Adrian Pasdar plays Nathan Petrelli, the politico with a big secret (he can fly!), on NBC's "Heroes."
(Credit: NBC)
Adrian Pasdar opened up about what's in store for his heroic alter ego, but was careful not to reveal too much. The question is, was he careful enough? Read on and judge for yourself…
What went through your mind when you learned that Sylar had taken on Nathan's identity?
I thought it was a great opportunity to play another actor—I've always loved to do that. Zach [Quinto, who plays Sylar] came to the set, sat with me in my trailer and just whispered the lines in my ear for about half an hour. I just watched him walk around, followed him. To be able to take on his mannerisms was a real joy. He's so specific…there's not a lot of ambivalence in his actions. To play somebody like that was a lot of fun.
Are you worried that the writers are just gonna decide that Nathan is really just a bad guy?
I think just when you've had your suspicions confirmed one way or the other, he does something that presents the opposite. You think he's bad, he does something that might be called heroic; he does something that's good, he immediately does something that's not so good. That's the beautiful part of the writer's creation here—they've made somebody who can lean on both sides of the fence and still serve his ultimate goal without compromising his ability to be good or bad.
Be honest: Do you ever get a script that completely mystifies you?
I do manage to pull some information periodically from the producers prior to the scripts being released…[but] sometimes I don't. It's always very well laid out for us, but at the same time, there are surprises that we all receive when we read the scripts. That's what makes it so exciting. We're just as enraptured reading the scripts as the audience is in watching it—they're real page-turners.
What can we look forward to in the finale?
It's so frustrating! They ask you to promote the show and tell you at the same time you can't tell anybody anything. Having said that, questions get resolved in a huge way. I have a big part in final decision making, in the last few moments of the finale. All those questions that are in the pilot are answered almost to a T in the finale—it's beautifully structured. There are really wonderful moments. It's just mind-blowing; it's stunning the way it's all put together.
Any big cliffhangers, or will things get resolved and start fresh with a new storyline next season?
The finale does posit a brand new place that season two will pick up with—the very end of the finale shows you a good three minutes or so of where that is and I don't think anybody's gonna guess where. It's a very interesting place.
There's been talk of Nathan being "separated" from his familiar environment next season—have you given any thought to what Nathan is like if he's not a man of power?
I think that's gonna be the journey. From what I can tell, there'll be a story of redemption and of the choices he's aligned himself with. Without being too specific, that will be the question: How you handle who you are without the ability to pick up a phone and get anything you want? What if you can't even put money in a phone or you don't have a cell phone? You find yourself sitting on the city streets, talking to yourself, perhaps with Christopher Eccleston [who played invisible man Claude]—wouldn't that be wonderful? I think you're gonna find it's a completely unexpected place that Nathan might end up after the choices he makes at the end of the finale. They're gonna lead to the story of what's gonna happen to him in season two.
So, you will be there for next season?
I hope to be there…I think I'll be there…I signed on to do "Heroes," and I wound up being on "Survivor!" [Laughs] I'd like to stick around but if and when its time for me to go, I'll just be happy to have been part of a terrific season of TV.
