‘Heroes’ Was Supposed to Be Leonard Roberts’ Big Break. Instead, It Nearly Broke Him.
"I learned that while the acting was the vacation, the vocation was being a team player and towing the positive party line in press interviews. I was only interested in dealing with drama that was on the page, but that goal would prove to be elusive." https://t.co/hvAjct7SVC
- Variety (@Variety) December 16, 2020
Leonard Roberts is known for his performance as D.L. Hawkins on the first season of NBC’s “Heroes.”
The show debuted in 2006 to immediate blockbuster status, making overnight sensations of many of its stars. Roberts’ time on the show was far more troubled.
He experienced immediate friction with his main co-star Ali Larter - and perceived indifference from creator and showrunner Tim Kring - that led him to feel singled out as a Black actor, a feeling that only grew more intense after he was fired from the show after its first season.
10 people who either worked on “Heroes” at the time or were contemporaneously familiar with his experience on the show, corroborated Roberts’ account.
When reached for comment, Ali Larter did not provide any comment, while Kring and executive producer Dennis Hammer both praised Roberts, and did not dispute his account.
•His character had been removed from the pilot and would be introduced in the second episode.
•He was told his character would not be introduced in the second episode, but Episode 6 would mark his debut.
•He was not allowed to share his thoughts on his character with the writing stafff.
•There were no Black writers on staff, despite the show having three Black series regulars.
•During a photoshoot all the Black adult series regulars were relegated to the back and sides.
•Roberts and Larter had an intimate scene to play that did not go well at all unlike the one she did with Pasdar
•A photoshoot for EW, Larter complained to Roberts that their cover was selling the least of all of them.
•He was worried for his future but was told many times he would return for season 2.
•Kring left a voicemail message, that due to “the Ali Larter situation,” his character would die.
•During a meeting, they explained to him that he had not chemistry with Larter and his character was useless.
•They told him he was loved but Larter was the problem but they would deny it to the press.
“Don’t think of this as a situation where the Black man loses and the white woman wins,”
•He was fired but was asked to promo for S2 to not reveal the death of his character, he declined.
•He only accepted to film the death scene after he made sure he would be paid as a series regular.
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