By Christina Radish
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Hayden Panettiere at the wrap party for "Heroes" held at Cabana Club in Hollywood, Calif. on April 17, 2007. |
Nearing the end of its first season, the hit NBC television series Heroes, which chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover that they possess extraordinary abilities, has only three episodes left before the shocking finale. As the first volume comes to a close, the heroes must attempt to change the future, or face the consequences of their failure.
Hayden Panettiere, who plays indestructible high school cheerleader Claire Bennet, and Eric Roberts, the latest nemesis to be after the heroes for nefarious purposes, talk to MediaBlvd Magazine about what they’d like to see happen with their characters in season two and share the ways their lives have changed since becoming a part of such a huge hit TV show.
MediaBlvd Magazine> You were all in different cities at first and, in the last couple of episodes, you’re all in one place. How has it been to finally get to work with everyone?
Hayden Panettiere> The show is about people crossing paths, and how small the world really is. They have conversations with each other, but they have no idea that they’re in the same boat.
Eric Roberts> Every week is like being thrown into the first day of school again. You know some people, but you don’t know half the people, and everybody is so happy to be there because everybody loves this show. It’s one of the funniest casts I’ve ever worked with on a drama. It’s not like we’re on a drama at all.
Hayden> We’re all really super close. A lot of us were on set, at the same time, but we’re off doing different scenes. So, just to stand there together was fun. It’s a good cast. I sometimes question why we’re doing a drama and not a comedy because everyone is so funny.
Eric> And, Hayden is one of the most welcoming cast members, out of everybody. When I got there, she and Greg Grunberg said, “Hi, do you know how long you’re going to live yet?” We hang out and we talk trash. We have a great time. She was very welcoming and very sweet to everybody. I was the new kid on the block.
MediaBlvd> Eric, as one of the newer additions to the cast, how did you get involved in the show?
Eric> They were casting for a character called Thompson, who recruits the Heroes. They had open auditions, I was sent in and I read for it a couple of times. And then, they offered me the job. It was really neat.
MediaBlvd> When you went to the open casting call for this show, did you have a sense of how successful it was? Were you aware of all of the buzz around it?
Eric> I was very ignorant. I had just gotten back from making a movie overseas. I’d been over there for many months and I was tired, when I went in to audition for the show. They said, “It’s a big hit show, Eric, come audition for it.” And, I said, “No, I’m too tired.” And then, I got a bunch of phone calls, from my lawyer, my daughter and my stepdaughter, all saying, “You idiot. That is a great show. You’ve got to go audition for that show.” So, I went in and I auditioned and I was lucky enough to get it, but I didn’t know how successful it was until I was on the set. It’s kind of a paid vacation because all these people just have such fun, every day, and they’re so nice to everybody. It’s just a great group. It’s like being on a sitcom set, even though it’s a drama, because everybody cuts up all day.
MediaBlvd> Coming onto a show like this, that has an air of mystery about it, how much did they tell you about your character? And, how does that affect how you play your role?
Eric> They told me nothing. But, they’re really nice about everything. They allow the actors to have fun. And, it’s a good group. I’ve been on a lot of shows, but they haven’t been hits.
I’ve never even done a show that I didn’t have to help make a hit. I just walked onto this when it was already hit. It’s already in the top 10, and it’s so much fun to do nothing except show up. It’s fun because this show kind of runs itself.
MediaBlvd> Hayden, how do you feel you identify with Claire?
Hayden> I feel like I’ve really grown up with her because the show is not like a movie, where you have to do this huge character arc within two hours. We’ve been working on it for the past year, and this past year has held a lot of growth for me, as a person. Claire was more naVve and more of a young girl, in the beginning, and she has now found her footing a little bit. She is becoming less naVve and more of a strong human being, who’s not scared to stand up for herself. I think I’ve been able to bring that fire into her, so that’s been pretty fun.
MediaBlvd> How do you think your portrayal of Claire has evolved and changed since the show started?
Hayden> I think it’s been a learning process for us. We came in with one script and had to discover our characters, develop them and make them our own. We really use what we bring to the table, as actors. Claire has evolved from being a very naVve, very young girl, who is simply interested in dating the quarterback of the football team. She was a normal girl, doing what normal girls do, when she discovered this power and didn’t want any part of it. She wanted to live a normal life. But, over time, she realized that she has to use this for the better. She’s been let down by a lot of people, and she learned that she can’t be so naVve, she can’t trust people as much, and she needs to really find her footing and stand her ground. By the end of the season, she’s really grown into a very strong girl, who is still a sweet young lady. And, she’ll continue to grow. We’ll see what happens to her next season.
MediaBlvd> How do you feel about the fact that you’ve brought cheerleading to everyone’s attention? Are you hearing from cheerleaders all over the country?
Hayden> It’s very cool. I definitely have a new-found respect for cheerleading after doing Bring It On: All or Nothing. It’s a really tough sport. I’m kind of the cheerleader who never cheers. It could be fun, if they incorporate that, at some point, because I can do a back flip. I’m very proud of it. I think they made Claire a cheerleader because they needed her to be a normal teenage girl. Our powers are so far-fetched that they needed to ground it and, by making her the cheerleader, it made her very relatable to teenagers. I think she has become a really amazing role model, and I think our show has become a really great metaphor for people. I’m proud of it, and I feel privileged.
MediaBlvd> Has there been any talk of Claire getting a boyfriend in the future?
Hayden> Yes, there has been. They won’t promise me anything, and I haven’t heard or seen anything about next season yet. I can’t tell you what exactly is going to happen, but yes, there is potential.
MediaBlvd> Is that something you’d like to see for your character?
Hayden> Yeah, I would. I think people want to see her being a normal teenage girl. They want to see her have boyfriends. They want to see the human side of her, which is what normal teenage girls do. They date, they like boys and they kiss boys.
MediaBlvd> Do you believe that Claire is as completely indestructible as you were initially led to believe?
Hayden> I think that that’s a question that was never really answered for me by anyone. I think that she is indestructible. She can jump off the highest building. She can go through a wood chopper and be fine. But, I do think that there is a reason why she was so scared when Sylar came along. There’s a reason why Peter Petrelli had to help her. I think, in general, yes, she is indestructible, but there is one spot in the back of your head where, if we do get hurt there, then I think we do have the ability to die.
MediaBlvd> How much do the twists on the show surprise you? Did you know that Nathan would turn out to be Claire’s biological father, or did they just drop that on you?
Hayden> I didn’t at all. I stopped guessing. We’ve all stopped guessing. We started guessing, in the beginning, about what would happen on the next episode, but the show is completely unpredictable. The writers like to leave us in the dark, a lot of the time. So, I had no idea, but I was very excited.
MediaBlvd> What do you think Claire’s attitudes are towards her two fathers? Does she still fully love HRG? And, how does she feel about Nathan?
Hayden> There is a lot of love and hate going on there. At this point, she can’t be so naive. With HRG, in the beginning, everyone thought he was a bad guy. Then, you learn that he’s chosen his daughter over his work. I think Claire’s got mixed feelings about Nathan. She wants to love him because he is her dad. But, she’s also a pretty savvy girl. She knows how the election is worth more to him than his own daughter, which she might find questionable. But, there’s always room for building more of an understanding.
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Eric Roberts at the Gridlock New Year's Eve party held at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, Calif. on December 31, 2006. |
MediaBlvd> What has it been like to work with both Jack Coleman and Adrian Pasdar?
Hayden> I love it. I’m so looking forward to working with every single person on the show. There are so many actors that are on the show that I just haven’t gotten the chance to work with, who I’m with all the time, and I’m just dying to work with them. Adrian was definitely one of the people I was dying to work with.
MediaBlvd> Eric, you work opposite Jack Coleman a lot. What is it like working with him, and how has that process been?
Eric> We never talk about work at work. We talk about everything, but work at work. We have a great relationship that’s absolutely, high school silly. Me, Jack and Greg Grunberg do nothing except tell jokes all day. We act like adolescents all day long. Greg kind of leads the way, but Jack and I follow. We’re kind of like the Three Stooges all day. It releases all the tension of having to be so dead serious on camera.
MediaBlvd> Has playing a character like this changed your perspective about what is good and evil, especially since you don’t really know what side your character is on?
Eric> I think good people go after peaceful resolutions and evil people don’t. So, he’s a little of both. And, no, it hasn’t changed my perspective on good and evil. I think that good is very cut and dried, and evil is very cut and dried. You’re either one or the other. Even though I think most of us are in the grey area, as opposed to black or white, good and evil are still pretty easy to determine.
MediaBlvd> Will you be back next season or not?
Eric> All I can tell you is maybe.
MediaBlvd> With all the other characters on the show, if you could take one of their superpowers, what would it be and why?
Hayden> I’d like to be able to teleport. I could be at a meeting, and then, right after, I could be on a beach somewhere in a deserted island of the tropics.
Eric> I’d want the power to be able to read minds.
Hayden> Oh, God, I would hate to know what other people are thinking.
Eric> I want the power to always know what everybody’s thinking.
Hayden> I would love and hate to know. You could never have a relationship. It would go down the drain.
Eric> I would like to think that my wife is so blatantly honest that I know everything, anyway, so it wouldn’t change anything, even though it’s probably not true.
MediaBlvd> Every episode of this show seems to have a big, crazy twist going on. How long do you think the show will be able to keep things fresh and keep audiences interested?
Eric> I think it’s got a shelf-life of about a decade.
Hayden> I think it’s got a lot of longevity. I had the same question, when I started the show. I thought, “How are they going to continue this? This is an awesome pilot, but how are they going to continue this through six seasons?” But, they’ve done it incredibly. I have all the faith in the world, in our writers and Tim Kring, our creator. They have big pictures for all the potential upcoming seasons.
Eric> There are 10 writers, and they all work on every episode.
MediaBlvd> How has the fan situation become for both of you guys? Has the fact that the show is such a hit, led to any fond or weird encounters with Heroes fans?
Hayden> I’ve almost gotten into a couple of car accidents because I’ll be driving and people will scream, “Cheerleader!” at me from their passing cars. I’m not quite used to that. But, other than that, I don’t think I’ve had any really weird, crazed fans. It’s interesting to hear the theories of what’s really happening on the show.
Eric> Every traffic light I stop at, I hear, “Oh, you’re the bad guy. We love the show. Are you bad?” Every traffic light I stop at, I hear something about Heroes.
MediaBlvd> Hayden, how do you feel about the fact that you’re suddenly an iconic TV character?
Hayden> It’s always great to be a good role model, and to have people look up to you. I’m big into charities and foundations. I have a handful that I’ve been working with. And, as an icon to certain people, whether it’s as the cheerleader, or just me as a person, I hope that I can get them to maybe buck up a little bit and see what I’m doing with charities and maybe inspire them to partake and participate in things like that, and things that they believe in. It sounds like the worst word in the world, but I’d like to use my “celebrity” for good, to be in the spotlight for a good reason. Of course, a lot of the media doesn’t want to hear about the good things, and they just want to hear about bad, but there’s only so much you can do about that. The downside is that you’re constantly being watched. People are constantly trying to knock you off. At the end of the day, I am still a normal teenage girl, who’s making mistakes, in trying to find out where I am, as a person going into adulthood. But, it’s been pretty good so far.
MediaBlvd> Eric, how has being on this show impacted your career?
Eric> I think the combination of Heroes and a couple of big hit music videos that I did – the Mariah Carey video and The Killers video -- have definitely had an impact. The videos have given me a whole new audience, under 15, that I didn’t have before. I thought I was really famous until I got Heroes. I had no idea how much more famous I could get, overnight.
MediaBlvd> Hayden, now that you’re finished with high school, do you have any plans to continue your education?
Hayden> I believe in learning. I believe in expanding your mind. Do I see a four-year college in my future? I’m not sure. I’m more interested in taking classes and learning about things that I’m really excited to learn about, like psychology or anthropology. If I wasn’t on the show, I would 100% be going to a four-year college. It’s always been a dream of mine to go to college. But, I do plan on continuing to learn.
MediaBlvd> What else are you currently working on?
Hayden> I just finished the movie with Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson and Ryan Reynolds, called Fireflies in the Garden. It’s an independent film that is directed by Dennis Lee, that will be at Sundance. I think it’s going to be an incredible film.
Eric> I’m doing a movie with Larry the Cable Guy. It’s a comedy called Witless Protection, where I play his nemesis. And then, I’m in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight.
MediaBlvd> Can you give any more details about your role in The Dark Knight?
Eric> All I can tell you is I’m a mafioso in Batman. I have not even seen the script. I’ve only seen the bit that they gave me. We’re going to film in Chicago and London. And, I love Christian Bale (who plays Batman). Oh, my God, he’s a good actor.
MediaBlvd> Are you a villain, or a good guy, and do you know if you’re interaction is going to be more with Heath Ledger, as the Joker, or with Christian Bale?
Eric> I’ve got action with both those guys, and I am a bad guy.
MediaBlvd> Hayden, what’s going on with your singing career, and how you balance that with your work on the show?
Hayden> Hopefully, I’ll be releasing an album in August. As far as how I balance it, I just kind of do. It’s not a question of can I do this or can I do that. You just have to do it. It’s difficult, trying to be a normal human being and balancing work and your personal life and school. Thank God, I’m done with school now. It’s about time management. I’ve got some incredible people working on my schedule with me, so they make it pretty easy.
MediaBlvd> How is it to be part of a celebrity couple, now that you’re dating Stephen Colletti (One Tree Hill, Laguna Beach)? What’s it like to be on one of the hottest TV shows while you’re trying to live your private teenage life?
Hayden> It’s difficult, but at the same time it’s like having any other relationship. Being in the spotlight is difficult because we try not to take pictures together. We try not to talk about our relationship much because I feel, when you put something like that out there, you give people the right to formulate their own opinions about you. You give people the right to judge. If you don’t put it out there, and you keep it to yourself, then they have nothing to judge.
Eric> I first heard about Hayden from my daughter Emma, about when they were working together, and it was all very positive and very normal. And then I meet Hayden and the whole of the circumstance and she’s the most charming, welcoming normal person on that set and that’s really a fact, and it’s just so much fun to meet somebody so young who’s a grownup with a sense of humor. Hayden is all of that.
