Masi Oka returns as Hiro Nakamura in tonight’s episode of Heroes Reborn.
The character was a fan favorite from the original series, and he’s back for a few weeks of the revival, starting this evening.
“I love the show,” Masi recalled to reporters at a special press lunch recently hosted by NBC. “It gave me my start, and I thought [doing Heroes Reborn] would be nice to finish it off instead of being canceled. It was a great opportunity to close a chapter,” he said.
Sadly, there were complications in getting him around on a more full time basis. “I’m on a wonderful show on CBS [Hawaii Five-0], so the contract didn’t work out, so I couldn’t be a series regular for Tim. But, things got worked out.”
Of course, this time, for actors like Masi Oka, Greg Grunberg, Cristine Rose, and Noah Gray-Cabey, they were coming in as guest stars, so it was a different experience than it was in starring in the original Heroes show. “It’s our show, but at the same time it’s not our show. My mentality coming into it was my opportunity to give back and to pass a torch. We were very fortunate to have a success with the cultural phenomenon that Heroes was. We love the world, so we want it to succeed. I wanted to do whatever part I could to pass the baton so the next generation of Heroes can succeed. Hopefully it will go on with Heroes Reborn or even Heroes Resurrected years down the line. It’s just a way to reconnect with our fans, a way to say ‘thank you’ to the fans, NBC, and Tim.”
Heroes Reborn is new tonight at 8PM (ET) on NBC. Take a look at some preview images below.
