lay_of_luthien | Heroes EW article

Entertainment Weekly interview with Malcolm McDowell. I don't have a scanner so I typed it up. There's also a Q&A with Tim Kring. Beware, there are definitely spoilers in the article.

When the producers of Heroes asked celebrated British actor Malcolm McDowell to play the show's much-feared but never-seen villain, underworld figure Mr. Linderman, the man who was once Caligula felt inclined to say nay, as he was prepping to shoot Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween. Then he asked his son, budding film director Charlie, for advice. "He said, 'Are you kidding?! It's Heroes! You gotta do it!'" Good calls all around: McDowell's iconic profile made Linderman's March 5 debut even more powerful. "After 17 episodes of building this guy up, we knew we needed an actor with a certain weight," says executive producer Tim Kring. "And Malcolm certainly has that weight."

He's also no stranger to playing ruthless people. McDowell, 63, is best known for sporting fishhook eyelashes and dishing out ultraviolence in A Clockwork Orange "I do enjoy playing extreme people-mostly because they're nothing like me," says McDowell, who'll haunt Heroes for at least three episodes this season. (Kring wants him to stick around longer.) When the series returns on April 23, McDowell says Linderman will reveal himself to be not just a mere gangster, but "the mastermind behind all the shenanigans that are going on," including the political machinations of Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) and the efforts of Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) to avert New York's nuclear incineration. McDowell's clearly pumped; during this interview, he excitedly let out a number of spoilers, from the ominous significance of the April 23 episodes title (".07%) to this: "The twist about Linderman is that he also has a power, which is-oh, I should probably hold back." (As will we.)

McDowell adds that he can't wait to film scenes for teh May21 season finale-and perhaps share screen time with Oka's time-warping, Star Trek-loving supergeek. "He's just marvelous, isn't he?" gushes the converted fanboy, before turning Linderman-eeeevil. "I can't wait to ask him for my sword back. Personally."

Burning Questions with Tim Kring

What's up with Mr. Sulu?
Hiro's father (George Takei) is "one of the several puppet masters pulling the strings," says exec producer Tim Kring. The other members of the illicit illuminati: Mr. Linderman and the Petrelli boys' mother, Angela.

What's the true mission of H.R.G.'s (Jack Coleman) hero-hunting company, Primatech?
"We're talking about a black ops agency that engages in a 'tag and release' monitoring program of the superpowered population," says Kring. "The mission won't be explicitly spelled out until season 2." However, he promises viewers will see "central headquarters, where the secrets are kept," by the end of season 1.

Does Sylar (Zachary Quinto) get his powers by eating brains?
"That'e the popular speculation," laughs Kring. "There is a connection between the powers and the brain- and Sylar has found [it]. Early in season 2, you'll find out what he's been doing with the brains.