In This Section
TV Guide Spotlight
Also on TVGuide.com
|
« Today's News: Our Take
Heroes Adds Alias' Sark, Mother Daughter and More
David Anders by John Sciulli/WireImage.com
A half-dozen new (albeit in some cases familiar) faces to watch for on the new season of Heroes, per the Hollywood Reporter:
• David Anders (Alias' delicious Sark) will play Takezo Kensei, an ancient samurai warrior and Hiro's childhood hero. Kensei, of course, is the original owner of the sword Hiro sought during much of Season 1. In what, I am boldly guessing, is a related story line, Asian pop star Eriko Tamura has been cast as a Japanese princess. (What, was Kassie DePaiva not available?)
• Barry Shabaka Henley is Detective Fuller, a New York police officer.
• Holt McCallany is Ricky, the ringleader of a group of Irish thugs.
• Lyndsy Fonseca (Ted's future-daughter on How I Met Your Mother) and Dianna Agron are cheerleaders, one sweet, one tart, in a Southern California town to which Claire is expected to move.
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 8:44 AM
|
|
It's about time somebody snared David Anders! Yippee!!!
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 8:49 AM
|
|
I have to say, though, David Anders is not the first face I think of when I hear the words "ancient samurai warrior." I'm guessing there will be some sort of explanation, and it won't just be wigs and makeup.
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 9:45 AM
|
|
Am I the only one seeing the racism here? How is a white man supposed to play an ancient samurai? Yellowface? Really? That's still okay, is it?
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 9:45 AM
|
|
I really don't think NBC has any intentions of portraying him as an Asian. The twist it would seem, by casting a blond-haired, round-eyed caucasian would be that this unexpected person is an ancient samurai we all expected to be Japanese - a time traveler like Hiro? Or it could all be one big red herring on the part of the producers?
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 9:53 AM
|
|
Can we at least see the frakkin' show before we starting crying racism? Ugh! Why is some folks' first impluse to be offended?
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 10:15 AM
|
|
I didn't know David Anders was Japanese.
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 10:16 AM
|
E! is reporting that the character David Anders is playing is named Kane. Not Kensei. I don't know whether Kane is going to be known as Kensei at some point in the past or what, but apparently the character isn't Japanese.
I'm really surprised that TV Guide's information on this is so poor.
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 10:25 AM
|
Hi, MiniMarie! Anders' character info is all straight from the Hollywood Reporter, so if you're out to push some agenda/call someone names, speak to them. Thanks.
PS. That "other" story you cite now says that Anders' character is named Kensei. Apologies can be sent to my private message box.
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 10:32 AM
|
|
Ok, I love Sark as much as the next person, but I am excited that Matt has his own tab!! Now I can quit making that comment at random intervals.
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 10:48 AM
|
While I agree we should wait to see how this plays out before yelling racism, I have to say that I *do* hope they have some kind of explanation for how a quite clearly white guy ends up as an ancient samurai warrior.
(Rest of original message deleted as Matt's note that the E! story has been changed got posted while I was typing)
--
Edited by thorswitch at 06/20/2007 7:59 AM
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 10:57 AM
|
|
Isn't my pull-down tab just glorious? I'm framing a screen grab of it for Momma.
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 11:02 AM
|
Defensive much, Matt? I'm not apologizing, because David Anders -- as many have astutely noted -- is not Japanese, therefore there's no way that he's playing a guy who is only a samurai warrior. I'll lay odds the character IS named Kane, that Kensei is one of many pseudonyms he's used, and that the press release stating otherwise (which is where THR and you undoubtedly got the info) is simply using the first name we'll meet him by.
My comment wasn't intended as a personal slight on you, and the fact that you so publicly took it as such strikes me as unprofessional.
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 11:09 AM
|
MiniMarie - Give it up! Matt's column = Matt's opinions. Go away!
I cannot believe how an announcement about a TV show adding charactors can bring on cries of racism and rampent speculation.
If they want to dress David up as a samurai warrior and call him Japenese - FINE!
I'll watch!
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 11:16 AM
|
How the Reporter put it, FYI:
Anders will play the most intriguing part, that of the ancient samurai warrior Takezo Kensei, Hiro Nakamura's (Masi Oka) childhood hero. While never seen during Heroes' first season, Kensei played a key part in the show's plot. Hiro spent most of the season trying to get ahold of Kensei's sword, which he hoped would help him in his quest to save the world.
MiniMarie, I of course allow that perhaps Anders' character will go by an alias (ha), but your tone — just shy of "TV Guide is wrong, wrong wrong!" — got my hackles up. Sorry that I responded with Sark. I mean, snark.
|
|
Jun 20, 2007 11:22 AM
|
|
|
