Emma
10-02-2006, 02:43 PM
<img src="http://www.fanbolt.com/forums/images/avatars/heroes/09.jpg" width="85" height="85" vspace="5" hspace="5" align="left" border="0" alt="Heroes, NBC"> Ali Larter, whom you have seen on the big screen in such fare as Varsity Blues and two Final Destination films, is now channeling her inner... something... as superpowered single mom Niki Sanders on NBC's recently premiered Heroes (Mondays at 9 pm/ET). In this Q&A with TVGuide.com, the actress sheds light on Niki's special ability, teases a steamy hookup ahead and surveys Heroes' overall mythology.
TVGuide.com: Obviously you've been paying the bills doing films. What made you decide to commit to Heroes?
Ali Larter: For me it doesn’t matter if it's film or television or theater, I'm just looking to play complicated characters, roles that really push me, and Niki is a very complicated, multifaceted, dramatic woman. When I read it I wasn’t even thinking about the sci-fi side. For me, it was about a woman whose world was crumbling around her.
TVGuide.com: You seem to play a lot of troubled women....
Larter: I know! What does that say about me? [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Was the competition fierce for this, the sexiest of Heroes' roles?
Larter: I feel like the business is more competitive than it has ever been — there are fewer movies being made, fewer shows being made — so I can't look at roles in terms of who I'm up against. If I read something and it moves me, if I feel a natural, instant bond with the character, then it's something I'm going to pursue 400 percent.
TVGuide.com: You're pals with Amy Smart....
Larter: She's a dear friend of mine, and she's so amazing on Smith! She's doing some of the best work of her life.
TVGuide.com: Were you up for each other's roles, by chance?
Larter: No, she got Smith, and I got Heroes afterwards.
TVGuide.com: Now shed some light for me on Niki's ability. I've seen the first three episodes and I'm still unclear about exactly...
Larter: OK, wait until [Episodes] 4, 5 and 6 for me. It really starts coming out then.
TVGuide.com: She obviously has this alternate self, but does it only exist in reflections, or is that just a device to show us...?
Larter: What I'm discovering is that there is a duality to my personality: one side that has to conform to society's rules and laws, and a shadow side that has all these repressed feelings and would love to seek revenge. When you keep those feelings locked away long enough, it becomes very dangerous when they start to come out.
TVGuide.com: I have to smile, because her good side isn’t exactly...
Larter: That good! [Laughs] That’s what's great about the show, that we're not these perfect, cookie-cutter characters.
<a href="http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Interviews-Features/Article/default.aspx?posting=%7B66F04E0A-3297-4507-9E8F-0021C09BF587%7D" target="_blank">Click here for more!</a>
TVGuide.com: Obviously you've been paying the bills doing films. What made you decide to commit to Heroes?
Ali Larter: For me it doesn’t matter if it's film or television or theater, I'm just looking to play complicated characters, roles that really push me, and Niki is a very complicated, multifaceted, dramatic woman. When I read it I wasn’t even thinking about the sci-fi side. For me, it was about a woman whose world was crumbling around her.
TVGuide.com: You seem to play a lot of troubled women....
Larter: I know! What does that say about me? [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Was the competition fierce for this, the sexiest of Heroes' roles?
Larter: I feel like the business is more competitive than it has ever been — there are fewer movies being made, fewer shows being made — so I can't look at roles in terms of who I'm up against. If I read something and it moves me, if I feel a natural, instant bond with the character, then it's something I'm going to pursue 400 percent.
TVGuide.com: You're pals with Amy Smart....
Larter: She's a dear friend of mine, and she's so amazing on Smith! She's doing some of the best work of her life.
TVGuide.com: Were you up for each other's roles, by chance?
Larter: No, she got Smith, and I got Heroes afterwards.
TVGuide.com: Now shed some light for me on Niki's ability. I've seen the first three episodes and I'm still unclear about exactly...
Larter: OK, wait until [Episodes] 4, 5 and 6 for me. It really starts coming out then.
TVGuide.com: She obviously has this alternate self, but does it only exist in reflections, or is that just a device to show us...?
Larter: What I'm discovering is that there is a duality to my personality: one side that has to conform to society's rules and laws, and a shadow side that has all these repressed feelings and would love to seek revenge. When you keep those feelings locked away long enough, it becomes very dangerous when they start to come out.
TVGuide.com: I have to smile, because her good side isn’t exactly...
Larter: That good! [Laughs] That’s what's great about the show, that we're not these perfect, cookie-cutter characters.
<a href="http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Interviews-Features/Article/default.aspx?posting=%7B66F04E0A-3297-4507-9E8F-0021C09BF587%7D" target="_blank">Click here for more!</a>