
Interview With Ali Larter (Niki Sanders In Heroes)
Power: Has A Protective Alter Ego
What were your first thoughts on your character when you first came across the part?
When I read the pilot I didn’t actually know what direction it was going other than the fact that you’ve got a really complicated woman who’s just trying to get by. She’s trying to be a great mother to her son and her world’s really crumbling around her. So, it wasn’t about what kind of power she was getting, it was just about her dealing with her life and wondering if she’s going crazy and what’s happening to her.
Where we’re leading to is that there’s going to be duality within my personality. So there’s one side that has to conform to society’s roles and laws and the shadow side that can actually live out the dark fantasies that, you know, are repressed within all of us.
But we’re going to get a little romance, we’ll get a little bit of cheekiness in it and the amazing thing about this writing is that it really pushes me.
You have a son in the show, how did you find it playing a mother?
Noah’s incredible. He makes my job easy. Watching his relationship with his mother has been a huge inspiration for me. She’s so open and so giving, we discussed the scenes before and hang out whenever we have a chance. They have an incredible connection. Noah and I use as much as we can from that to inspire us within our roles.
I think that as a woman, there’s a side in all of us that really has this desire and this need to protect a child. Watching my nephews there’s definitely that side within me that would do anything to protect them. So I guess I understand that.
I’ve just been around kids my whole life. So it really hasn’t been a struggle for me at all. It’s been a natural transition and I just think it’s a really interesting unique relationship.
Your character has an inherent sexuality, do you think it is important to stay in shape? How uncomfortable are the more risqué scenes?
Read the full story