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Fans will recognize James Kyson Lee as Ando on the hit series Heroes. He talks about the show, what the role of Ando means to him, and where you can see him next.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Tell us about life since Heroes.

JAMES KYSON LEE:
Yeah, it’s been insane. We’ve been filming. The schedule’s been really frantic. It’s such a fast-paced show. I really haven’t had much time off. It’s been an amazing ride so far.

THE STAR SCOOP:
How does your character, Ando, challenge you do to something different with acting?

JAMES KYSON LEE:
When I read the pilot script, I definitely felt like there was something special at hand. I couldn’t put it down, and I was really curious and excited to see how it was all going to come together. In terms of the role, I think the biggest challenge has been learning a foreign language. Japanese is not my native language. I took a semester of it in college, but [this is] by far the most that I’ve had to study intensively. It’s been a lot of fun. I have a coach that I’ve been working with. It’s a long process to sort of go through. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Ando is a really interesting character to play because he sort of takes the place of an audience member. He’s this mortal drawn into this supernatural world, sort of slowly learning for himself what it means to become a hero and take part in this journey. I think for someone who doesn’t have a power specifically, it takes more for someone to become a believer in this. It’s been a lot of fun. He’s one of the characters that’s gone through one of the biggest character growths and changes through season one.

THE STAR SCOOP:
What else has the role of Ando done for you?

JAMES KYSON LEE:
It’s been huge, definitely recognition is there. I get recognized in the most random places. I get Myspace messages from people and fans in Germany. The show hasn’t even aired yet, sort of downloaded somehow. The show has really become international. I’m actually going to be doing a 20th Century Fox feature, called Shutter, and I’m going to be filming in Tokyo, in Japan, which I’m really excited for because it will be my first time there.

THE STAR SCOOP:
What can you tell us about your role in Shutter?

JAMES KYSON LEE:
Shutter is a supernatural thriller, more on the lines of The Sixth Sense. It’s basically about an American couple [who] go on an assignment in Japan. They end up accidentally hitting, driving at night, a girl who is on the road; they get into a car accident. When they wake up they can’t find the body. They’re not sure if they hit a deer or if they were hallucinating. But basically, the ghost of the girl starts to appear in all the pictures that they take. That’s why the picture is called “shutter,” for the shutter [of a] lens. I play a guy named Ritsuo. I basically explain what spirit photography is, which is a huge phenomenon in Japan. He’s sort of like a voice of moral conscience in the story, where these people are experiencing these supernatural phenomena that they don’t know what’s going on, and I basically sort of explain why spirit photography exists.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Do you have any other projects in the works?

JAMES KYSON LEE:
I have four feature films coming out this year and next year. I just got an offer to play the lead in a feature called “White Rice.” It looks like I’ll be filming that in Utah.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Shooting in so many places, is it hard to have to move around so much?

JAMES KYSON LEE:
I love traveling for work. Especially nowadays, there’s not a lot of time for me to. I love traveling, and I don’t have a lot of off time to go around the world. I’m trying to use these occasions as best I can. I’m going to try to do some sightseeing [filming in Japan]. It would have been nicer to have more of a hiatus or a break time during the summer, but you know, these are projects that I definitely want to be part of an involved in.

THE STAR SCOOP:
How did you get into this business, arrive at this point?

JAMES KYSON LEE:
I grew up in New York City, and I went to school in Boston. I studied Communications. I thought I was going to go into like sports. I grew up around a lot of sports. I started doing some really basic improv after school and just kind of fell in love with – it was a feeling that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I felt like a kid again, and it just kind of spawned an interest. I really hadn’t done any kind of formal training in acting. I basically sold my used car for 1800 bucks, I packed a suitcase and I bought a one way ticket to L.A. and I flew out here in 2001. I didn’t know a single person in the city. My first night in Los Angeles, I slept in my rental car. I feel what helped me is that I didn’t come out to L.A. for Hollywood per say, I just came out really for life, to discover myself. I started training everything from Jazz singing to musical theater, dance and acting for the first time. I just had to rediscover myself. It was like twenty years of creativity unleashed.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Going back to Heroes, because that’s where we started, who was your favorite superhero growing up?

JAMES KYSON LEE:
I loved Spiderman. I really love Spiderman for some reason, I guess because Peter Parker was younger, and he just felt like even though he was super powers, and all, he just felt rooted in reality. He was like a young guy, sort of going through his own angst and life issues, and he came across his supernatural power by accident. I liked the fact that he had a family, he also had a girlfriend. He just felt more rooted in reality. Stan Lee, the founder of Marvel comics, who created Spiderman made a cameo on our show as a bus driver. I got to meet him and talk with him a little bit. I also loved Dragon Ball. It’s a Japanese comic book. I read that when I was young. I kind of related to the character a lot. When he’s hungry, he can’t function, which is kind of how I am. I have a really high metabolism. When I’m hungry. I can’t do anything. Food is my weakness, that’s my kryptonite.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Why do you think the world is so fascinated by superheroes right now?

JAMES KYSON LEE:
I feel with our show, it’s various elements. One, the writing’s so good. If you look at our cast, we have a really diverse cast and age range. I think that sort of reaches out to a vast number of audiences. Like I mentioned about Spiderman, our show is rooted in reality. It’s about human relationships, and it’s about people from different backgrounds coming together for a common goal. I just want to thank all the fans out there for supporting our show. It’s what makes it possible and I also want to thank press and publications like yourself that really helps us to get in touch with the people and the fans on a more personal level.