Hunting for clues on the 'Heroes' set
Posted: Monday, August 06, 2007 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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TV
The TV critics usually make time for a couple of set visits on press tour. Last year we hung out in the operating rooms of Seattle Grace Hospital via our "Grey's Anatomy" visit, and walked the hallowed halls of The Barn in Farmington on "The Shield." This year, set-touring day was jam-packed with a half-dozen visits, but I was easily most excited about our trip to the "Heroes" set.
HIRO'S MY HERO
As we wandered in to the cavernous building, we were randomly divided into two groups to be shown the various sets. I was lucky -- I was in the group led by Masi Oka (Hiro), who's not only my favorite "Heroes" character, but could have a job as a tour guide at any major attraction if he wanted. He took his role quite seriously, walking backwards in front of us, waving his arms to get our attention, and spouting tour-guide lingo as if it was his mother tongue. "Please grab your stuff, because we will not be returning to this set!" he yelled. "You might want to have some water, it's a very hot day out!"
Oka also made me laugh when a critic tentatively began a question to him with "I know you must get asked this all the time..." and he immediately said "I would have Hiro's power." Turns out that wasn't the question she was about to ask, but it's obvious that's the #1 question he hears.
SURESH APARTMENT
We toured four main sets -- stop reading now if you want to protect yourself from any possible spoilers -- starting with the Suresh apartment in New York City. It's a bit dingy, just as it appears on the show, and one of the kitchen cupboards still bears damage from where Sylar threw a glass at Peter, denting the cabinet. Masi Oka teased us that we might find a hint to next fall's plotlines in the apartment, and since I don't think it was the can of Baker's Joy nonstick cooking spray on the counter, I assume it's the fact that the apartment is home to what appears to be a little girl's bedroom, complete with doll house. Hmm, can you say "Molly"?
ISAAC'S LOFT
We also visited Isaac's loft, and met Tim Sale, the comic-book artist who creates all Isaac's (and now, Sylar's) paintings. The font used in the "Heroes" credits was also created from his handwriting, he shared. Sale also answered a question he gets frequently -- NBC owns all the rights to the paintings seen on the show, and as far as he knows, there are no plans to offer them for sale to the public. (He also answered a fun one: Masi Oka is the easiest "Hero" to draw, since "his face is so round.")
TOP O' THE MORNING TO YE
We went outside and found ourselves in what, to this frequent Ireland visitor, appeared to be a pretty good mockup of a Dublin shop street, complete with butcher shop (with gory fake plastic cow carcass hanging in its window) and, naturally, an Irish pub. The pub, called the Wandering Rock and supposedly located in County Cork, is built on the set that once was the Burnt Toast Diner, Masi Oka told us. I've spent some time in a few Irish pubs and this one was pretty authentic feeling, even down to the real blazing fire in the fireplace. In Los Angeles. In late July.
FREQUENT FLYERS
While we don't know exactly what role the pub will play in the new season, Ireland is just one of the countries "Heroes" will visit. In addition to old friend Japan, the show will go to Egypt ("for a second," said creator Tim Kring), Central America (where we'll meet a new Hero -- more on her soon), Haiti, the Ukraine, Lithuania and more.
BENNETS MOVE OUT WEST
We also toured the Bennet family's new home, which is located now in a fictional suburb outside San Diego, Masi Oka told us.When someone commented that Mr. Bennet must have saved a lot of his Primatech cash to be able to land in SoCal, Oka was quick to joke "that's why it's a FICTIONAL affordable suburb."
It's a pretty lush house, with an Astroturf lawn that reminded me of "The Brady Bunch." Since I'm always fascinated by props and little personal tidbits, I noted that three books on the Bennet bookshelf were "Listening to Prozac," G. Gordon Liddy's "Will," and Tippi Hedren's "The Cats of Shambala." Said a "Heroes" crew member "(You'll notice there are) not a lot of family photos around...those were kinda nuclear."
Q&A
After touring the set, we went on to a panel with the cast and show creator Tim Kring. They shared a few interesting tips and tidbits for season two, which begins Sept. 24.
• Season two does indeed begin in September, and the show hopes to keep fan frustration to a minimum (ahem, "Lost," ahem) by cutting back on breaks. Kring said the idea is to run 24 episodes "as contiguously as we can," with a break at Christmas and again in early spring. But when the 24 episodes have all aired, the six-episode spinoff, "Heroes Origins," will begin, starting in late April and running through May. Each episode of "Origins" will introduce a new character, and at the end, viewers vote on who should join the cast. (They've learned a little something from "American Idol," I would say.) "Clerks" director Kevin Smith will direct the first "Origins" episode.
• Dania Ramirez will play one of the newest heroes in the regular show. Named Mia Herrera, the character and her twin brother, Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) will be seen on the run from the police somewhere in Central America, illegally crossing borders as they try to make it into the U.S. The press kit says they're from the Dominican Republic, though some online have disputed that. Mia's power wasn't revealed at the panel. (Reportedly also new to the cast is Dana Davis (lately of "The Nine"), who plays a hero named Monica. She wasn't at the panel and her power wasn't revealed.)
• Ali Larter, who plays Niki, was asked if she is a widow in the new season. After all, husband D. L. Hawkins' powers appeared to be in the hands of Sylar in the future. Larter wouldn't answer, but Hawkins wasn't at the panel and wasn't listed in the press materials. Said Tim Kring: "We have to wait and see what happens with Niki's character this season. She's going to be going through all kinds of changes as a character." It appears that Larter will be off the show for a while as the "changes" occur. Also taking some time off from the show: Zachary Quinto's Syler will have to take some kind of a break, as it's been announced he will play a young Spock in the 2008 "Star Trek" film. But another bad guy will fill the "Heroes" gap, Quinto has said.
• Adrian Pasdar (Nathan) and Milo Ventimiglia (Peter) were both present at the panel and their bios were included in the press kit. However, Pasdar told E! that the two haven't worked together in a while. Draw your own conclusions from that.
The panel was fairly short, but if you're absolutely hungry for "Heroes" spoilers, you'll be happy for hours at HeroesFanatic.com's Spoilers section. Yatta!
