Interview: Hayden Panettiere and Masi Oka

As we’re going into the fourth year of the show, do you feel

like you have a tight grip on your character or are you still

learning things as you come along?

Hayden Panettiere: Well, I’ll -- I have an answer for that. It’s a

little tough because even though we are playing the same

characters, you really do have the whole writing staff, you know, taking us in whichever direction they want to. And on this kind of show, you know, there’s infinite amount of possibilities of where you could go, whether you stay good, whether you turn bad, you know, who you’re working with. So it’s always a surprise. I think you can only -- I mean we know our characters so well now that we can see what they -- or figure out what they would do in these situations and go from there. But really you never know what you’re going to be playing.

Masi Oka: Yeah I agree. And I think that’s what keeps it interesting and challenging, you know. There’s definitely something to be said about the familiarity that we want to give the audience with our character portrayals but, you know, the writers put us in very different situations and combinations and I think that’s always the fun part. So we might have a grip on our character, you know, like as we do in life as we grow the characters grow and evolve as well so there’s always a constant change and surprise.

What do you see your characters going through this season that maybe they haven’t before, new arcs?

Masi: Well for my character, you know, Hiro’s going through the whole terminal illness and the bucket list. So I think he’s taking life a little bit more seriously and yet at the same time, you know, trying to keep hope alive and it’s that duel and the juxtaposition between life and death and the hope and despair that I think Hiro’s balancing well. So this is kind of a new thing for him.

Hayden: Yeah. I think I’m personally in college and dealing with a new best friend and roommate with a very -- who has -- we have a very interesting relationship together. But she’s really the first person that she’s been able to let in on her secret and somebody that’s really a confidant. But that’s a very delicate balance that can easily, you know, fall apart. And one little misstep and her dad will, you know, bring Rene the Haitian in to wipe their memories and that will be that. And she’s happy that she’s semi caught up to normal life, that normal life that she’s been chasing. But where exactly we’re going to go, I think there’s going to be some manipulation and just some fun stuff. We really don’t know so that’s why we get so excited to read the scripts every week.

Masi, what about your role continues to challenge you?

Masi: I think, you know, the writers give us, as, you know, kind of Hayden said, different people to work with, different situation scenarios to be in and there’s always that fun balance of, you know, trying to keep it light and, you know, light-hearted and put in the comedy while trying to make it into drama. So especially this season I’ve just been absolutely creatively excited and jazzed about where the writers have been going with our characters and the constant evolving and new challenges they throw me, it’s always -- I think that’s what’s real exciting for me.

It seems like at the end of the day this is going to come down to a battle between Claire and Sylar on some level. So what can we expect on that relationship this season?

Hayden: Wow. You sound like you know more than I do. I actually have no idea. And I’ve not seen anything thus far that has the two of us going at it or even in the vicinity of each other. But I assume there’s going to be something with him ultimately because Nathan and the whole Nathan and Sylar thing that’s going on right now and what happened at the end of the third season because he’s my dad, our paths are obviously going to cross. I don’t know what’s going to happen yet. I’m still reading the scripts and chugging away and excited to hear about it. But, yeah, I’m not positive yet, but it’d be fun.

Masi: You don’t want to talk about the Sylar/Claire kiss scene?

Hayden: Masi, they told us not to say anything!