And now? "I still consult with them one day a week, but it's getting progressively harder," he says. "When we get to Season Three, I would love to direct and use my employee discount -- buy two special effects and get one free."
The shift -- from unknown to TV star -- happened so rapidly, Oka barely had time to see it coming.
Today, he says, "I can wear a baseball cap, shades and a beard and I'll still be recognized."
A problem? "No, it's great to have fans -- passionate fans -- who love the show. It's a lot better than having someone say, 'Your show sucks.'"
Co-star Greg Grunberg says he got attention after only a handful of episodes had aired. In Las Vegas he met a teacher who told him "Heroes" had a "profound impact" on the students at her school -- students with learning disabilities. "Everyone enjoys the show."
Even network officials. NBC increased the series' order for the first season, renewed it for a second and built a lavish ad campaign around key slogans -- "Save the cheerleader, save the world" among them.
Now, "Heroes" is considered a cornerstone for the network and one of the few scripted series that could make it despite a continuing storyline.
Before he even started, creator Tim Kring talked with those who went before him. Damon Lindelof, a producer on "Lost," proved particularly helpful.
"I bounced everything I could off him," Kring says. "He told me how to navigate the network" and deal with story problems unique to the genre.
Thanks to shows like "24," "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," Kring could "step back, analyze what worked and learn how to schedule the show."
"Heroes'" split season "is an absolute direct reaction to the audience frustration with 'Lost,'" he says. "We were very conscious that we wanted to avoid that."
Unlike "Lost," "Heroes" doesn't have an ultimate end. "That would be too handicapping," Kring says. "As long as the stories are about the (powers) affecting the characters' everyday lives, it can go on forever."
This year's second batch of shows, though, will have a resolution and a cliffhanger. "I don't think it's any shock, but we will somehow save the world," Kring says.
Meanwhile, Oka, Grundberg and the rest are trying to figure out how to deal with its inhabitants.
Already, women have made advances. "I remember one girl walking next to me who realized it was me," Oka says. "'Oh my god, I love you,' she said. And she hugged and kissed me and ran away. I said, 'Oh, wait, you don't have to run away.'"
Chat rooms buzz about the show; comic book fans catch up with the characters -- and actors -- on-line.
The bond took so quickly because Kring vowed to make sure something happened every week. "We're not going to have the frustation level of having to wait several episodes before things actually happen. One of the fears going into it for a lot of people was, 'Aren't you afraid you're going to run out of story?' And the idea is really the opposite. These twists and turns and reveals and cliffhangers actually generate more story. So it's an engine that feeds on itself."
While the actors worry their characters may die, Oka says "you can always go back in time and make everyone live again."
That suggests "Heroes" is not "Lost."
Kring says one of the keys to its success is its international, multi-ethnic casting. "It's one of the most exciting parts of the show for me. I'm hoping America has embraced it."
The reaction to Oka says as much. As Hiro, the computer animation geek who has figured out a way to pierce the space/time continuum, he's a role model for people who never had role models.
"Hopefully the fact that he's so positive and optimistic translates," he says. "I want a lot of kids to look up to him and believe in their dreams."
Oka did and now he's starring on a hit show. The secret? "My biggest role model was my mom. As a single mother, she had to raise a kid in a foreign country on her own. That's no easy task," he says. "But I'm always in debt to her for that."
And his success? "I think she loves it. She won't tell me directly but I know she's very proud. It's a mother kind of thing."
And now? "I still consult with them one day a week, but it's getting progressively harder," he says. "When we get to Season Three, I would love to direct and use my employee discount -- buy two special effects and get one free."
The shift -- from unknown to TV star -- happened so rapidly, Oka barely had time to see it coming.
Today, he says, "I can wear a baseball cap, shades and a beard and I'll still be recognized."
A problem? "No, it's great to have fans -- passionate fans -- who love the show. It's a lot better than having someone say, 'Your show sucks.'"
Co-star Greg Grunberg says he got attention after only a handful of episodes had aired. In Las Vegas he met a teacher who told him "Heroes" had a "profound impact" on the students at her school -- students with learning disabilities. "Everyone enjoys the show."
Even network officials. NBC increased the series' order for the first season, renewed it for a second and built a lavish ad campaign around key slogans -- "Save the cheerleader, save the world" among them.
Now, "Heroes" is considered a cornerstone for the network and one of the few scripted series that could make it despite a continuing storyline.
Before he even started, creator Tim Kring talked with those who went before him. Damon Lindelof, a producer on "Lost," proved particularly helpful.
"I bounced everything I could off him," Kring says. "He told me how to navigate the network" and deal with story problems unique to the genre.
Thanks to shows like "24," "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," Kring could "step back, analyze what worked and learn how to schedule the show."
"Heroes'" split season "is an absolute direct reaction to the audience frustration with 'Lost,'" he says. "We were very conscious that we wanted to avoid that."
Unlike "Lost," "Heroes" doesn't have an ultimate end. "That would be too handicapping," Kring says. "As long as the stories are about the (powers) affecting the characters' everyday lives, it can go on forever."
This year's second batch of shows, though, will have a resolution and a cliffhanger. "I don't think it's any shock, but we will somehow save the world," Kring says.
Meanwhile, Oka, Grundberg and the rest are trying to figure out how to deal with its inhabitants.
Already, women have made advances. "I remember one girl walking next to me who realized it was me," Oka says. "'Oh my god, I love you,' she said. And she hugged and kissed me and ran away. I said, 'Oh, wait, you don't have to run away.'"
Chat rooms buzz about the show; comic book fans catch up with the characters -- and actors -- on-line.
The bond took so quickly because Kring vowed to make sure something happened every week. "We're not going to have the frustation level of having to wait several episodes before things actually happen. One of the fears going into it for a lot of people was, 'Aren't you afraid you're going to run out of story?' And the idea is really the opposite. These twists and turns and reveals and cliffhangers actually generate more story. So it's an engine that feeds on itself."
While the actors worry their characters may die, Oka says "you can always go back in time and make everyone live again."
That suggests "Heroes" is not "Lost."
Kring says one of the keys to its success is its international, multi-ethnic casting. "It's one of the most exciting parts of the show for me. I'm hoping America has embraced it."
The reaction to Oka says as much. As Hiro, the computer animation geek who has figured out a way to pierce the space/time continuum, he's a role model for people who never had role models.
"Hopefully the fact that he's so positive and optimistic translates," he says. "I want a lot of kids to look up to him and believe in their dreams."
Oka did and now he's starring on a hit show. The secret? "My biggest role model was my mom. As a single mother, she had to raise a kid in a foreign country on her own. That's no easy task," he says. "But I'm always in debt to her for that."
And his success? "I think she loves it. She won't tell me directly but I know she's very proud. It's a mother kind of thing."
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