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selenakSo, the Heroes actors do podcast commentaries for the episodes. Which I, as a non-American, can't get at, but thankfully there are kind fellow fans who do transcriptions. The commentary for the most recent episode, Landslide, was done by Masi Oka, George Takei and Matthew John Armstrong (Ted), and a transcript is here.
Some of the highlights from the commentary:
(scene shows Nathan's office)
M: 'Cause that's a nice office…!
G: It's a bit… uh…. *smiling* for my tastes, flamboyant.
M: For *YOUR* tastes, flamboyant?
G: Peach!
M: Peach.
G: Can you imagine me living in a house with peach walls?
M: *one eyebrow lilts thoughtfully* No, I guess not. No, I agree.
G: You have to be very imaginative to come up with that.
*looking at Malcolm McDowell* I love this performance…
M: Malcolm McDowell is so…
G: He's so wonderful.
M: His performance is so amazing. And so is Adrian's.
G: Yes, Adrian too. I mean, what a duo here.
A: Adrian's actually the last one… I don't think… I've met Adrian.
M: Oh really?
A: He's like the last one in the cast that I haven't met.
G: He is shockingly skinny. I met him in this tight shirt, and… I
couldn't believe… he existed.
*all laugh*
M: He's such a generous person and actor. It's just completely amazing.
A: Yea, it's great.
M: I actually got to hang with him when I was in New York last week.
A: Oh yea?
M: We had some crazy adventures. We actually went to Times Square to recreate…
A: Oh the scene?
M: my Yatta thing.
A: Oh, did he do it, too? Did he spin?
M: Yea, well, he actually too the camera and spun around me and had me
spin in the other direction.
G: Oh, he shot it?
M: Yea
A: He didn't play you though? I mean, I'm sure… people do go to Times
Square and do that.
M: Yea! I think that's what happens. People didn't think it was me.
"Oh, just some crazy tourist pretending to be Hiro again."
A: Right.
M: But little did they know…
G: You can go and do that again, unrecognized.
M: It was really me.
Let me say here: I want that footage of Masi reenacting the Yatta with Adrian on the Heroes DVD extras. Please?
And now for the commentary of the scene which makes me cry, and in which we learn about Japanese in-jokes:
G: From a street in downtown LA to the back of the Paramount lot.
A: Those are my old stomping grounds.
M: Yes. Of course, that's the stage, you were telling us…
G: Mm hm.
M: Where you caught on fire. (!!!)
G: That's right. Yes and Bill Shatner…put it out!
M: (overlapping) Bill Shatner was the hero.
G: Yes, he was the hero.
M: Adrian Pasdar's so amazing to work with, I… Every time I get a
chance to work with him…
G: You know, when you say this, when you say "Nei-san"
M: Yea I know it's like…
M&G: Big Sister!
M: It's kind of like a little on purpose. Nei-san Nii-san.
A: The stuff with you guys, too. I love watching you and Adrian.
M: Yeah I love… every time we work together it's amazing.
G: I thought you were suggesting something else by calling him Nei-san.
M: Ahhhh! *both laugh*
G: *to A* It's an "in" Japanese joke.
M: I love… Adrian's choice here… when he uh… opens up
G: Oh when he whispers?
M: Yea, when he whispers and opens up. I just loved that.
G: Yes, it's beautifully done, and then *waves* it's the politician
again. He's a very very
M: powerful
G: a very subtle actor.
M: *watching Hiro ask Nathan for help* Ah, hopeful, hopeful, hopeful, …hopeful… he says ‘I’m sorry’, comes in.
A: Crushed
M: I love that!
G: Yes, and the camera coming in so close to his face…
M: So sad…
G: And then… *snaps*
M: That smile. Ugh. We were both tearing up, I remember, when we were doing it. Aw, so sad.
G: You know, I saw the drop of tear in your eyes.
A: You know, it's interesting… the sort of softer moments with him
come when he's working with you. Like, that character,
M: it's cool
A: with Hiro, you know?
M: That's what I love about that relationship; that they can open up to each other.
Firstly, I am not going to say anything about what Hiro's pronounciation of Nathan's name means in Japanese. No, I am going to be a serious fan here, me. In the last days, I've seen people describe Nathan's answer to Hiro the way Ando does it later, Nathan being a jerk. It's not like I saw it, but then I'm prejudiced, so consider me smug and touched by Masi's description, that Nathan "opens up" to Hiro when says "I'm sorry, Hiro. I can't stop it. Nobody can"; he's not lying or taunting, and that's the saddest thing about it, at this point he believes what he says and it's killing him.
Suddenly, my most urgent question isn't "will Nathan survive" or "will Nathan survive and be semi-redeemed" anymore, but "will Nathan and Hiro have a moment of reconnection before the damm hiatus comes?" Masi saying "that's what I love about that relationship; that they can open up to each other" in present tense instead of past tense gives me some hope there. I'm a sad fangirl, what can I say?
*goes back to reading transcript*
Some of the highlights from the commentary:
(scene shows Nathan's office)
M: 'Cause that's a nice office…!
G: It's a bit… uh…. *smiling* for my tastes, flamboyant.
M: For *YOUR* tastes, flamboyant?
G: Peach!
M: Peach.
G: Can you imagine me living in a house with peach walls?
M: *one eyebrow lilts thoughtfully* No, I guess not. No, I agree.
G: You have to be very imaginative to come up with that.
*looking at Malcolm McDowell* I love this performance…
M: Malcolm McDowell is so…
G: He's so wonderful.
M: His performance is so amazing. And so is Adrian's.
G: Yes, Adrian too. I mean, what a duo here.
A: Adrian's actually the last one… I don't think… I've met Adrian.
M: Oh really?
A: He's like the last one in the cast that I haven't met.
G: He is shockingly skinny. I met him in this tight shirt, and… I
couldn't believe… he existed.
*all laugh*
M: He's such a generous person and actor. It's just completely amazing.
A: Yea, it's great.
M: I actually got to hang with him when I was in New York last week.
A: Oh yea?
M: We had some crazy adventures. We actually went to Times Square to recreate…
A: Oh the scene?
M: my Yatta thing.
A: Oh, did he do it, too? Did he spin?
M: Yea, well, he actually too the camera and spun around me and had me
spin in the other direction.
G: Oh, he shot it?
M: Yea
A: He didn't play you though? I mean, I'm sure… people do go to Times
Square and do that.
M: Yea! I think that's what happens. People didn't think it was me.
"Oh, just some crazy tourist pretending to be Hiro again."
A: Right.
M: But little did they know…
G: You can go and do that again, unrecognized.
M: It was really me.
Let me say here: I want that footage of Masi reenacting the Yatta with Adrian on the Heroes DVD extras. Please?
And now for the commentary of the scene which makes me cry, and in which we learn about Japanese in-jokes:
G: From a street in downtown LA to the back of the Paramount lot.
A: Those are my old stomping grounds.
M: Yes. Of course, that's the stage, you were telling us…
G: Mm hm.
M: Where you caught on fire. (!!!)
G: That's right. Yes and Bill Shatner…put it out!
M: (overlapping) Bill Shatner was the hero.
G: Yes, he was the hero.
M: Adrian Pasdar's so amazing to work with, I… Every time I get a
chance to work with him…
G: You know, when you say this, when you say "Nei-san"
M: Yea I know it's like…
M&G: Big Sister!
M: It's kind of like a little on purpose. Nei-san Nii-san.
A: The stuff with you guys, too. I love watching you and Adrian.
M: Yeah I love… every time we work together it's amazing.
G: I thought you were suggesting something else by calling him Nei-san.
M: Ahhhh! *both laugh*
G: *to A* It's an "in" Japanese joke.
M: I love… Adrian's choice here… when he uh… opens up
G: Oh when he whispers?
M: Yea, when he whispers and opens up. I just loved that.
G: Yes, it's beautifully done, and then *waves* it's the politician
again. He's a very very
M: powerful
G: a very subtle actor.
M: *watching Hiro ask Nathan for help* Ah, hopeful, hopeful, hopeful, …hopeful… he says ‘I’m sorry’, comes in.
A: Crushed
M: I love that!
G: Yes, and the camera coming in so close to his face…
M: So sad…
G: And then… *snaps*
M: That smile. Ugh. We were both tearing up, I remember, when we were doing it. Aw, so sad.
G: You know, I saw the drop of tear in your eyes.
A: You know, it's interesting… the sort of softer moments with him
come when he's working with you. Like, that character,
M: it's cool
A: with Hiro, you know?
M: That's what I love about that relationship; that they can open up to each other.
Firstly, I am not going to say anything about what Hiro's pronounciation of Nathan's name means in Japanese. No, I am going to be a serious fan here, me. In the last days, I've seen people describe Nathan's answer to Hiro the way Ando does it later, Nathan being a jerk. It's not like I saw it, but then I'm prejudiced, so consider me smug and touched by Masi's description, that Nathan "opens up" to Hiro when says "I'm sorry, Hiro. I can't stop it. Nobody can"; he's not lying or taunting, and that's the saddest thing about it, at this point he believes what he says and it's killing him.
Suddenly, my most urgent question isn't "will Nathan survive" or "will Nathan survive and be semi-redeemed" anymore, but "will Nathan and Hiro have a moment of reconnection before the damm hiatus comes?" Masi saying "that's what I love about that relationship; that they can open up to each other" in present tense instead of past tense gives me some hope there. I'm a sad fangirl, what can I say?
*goes back to reading transcript*
