If you’re a fan of HRG, this Monday’s new episode of Heroes is not to be missed. In our exclusive interview iwth the man behind the horn-rimmed glasses, Jack Coleman, the actor compared Monday’s “Cautionary Tales” to first season’s fan favorite episode “Company Man,” promising that it will be HRG-centric and answer nearly all the questions the show has raised, including his ultimate fate as depicted in Isaac Mendez’ painting.
Also in the interview, Coleman talked about the writers’ strike and its impact on the season, detailing a possible for timeline when Volume 3 might begin. In case it does get postponed until next fall, fans can get a sneak peek at what kinds of stories will be told as Coleman gives us the details on what will be happening in Volume 3. Continue reading for a full transcript as well as the audio file of the interview.
Hi this is John from BuddyTV and I’m talking to Jack Coleman, one of the stars of NBC’s Heroes. How are you doing Jack?
I’m good John, how are you doing?
I’m doing great. Now the first thing I’d like to ask is about the writers’ strike. Last week I was talking to Greg Grunberg and he said that the first two scripts of volume 3 were ready and that you were going to start production on them. Is that still going on?
We have not gotten through them. We have parts of both of them filmed, but I don’t think either one of them are completed.
And are you still in production?
We are not in production anymore. We are shut down.
And is there any knowledge of, “If the strike lasts until this long, you’ll come back in the spring” or are you off until the summer?
It’s very hard to tell. Here’s my best guess based on all those rumors and innuendo that I’ve been able to collect from all the different sources, my guess is if the strike gets solved to the point where we can go back to work in January and there’s almost no scenario that has us going back sooner than that, then I think we’ll finish up the season if not 24 [episodes], then a significant portion of the season. If by January it’s not over, it’s not solved, there’s not hope of getting back into production, then the whole thing will very likely push until June or something. As I said, this is complete speculation. I’m not really anymore in the know on this than anyone else. It’s very confusing, it’s very uncertain and we’re hoping it gets resolved soon. It’s not fun for anybody.
Does that make it harder? If you’re going to be off until June how are you going to fill that time?
No. You know, that’s what I’m saying, you can start thinking: ‘We’ll gear back in June,’ and then you might say: ‘No, that’s not gonna happen.’ There’s just no way of knowing. There’s just no way of really knowing.
Getting back to focusing on what has happened so far, season two. When the season began and you first found out about this painting of your character, HRG, bloodied and possibly dead and knowing what we know about those paintings, were you told how that would be resolved at the end of the season? Or were you just kind of left to stew?
No. I was told how it was going to play out. It’s very interesting to hear, to try to figure out what people are thinking is gonna happen and I can tell you that I’ve seen one or two people who have pretty much gotten it right and just about everybody else has gotten it wrong. It’s going to play out in a surprising way, but also … Isaac, the paintings are not wrong. I can tell you that. The paintings are not wrong.
And can you tell us when we will see, because even if the painting is misleading, we will eventually see that image. And do you know…
Monday of next week.
Oh, so next week already we’re going to see that image.
Monday’s a big episode. All this stuff comes to fruition. I have not seen the entire thing, although I’ve seen a lot of it. They just did commentary on it the other day, and it’s a really really kick-ass episode.
The previews have definitely been showing there’s a lot of showdowns, a lot more gun-play with your character.
Yeah. You know they have to be very careful how they put those previews together because you can’t reveal what’s happening, but yeah, it’s pretty intense. The mystery is solved and it is revealed.
A lot of your work this season has been mostly just… all the characters are on their own. You’ve been doing a lot with Hayden Panettiere, who plays Claire, and with Jimmy Jean-Louis, the Haitian, and I’m wondering are there any other actors on the show who you don’t really get a chance to have scenes with that you wish you could?
Yeah. And I think that as the season goes along that’s all going to happen. It’s already starting to happen. And we’re actually not that far ahead now from airing as you can tell, because episode 9 is about to air on Monday. But yeah, certainly there are a bunch of people I’d like to work with and Adrian [Pasdar] is one of them. I have been told that that’s going to happen, so I’m looking forward to the two of us going head-to-head over something. Possibly working together, possibly working against each other, I don’t even know. I think that at some point it’s time for the two dads to come face-to-face.
Definitely. And a lot of the fans watching have their own questions about: “What’s going on with this character?” or “I wonder what this means in the mythology of the show.” And are there any questions that you have that the writers haven’t answered that you’re just dying to know: “What does this mean. What’s going on with this?”
Well you know it’s such an interesting time right now because earlier in the season I did, I had a lot of questions as to what was happening. A lot of those questions have been answered. And I can’t, without being too spoilerific, I can’t really reveal them now. But I will say that most of my questions have been answered and I think what you’re going to see before long is people coming together and having to work together to save the world, to save themselves. I think you’re going to see more of the characters working in concert, and that includes the bad guys.
Although really at this point I don’t think the fans are exactly certain who the bad guys are.
Right. And there’s always going to be some moral ambiguity built into the show and I think that’s part of what makes it interesting. Not knowing … I mean there’s a cloak and dagger element to this show which is important and if you know exactly what side everybody is on all the time, then I think it loses a lot of its mystery and drama. And I don’t think the show will ever want to do that but I do think there’s going to be more of an element of: if we’re going to make this happen we’re going to have to work together.
Yeah.
And I think you’re going to see more of that.
And finally even though volume two is about to wrap up in three more episodes, you mentioned you filmed some scenes for volume three. And I’m wondering since that could be postponed until next fall, could you give us any sort of glimpse or an idea of what might be going on in volume three or where your character might be?
Well you know that’s assuming my character is in volume three, and that I can not reveal … yet. Call me back in a week and we can talk about it. I think the third volume is going to be very much a coming together of forces, both for good and for evil. Consolidation of storylines. Getting people together to work together. So, I think that’s where the show is headed.
Volume one ended sort of with that sneak peek of Hiro in feudal Japan, will volume two … does the script end with sort of a sneak peek at the next volume?
Uh, yes. I think the writers would actually, rather than a sneak peek, it actually begins. It is a teaser. It is a sneak peek, but the way they consider it is it is actually the beginning. The first baby step toward the next volume. So you get some idea of what’s happening in this next volume and it actually begins at the end of the previous volume.
OK, well thank you very much. We will definitely be looking forward to what goes on with your character in this next episode.
Yeah, thanks.
Hopefully we’ll see you in the future, maybe knock-on-wood, if your character isn’t dead by then.
Yeah … I can tell you without equivocation that I think Monday’s show is one of the best that we’ve done. And there’s a lot of drama and a lot of forward propelling action and I think the audience will really like it.
The fans probably will because everyone, I think in the first season at least “Company Man” which was an episode that centered on your character, was regarded as pretty much the favorite by all the fans.
Yeah. “Company Man” was a wonderful episode. This has elements of that. It’s HRG centric, but it’s certainly a lot more than just HRG … I mean a lot more. But it does have a little bit of the element of that. It is an answer to the question that’s been building all season as to the fate of HRG and how it’s affecting all those around him. And there’s also a great storyline with Grunny [Greg Grunberg] and Christine Rose and with Masi [Oka] … I just think it’s a really strong episode and I hope people will watch it.
-Interview conducted by John Kubicek
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
