[IMG:L]If only we had the powers of Heroes’ Matt Parkman. Then we might be able to wrest some of the secrets of the last remaining episode of NBC’s breakout hit series from the mind of Matt’s alter ego, actor Greg Grunberg. But it didn’t take telepathy for Hollywood.com to glean from the happy-go-lucky star that his mindset is about as far away from the hapless ex-cop character’s as possible: After being that familiar but often hard-to-name supporting player on his longtime friend J.J. Abrams’ series Felicity and Alias, Grunberg has a hit all his own on his hands.
Hollywood.com: When did you know that this show was going to take off?
Greg Grunberg: Well, I was in the middle of a deal with NBC and I got the script and when I read it I knew right away that this show was going to be huge. I absolutely knew. I had to read for it. I had to audition for it, and so it wasn’t like I had it, but I really thought it was great. I read it and I called J.J. and I said “Have you heard about this thing?” He had heard about it already and thought that it could be a monster, but hadn’t read it. So I was willing to do anything that I could to get on the show. It was just one of those things of right place at the right time. I mean, I did The Catch with J.J. which was a great pilot but it didn’t get picked up. Then I did a comedy for NBC and I was so excited about that. That didn’t get picked up. It all happens for a reason, or at least as actors we tell each other than. “I’m getting kicked out of this apartment for a reason.”
HW: What’s it been like to go from that working character actor on a popular show to being one of the stars of a huge phenomenon?
GG: Fantastic. But also “How does it feel to know that that star can crumble very quickly?” [Laughs] Well, for me what’s great is that even from the way that they started selling the show as a character show, and so I knew that I was going to get more attention as a character and we all were as a true ensemble. First of all, it’s written that way – and I know that Masi [Oka] has sort of broken out as the face and icon of the show which is great, and he’s just embracing that and doing such a good job with it, also Hayden [Panettiere]. But they’re sharing the episodes so well. And because it’s character-based and the way that the show was being sold at the beginning, I loved it because it’s what every network tries not to do…[NBC] sold the show as like: “This is Matt Parkman.” So people identified with it, much more so than like, “Aren’t you the guy who comes through the scenes and has a calzone?” It’s that kind of thing where it’s like six shows going on at the same time, so I feel like this is my show [one week] and then next week I feel like I can be a great ensemble and supporting player. It feels great.
[IMG:R]HW: How much ownership of your character are you able to have as far as what you think he would do and say?
GG: I think in little ways, but they’re pretty good. They know what’s going on. I think that it’s a back-and-forth thing, because they’ll write things as they see how we play it. They will write more towards that and at the same time with what they’re writing I have to rise up to that occasion and say “You know what, maybe he does have the balls to do that.”…I’m doing some things that are not bad guy stuff, but when you think about where my character has been put, what situations he’s in it’s like he’s out of money, they’re having a baby, and I mean he’s desperate. He wants to know what the hell happened to him and he finds these scars. It’s justified, but they sort of write it for me and I act it out. So it’s a back-and-forth.
HW: This is the kind of show that has really dedicated fans. Do you get crazy theories from fans from some sort of small action that didn’t mean anything?
GG: People come up to me on the street and they start telling me where they think it should go. It’s that kind of ownership where I think that people really feel that they identify with it. Like, I love watching Star Trek, but it’s almost like I’m not educated enough on the show to expound on it, but this is identifiable enough that I think that people can really run with it and latch on to a certain character…I’ve heard from people that they would like Matt Parkman more and more in the action and that’s a good thing. If they didn’t want me to be there, than I would be disposable, but hopefully I’m important enough that they’ll keep me going.
HW: As far as the writers go, do you ever find yourself lobbying to keep Matt alive or —
GG: Trying to kiss their ass? Absolutely. Are you kidding me? No. Listen, it can happen to anyone. Before this season is over there are a couple of surprises and it’s depressing for us to lose cast members, but that’s the nature of the show. It just happens. I mean, I really – more than any other job I’ve had – hope that doesn’t happen to me. There were times where I begged J.J. never to take me off of the show, but where people might hate me or that I became a bad guy or working with Sloane or whatever, and he was like, ‘No one is going to buy it.’ I think that’s the reason why you should make the surprises come up.
HW: Who’s storyline besides your own are you really wrapped up in?
GG: Well, I’m really wrapped up in Masi‘s. I love that we know what he looks like in five years. Episode 20 is five years in the future and so they’ve hinted where I am and I can’t believe that that’s what has happened to me. It’s crazy, but knowing that samurai version of Masi and now that we all know – it’s just really, really the coolest thing. I also want to see what happens with Milo [Ventimiglia]‘s character because that’s just a time bomb waiting to go off. I said to him the other day that he’s the only true superhero on the show. I mean, we’re all developing these powers, but he has them all. It’s obviously out of control and he’s got these dreams of him being the bomb and none of us know what they have planned for the end of the season, but if he can control all of that he’s unstoppable. Then Sylar, it’s the same thing. So you’ve got the good and the evil both acquiring all these powers. It’s great.
HW: When shows hit so big out of the gate you worry about any fan backlash next season, whether it’s deserved or not? There was a little bit of that with this season of Lost.
GG: Yeah. With these shows it’s always about if the answers are coming quick enough and if we’re staying one step ahead of the audience. I think so far with the writing, no one is being talked down to. No one is predicting any of this stuff that’s coming. I haven’t seen it. Maybe you’ve known, like, “Oh yeah, of course he’s going to do that.” Not every idea can be fresh. It’s always taken from something and borrowed from something else, but I think that the backlash comes more than anything with just the satisfaction factor and jumping the shark. The nature of the show. And when I heard about the character of Wireless I was like, “Is that believable?” And man it’s really great and so cool. A character that can actually download stuff from the Internet and send emails through their brain – I don’t think we can jump the shark on this show. So I think that we have the best shot of longevity as long as we stay one step ahead of the audience, I really do. That’s what they’re doing with all these guys that are coming that have powers. My wife jumped when she saw Claire’s mom light the cigarette with her fingers. I mean, jumped!
HW: What celebrity fans of the show have you encountered?
GG: We were rehearsing for the Golden Globes and we were backstage and Tom Hanks, who I’ve worked with before, was backstage in the green room and everyone was like, “Oh, my God, it’s Tom Hanks.” I walked up to him and went “Hey, Tom, how are you doing, buddy?” He’s like “I’m sorry. Who are you?” I said “We did Ladykillers together.” He was like “Still. I’m sorry…” We didn’t actually work together, but then he was like, “Oh, yeah – !” because he was a fan of the show. Ben Stiller is a fan of the show and that’s really cool. And then also I love Grey’s Anatomy and 24 and to see those guys and have them say those things was great. It wasn’t just me going, “I love your show.” They also appreciated our show…[Steven] Spielberg said it is his was favorite show and had a meeting with Tim about doing a feature or something – not a Heroes feature, but other stuff. He said that it’s his favorite show on TV right now, absolutely loves it.
HW: What’s been your favorite fan experience?
GG: I was in New York and the Marathon was going by a block and a half away. It was crazy and the cab couldn’t get close enough, and so I’m walking to the hotel and it’s going right by the hotel and I’m like “I’ve never seen this.” So I’m pulling my bag and I’m just watching these people and this guy, literally, two blocks from the end of the race, and went “Oh my God!” He stopped running in the New York Marathon and went “I love your show!” I was like “Go, go, go! What are you doing?” It’s crazy. People were handing out bottles of water and I was handing out headshots. It’s just crazy.
