When asked whether the myseterious character of “H.R.G” is a good or bad guy, Coleman always answers with authority: “Yes”.
On the pilot script, Coleman knew HEROES had tremendous potential. “Even when I got the pilot script, HEREOS already had a tremendous buzz behind it in the industry. And as soon as I saw myself put on the giant horn-rimmed glasses, it was very scary — I looked like my dad, circa 1968.”
On his character “H.R.G”, “I see my character as someone who could be either good or bad, but definitely creepy. That’s the operative word. He’s a guy caught out of time, like a refugee from the Cold War in the 1950s. H.R.G.’s default position is to plot – he doesn’t know any other way.”
Coleman, who is also a writer, admires how creator-executive producer Tim Kring and the creative staff have crafted the character and the direction of HEROES so that the audience is always left guessing — and craving more clues about the characters.
“They’ve made H.R.G. even scarier since he loves his daughter (cheerleader Claire, played by Hayden Panettiere) and his family, and thinks he’s doing everything for the greater good,” Coleman says. “Every time he goes too far in one direction, they bring him back to the other direction. They’ve woven a rich tapestry and the show creates insatiable hunger for answers that form the journey.”
“It seems H.R.G. is the only one to have tentacles into so many other characters, but he might be biting off more than he can chew. And the ultimate question is – who does he take orders from?”
As for himself, Coleman doesn’t bother the creative staff to gain insight into what might happen in long-range storylines.
“I feel it’s only on a ‘need-to-know’ basis, just like on ‘Dynasty,'” said Coleman, who starred on the primetime soap from 1982-88. “It’s not mine to know. Things can change due to so many factors. Even my agent says, ‘Don’t tell me. I want to find out for myself.'”
Nevertheless, Coleman occasionally logs on to one of the many raging chat rooms dedicated to the series and observes what viewers have to share about recent episodes. “I just saw a lot of reaction to the ‘Save the Cheerleader’ revelation. That got a lot of people wondering what that meant.”
For the time being, he will continue to keep those giant horn-rimmed glasses polished enough to perplex diehard “Heroes” fans – and keep America wondering if good or evil is at work when he is on screen.
Then again, perhaps Coleman might offer a clue.
“There’s so much clarity in the way H.R.G. operates with deliberation in such an ambiguous part,” he says. “Because if you’ve got a show called ‘Heroes’ – aren’t you going to need some kind of antagonist?”
Interview courtesy of NBC Universal