Recently, Masi Oka, who plays fan favorite Hiro Nakamura on HEROES was kind enough to take the time to talk to reporters in an effort to assure fans that HEROES: Fugitives is a return to form for the once critically acclaimed series.

What follows is what he had to say with regards to what fans can expect from Hiro in this fourth volume titled “Fugitives,” how the cast took the surprising exits of executive producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb and most importantly, what the return of fan favorite/creative genius Bryan Fuller means to the future of the show.

What are your thoughts on the backlash that HEROES has been taking of late from both fans and critics alike?
Masi Oka: The creative process is one that kind of builds on itself and I think with a show like HEROES, that takes risks and makes bold choices, we do ask for maybe a little patience from the fans and the audience. It’s a journey that may take a little time for both the audience and the critics to get accustomed to.

Did you personally feel that the show had lost its way or were people just being too hard on it because it came out of the box so big, so strong, and so popular? 
I don’t know. It’s so hard with the creative process because we tell so much story, so fast because Tim is all about getting answers quickly and, you know, satiating the audiences’ appetite for what happens next. So I don’t think it’s necessarily lost its way, it’s just trying different paths and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t work. You know, and I think Season 3 when we started Volume 3, they found a different path and they found a way to make it work. 

And Volume 4, Fugitives, is also another completely, where we’re going back to the grounded characters and the central characters and about, you know, the – people trying to live their ordinary lives being hunted now. And that’s a completely different story than we’ve been trying to tell. So it might take a while to get us accustomed to the quote/unquote usual heroes, but it still has the core ensemble captive drama. So, you know, I’m not sure if it’s lost its way, it’s just always different. And, you know, some people will like, you know, some people will respond to the way the story is told in the one volume and maybe not to another. 

Can you give fans a preview of what Hiro will be facing in this new volume?
For me, what’s interesting about Hiro is he starts off this volume powerless which as an actor is interesting to play because you kind of get the joy of rediscovering that power and what it means to be a hero without power. So it’s about adjusting to that and how to live that. How do you live your life knowing that once you were a hero and having – still have facing yourself and also is the people around you that you can still be a hero by helping others — and possibly trying to get the powers back. 

Can you maybe talk a little bit about the Hiro/Ando relationship and what maybe we have to look forward to in that regard? 
Yeah, in the beginning of Hiro’s powerless and Ando has a kind of supercharger power so Hiro is trying to nudge him on. In many ways he realizes, okay, well now he’s had his turn so he needs to kind of step up and see what he can do and you – he takes on pretty much the role of the butler. He becomes Alfred in many ways. But Ando is reluctant and he only cares about girls right now. So Hiro is trying to make him use those powers for good to save other people. And of course Hiro ends up getting in trouble and Ando ends up helping him.

Is there any romance on the horizon for Hiro?
I don’t think there’s any specific romance. However, one of the things that Bryan Fuller and I were talking about was that one of the things he loved was the romance between Hiro and Charlie. And that’s something I really want to create. I don’t think we have time to create it in, you know, Volume 4: Fugitives. But if we are fortunate to get another season, Bryan definitely said, “Yeah, I definitely want to try to recreate kind of a Charlie-kind of romance.” 

How aware was the cast with regards to what eventually happened to Jesse [Alexander] and Jeph [Loeb]? How much were you guys aware of the transition that was about to come? 
Oh, we weren’t aware at all. We had no idea. In many ways, what happens in a writer’s room stays in a writer’s room. We have a lot of respect for that process. And it’s not for our place to say anything. So it was actually really a shock to us to find out that was happening. 

What is the impact of having Bryan Fuller back on the show? 
First of all, my heart goes out to Jesse [Alexander] and Jeph [Loeb]. They were amazing writers and I love them. They’re my friends and they’re working on their own shows already. So I’m so glad that they’re doing well. I think that’s always a hard loss, one you actually don’t have control over. But with Bryan coming back I think it’s definitely a new dynamic and it’s such a great energy that he brings to the show. He’s such an accomplished show runner with great ideas from WONDERFALLS and more recently PUSHING DAISIES. And he was on the show from season one so he knows what the process was. He’s knows what made it great.

And then having stepped out of it for a season and a half, I think he had such a subjective view on how the show was, how the show became, and how it kind of in his mind kind of, you know, kind of took a different path. And having him come back, you know, being so excited – it’s like, oh, this is what, you know, was great, you know, let’s go back to this. And I think that really invigorated everyone because, the writers, well, we’re all artists. We all take what the critics say to heart. So with Bryan coming in, I think it gave him an uplifting momentum of energy and I think it’s such a big morale boost to everybody.

Do you know when we’ll start to see Fuller’s influence on the show?
I forgot when he came on but I know the first script he wrote was episode 20. As fans may or may not know, all of our scripts are written by all the writers in many ways. So you might not see Bryan’s name on a script or Tim’s [Kring] name on a script but they’re there breaking down the stories and they’re there writing every pertinent part. 

Do you see the differences in the scripts you are getting now versus the scripts you were getting in the fall? ?The difference is it’s definitely more character based. I think Jeph and Jesse coming from the sci-fi and comic world. But I think what’s great about the show is that balance of having some sci-fi elements and having some character faults. So what “Company Men,” where you’ll see maybe only like six characters involved in a whole episode and we pay more attention to only three story lines instead of diversifying over six or seven.

Does it feel a lot different for you when you’re with all the other regulars? Does it feel odd to you when the cast gets together and you realize you haven’t acted with a lot of them? 
I’m so grateful for it. I really am excited every time I get to play with other people as well, because you see them on TV, they’re your friends, I hang out with all those guys outside of the set. It’s such a treat to be able to work with all these amazingly talented people.

You can catch a brand new episode of HEROES tonight (Monday) at 9PM on NBC (10PM on Global in Canada)

1. On Critical Backlash
Masi Oka: Every critic is different and people look for different things. So I don’t know if the critics are bashing for the sake of bashing it, but maybe it’s just like a continued – well continuing (stealing the hat) from Season 2. So I’m hoping that, you know, as the episodes progress that they could just go back to what made HEROES great with Season 1 and where Season 3 is headed towards, and then go back to seeing it as, you know, pure entertainment for the whole family.

Season 3 is definitely a lot more fast paced. You know, it’s basically the writers’ answers to what – the feedback we received from the fans. They wanted more – you know, there was fast storytelling, you know, a lot more action and a lot more of the original characters.

2. On Hiro and Daphne
I’m very excited. We’re already shooting Episode 12 and there’s a lot of great shocks and, you know, twists and turns. With Hiro and Daphne, you know, Daphne is kind of like the quintessential nemesis for Hiro. As Batman gets his Joker, Hiro gets Daphne. That said, I see it more like a Wile E. Coyote and a Road Runner scenario except she said more than meep-meep and not as many Acme gadgets although you will see Hiro fall on his face a lot.

3. On the Evolution of Hiro 
One thing we know about Hiro is that he’s always going to be very pure. No matter what it is, he’s going to do what he feels is right in terms of saving the world. While his naiveté might have gone away because of all the tragedy he’s experienced, his purity and his sense of morality will always stay the same.

4. On the importance of Hiro’s family
The most important thing to Hiro is definitely his family and his friendships; and of course, you know, being a hero saving the world. But that’s what his family taught him. His father in particular and his mother, they taught him the values of being a good person, a good servant to civilization; with a willingness to sacrifice himself for the world.

Even though Hiro’s father is gone, you might still see various fatherly advices from him; kind of like how, you know, Obi One and Anakin comes back in Return of the Jedi.

To be honest with you I don’t know what Hiro’s sister is doing. I would presume she’s very busy running the company. Like Hiro is the CEO and I think Kimiko is kind of the President.

And even though we haven’t seen her yet, we will see Hiro’s mother. 

5. On Bizarre Fan Encounters
It is quite interesting. You know, the most awkward times are – I hate to be crass in the morning but, you know, when you’re in the restroom. And I’ve had, you know, fans recognize me and like they’ll come into the restroom with me. And then they’ll watch me, you know, for lack of a better word, you know, take a leak. And they’ll be watching and it’s like oh, you know, it’s not like my, you know, my urine stops time or anything. Like can we please not – you know, can you can please not stare at me while, you know.

It is kind of interesting though. I mean sometimes, you know, it’s – I don’t think they believe I can teleport but, you know, people do ask me to do things. I personally think I can actually stop time because every time I go into a room and like I tell a bad joke, man time freezes. It feels like a long time.

6. On Hiro and Ando
I think the writers wanted to introduce a little bit of a different dynamic between Hiro and Ando just to start things off. We will see them back to get their original selves, hopefully very soon. But I think everyone is kind of like – because this is a season called Villains, or the volume is called Villains, we wanted to kind of put in seeds of doubt in terms of every relationship we’ve had and kind of shake up the status quo.

7. On Hiro’s Sword
To be honest, I haven’t used my sword yet. But hopefully there will be more opportunity to use it. 

8. On the Paradox that is Hiro’s Powers
You know it’s very difficult in terms of plot because like okay Daphne stole the paper. Why doesn’t Hiro go back five minutes earlier, you know, and make sure he doesn’t have it, you know?  There’s always ways around it unfortunately. But, you know, we’re kind of in a point that, you know, Hiro doesn’t go back in the past because he knows it’s going to destroy the time/space continuum; something wrong will happen. 

9. On TV outside of HEROES
My favorite TV – I definitely love smart comedies and right now 30 ROCK is absolutely brilliant and THE OFFICE – there’s these shows. I mean, honestly they’re both on NBC on Thursday nights, but they’re really smart.

We need more of that. Comedy is kind of a dying breed right now. We need more laughter in this world.

10. On Meeting his Heroes
The best thing, without a doubt, is the people I get to meet whether, you know, it’s my real life heroes and like my idols and my icons in terms of the, you know, like the creative folks like Steven Spielberg or Tom Hanks.

And also like my brothers and sisters I meet on set, you know, my family and my crew members, my cast mates. And also just the fans all around the world – just being able to go halfway around the world and to meet people in Japan and Singapore, Hong Kong, you know, Africa and to know that our show has touched their lives, you know, in a small ways is absolutely unbelievable.

If I wasn’t doing HEROES I would never have an opportunity to meet so many people in my life. So I think that’s definitely the biggest thing. And my hero is always going to be my mom.

Photo Credit: Wired

HEROES returns on Monday and not surprisingly, we’re not the only TVcentric site to be counting the days. Check out this first look at Entertainment Weekly’s new issue featuring everybody’s favorite hero Hiro.

The massive overexposure of HEROES continues — but this time, it’s for a good cause.

Stars Hayden Panettiere and Masi Oka took some time out of their busy shooting schedule to help promote milk. Says Hayden, “You don’t have to be a hero to feel invincible. That’s why I drink milk. The protein helps build muscle and some studies suggest teens who choose it tend to be leaner. Cheers to that.” Adds Masi, “My hero? Think hard. It’s milk. Some studies suggest teens who choose it instead of sugary drinks tend to be leaner, plus the protein helps build muscle. So grab a glass. Then you can change the future, too.”Sure Masi claims milk is his ‘hero’ now. But I think any true HEROES fan knows who his REAL hero is!

Post away if you know the answer and click the link below for Masi’s Milk Ad.

At the recent Global TV UpFront, the TV Addict had the opportunity to sit front row for a brief Q&A with HEROES stars Masi Oka and Adrian Pasdar. Here’s what they had to say about being part of the surprise hit of the season.

What’s it like to be on a hit show where you can be killed off at anytime?
Adrian Pasdar: Why are you looking at me?
Masi Oka: You blew up [in the finale].
Adrian: It’s a little bit unsettling, having an expiration date. But after the first season, we all feel like if we have to go — as long as it helps the show move on — we have no problem moving forward.

Were you surprised at the negative reaction to May’s season finale?
Adrian: I just had this conversation with Tim Kring [HEROES creator]. It was a very expensive episode, with the real trick being how to get every character in the same spot for the final moments. I think we were going in a more emotional direction, whereas the fans expected something different.

Masi Oka: If fans want to see more special effects, thay have to buy more Nissan Versa’s. Next season it will be the Nissan Rogue.

How’s life changed since HEROES become a hit?
Adrian: Masi and I were in New York at around 8PM the night of the NBC UpFront. We thought it would be fun to duplicate the scene in the pilot where Hiro yells “Yatta!” in the middle of Time Square. Funnily enough, we couldn’t have been more invisible. He’s [Hiro's] spinning around, arms waving and this fellow walks up to us and asks if we could take a photo of him. The guy even corrected us on the angle! Totally oblivious to who we were. Of course two blocks later, fans see us and go nuts.

Masi Oka: At least Adrian can grow facial!

It’s events like this that make theTVaddict.com worth the effort. Yes, you heard me. Watching television is serious ‘work’ and today was no exception. This morning, the TV Addict reported live from the 2007 GLOBAL TV UpFront, and believe you me, it was no treat. Especially when I had to suppress an audible groan when HEROES stars Masi Oka and Adrian Pasdar were asked — no doubt the millionth time — who their personal hero was!

Okay, who am I kidding? Stupid questions aside, the Global TV UpFront were as exciting as one would imagine. After-all, it’s not often that I get to sit front row and question HEROES stars Masi Oka and Adrian Pasdar, drink coffee while congratulating BROTHERS & SISTERS star Balthazar Getty on all his success and get the opportunity to chat with the hardest working guy in show-business — Ryan Seacrest.

Now onto the festivities.

The event started off with a Q&A featuring HEROES stars Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura) and Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli). Not surprisingly, Pasdar was tight-lipped on what fans can expect come season two explaining, “When the show first started, the network wanted us to talk to anyone who wanted to talk to us. But now that we’re a hit, we can’t say anything.”

Of course the Tim Kring mandated gag order didn’t stop Masi Oka from revealing a possible future guest star on HEROES — his former boss at ILM — George Lucas. Oka ran into Lucas (whom he’d never met throughout his ten years working at ILM) at a recent CGI Awards dinner. Turns out, Lucas is a big fan of the show and jokingly said he’d love to play a villain, but only if he could utter the ominous words, “kill them all!”

Next up in the hot seat was BROTHERS & SISTERS star Balthazar Getty. As expected, Getty spoke glowingly about his fictional family and took a moment to single out his TV mom Sally Field (as all good sons should). “Sally Field is as great as you’d expected her to be. Professional, gracious, funny and warm.” joked Getty, “Like a real mom, she’s the disciplinarian on the set. When me and the boys screw off, she’s always there to put us back in our place.”

Following Getty was the beautiful Sarah Carter, whom many of you may recognize as district attorney Madeline Poe on SHARK. Not being a huge fan of SHARK myself, I didn’t have any questions for her, but my fellow reporters were more than curious about what it was like working with the James Woods. Naturally Carter had nothing but praise for her legendary co-star saying, “James Woods is a dynamic and fabulous human being. Working with him has been a great learning experience. But more than anything, he’s just a wonderful person, incredible teacher and I continue to be humbled by his presence.” WOW, that didn’t sound rehearsed at all.

The UpFront ended with the hardest working guy in show-business — Ryan Seacrest. Seacrest was in Toronto promoting the launch of E! Canada (formerly CH TV). Seacrest was well spoken, articulate and quick to squash the rumor that Paula and Randy would not be returning to AMERICAN IDOL next season. “I spoke to Randy yesterday and he didn’t mention anything.” elaborated Seacrest, “The chemistry with the group that we have now would be impossible to re-create.”

That my friends, was the UpFront in a nutshell. For each Q&A in its entirety, as well as more stories and photos, please check back tomorrow and Friday. Canadians can also check out all the great new shows GLOBAL TV has in store for us by clicking on the 2007 Fall Schedule.

A final note if I may — a thank-you to GLOBAL TV, and more specifically Dan Kenning and the entire publicity team at CanWest. From the time I arrived at Massey Hall to the moment I left with my fantastic swag bag (seriously, who doesn’t love free stuff!), this TV Addict truly felt like the Canadian version of Michael Ausiello (minus the weird smurf obsession).

Masi Oka continues his campaign for the Golden Globe by visiting THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO last night. He opened with a funny homage to Justin Timberlake’s SNL video, and ended with a great new clip from the upcoming January premiere of HEROES. Needless to say, we know who we’ll be rooting for come Monday January 15 on NBC.

On what fans can expect from HEROES when it returns on January 22 (9PM NBC):
Masi Oka: The first half of the season was really about each characters discovering their power. The second half is the realization that we actually have these powers and watching our characters grow with them.

The audience will start to see more characters cross paths, as stories combine into each-other. There are definitely some wonderful twists coming up.

On what the future holds for Hiro specifically:
Masi Oka: The next seven episodes revolve around his quest for his sword — which Hiro believes will let him focus his powers and get back the control he’s apparently lost over them. His lack of power [as we saw in the season's final episode when Hiro had to take the bus back to Ando] is tied to his emotional state. Losing Charlie was devastating for him — a sort of jolt of reality. For all that he can do he can’t change the past or the future. Fate is fate, and he can’t change that.

I’ve heard from Tim [Executive Producer Tim Kring] somewhere down the, I’m not going to say when, there will be another love interest for Hiro. She’ll be a new character, not someone we already know.

On the ‘deal’ with that mysterious sword:
Masi Oka: I can’t really talk about it, but I would say between episodes 12 and 18 you’ll learn a lot more about the sword. And one thing to keep in mind. Everything

On Hiro’s relationship with his father (George Takei):
Masi Oka: Hiro’s relationship with his father (STAR TREK’s George Takei) if very complex. Without revealing to much as I don’t want to spoil it, Hiro’s father has a lot of expectations of his only son. Hiro is his only son and at this point he sees Hiro’s journey as childish and foolish.

In episode 14 and 15 (I think) we find out why Hiro’s dad comes to America to find him.

On working with George Takei:
Masi Oka: He was great. When we weren’t shooting he would tell wonderful stories. [Masi giving a perfect George Takei impression] “Back in those days, the way we did it..” Of course when action is called, he turns into a menacing mean guy. Hiro is very intimidated by his father.

On what it’s like going out in public now:
Masi Oka: Definitely a lot more people notice me. It’s a great thing to have fans come up to you. I’m getting “so what’s going to happen now…” a lot more from fans. It’s great to feel their passion for the show.

A guy was walking by with a cell phone and when he noticed me, he turned his head, opened his mouth and dropped his cell phone. It was cool to think that I have the power of a hot woman.

Girls recognize me, come up to me and hug me and kiss me then run away. I’m like, where are you going — don’t run away. It’s been surreal.

On your favourite moment of the ‘HEROES journey’ so far:
Masi Oka: Everyday is kind of amazing. Meeting new fans, going out and having these amazing new family members. Going to a Kings game with Milo, celebrating my birthday with the cast, people loving the show. It’s all so surreal. It’s definitely a dream come true.

The other day I met Mr. Spielberg, and the comments he had about the show and to know that he’s passionate about it was amazing.

I wish I had Hiro’s power, I’d stop this moment in time and enjoy it for the rest of my life.

On what it feels like to be a Golden Globe Nominee:
Masi Oka: It’s absolutely wonderful. An honour to be recognized for my work. But really I’m happy that the show got nominated. It’s a tribute to everyone’s work.

I remember waking up with 82 phone messages the morning of the nominations. I didn’t wake up at 5:30AM — I didn’t even think of it. The personal nomination is just icing on the cake.

On the first thing you did after you found out about your nomination:
Masi Oka: I literally broke down in tears of joy. The emotions were overwhelming. The first person I called was my Mom, she was in Japan, I couldn’t reach her. I didn’t even think about the time difference. Five minutes later she called me back and she was crying, absolutely thrilled. I probably would have had the same reaction had it just been our show.

[And yes, in case you're wondering, Masi's real life superhero is his mom, or as Masi put it far more eloquently, "A single mom is a hero in itself"]

On the similiarity between ‘Hiro’ and ‘Hero’:
Masi Oka: Tim Kring says naming the character Hiro was a conscious decision. The similiarty to ‘Hero’ isn’t lost on him, but for the answer as to why the character is named Hiro you’ll have to ask the almighty Tim himself.

Interestingly enough, the character of Hiro was an afterthought. He wasn’t in the original pilot, but luckily, a guardian angel pointed out to Tim that the pilot needed someone who was actually happy about having their powers.

On the future of the show:
Masi Oka: The biggest mystery of the show is how the writers keep topping themselves week after week. I usually don’t like to hear about the future, but the writers were really excited to tell me how season 2 is going to start. When I heard what was going to happen, I said “Oh my God,” It’s absolutely unbelievable.