“Former "Heroes" star Masi Oka discusses recurring role on "Hawaii Five-0" - Daily Oklahoman”

Former "Heroes" star Masi Oka discusses recurring role on "Hawaii Five-0" - Daily Oklahoman

Posted: 17 Oct 2010 09:57 PM PDT

BY MELISSA HAYER Oklahoman Comment on this article

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"Hawaii Five-0" stars Alex O'Loughlin as Five-0 leader Steve McGarrett. His associates in fighting crime in Hawaii are Scott Caan as detective Danny "Danno" Williams, Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho Kelly and Grace Park as Kono Kalakaua.

Oka, 35, of Los Angeles, will make his first appearance at 9 tonight as Dr. Max Bergman, the Honolulu County medical examiner who performs autopsies for the Five-0 team.

Bergman is a childhood piano prodigy and MENSA member who was licensed as a doctor before he was old enough to drive.

Despite his intelligence, Bergman is awkward when it comes to human interaction, which is why he chose the line of work that he's in.

Oka answered questions about his recurring role on "Hawaii Five-0" during a recent media telephone conference call.

Q: Did you watch Doc Bergman (Al Eben) in the original series to get an idea of what Max would be like?

A: I actually didn't. ... It's like the whole idea is not to really look at the original too much, because there's a reason for a remake. I trust the creators and the writers and the staff to create that remake, or that tone, or whatever they want to do for the modernized version ... not to really re-enact what was portrayed but just give it our own flavor, just to give it a new spice.

Q: After being a regular on a series, what's it like going into a show as a guest star?

A: It's fun. It's a new environment. Fortunately, I know Daniel Dae Kim from the "Lost" days. I've always watched Grace Park's work, and Scott and Alex are amazing as well.

It's kind of strange to go in as a guest where it's not a family I was part of, but everyone's been so welcoming, and it feels like I'm already a part of their family just going in there. It's a little bit different, but at the same time, it's kind of an exciting ... a new adventure is always exciting.

Q: How has filming been in Hawaii?

A: Oh, it's a lot of fun. First of all, the cast and the crew is really amazing. Everyone's really funny on set. The first episode I get to work with Scott and Alex, and they literally banter like (they do in the show) off camera as well, so it's really funny to see that odd couple scenario going on.

Q: How many episodes are you doing?

A: So far, I've done two, ... and I know they're talking about writing me into a bunch more.

Q: Your character's social skills are kind of off. What are some of the funnier things you've done so far?

A: Well, he gets in his own world, so in the morgue he had the piano, for instance, right next to the examination room, so he'll play to think. He's a tactile thinker, so in order to be inspired, he'll just play the piano, and then he thinks logically through the music.

I kind of liken him to more of like a mad professor. It actually takes him like three minutes to like five minutes into a conversation he's having with everybody until he realizes people around him, for instance.

Q: Given the nature of this role as a medical examiner, is there potential for things to go wrong during the shooting of a scene?

A: Ironically, the hardest thing wasn't within the lines or the piano playing, it was putting the gloves on. Those rubber gloves are so hard to smoothly put on. I would usually have two fingers in one of the holes, and you had to continue the scene. That was the hardest part out of everything.

Q: How do you think your "Heroes" fans will react to this role?

A: It's impossible to really predict anything. Any of the fans, we really appreciate them watching the show and especially following the new stuff I do. There's always going to be a part of me in every role, so there might be a little bit of similarities, but at the same time it's a very completely different character. First of all, my hairstyle is completely different, which is nice.

The glasses are actually quite familiar. I remember going to a warehouse where they had all these glasses and everyone saying we definitely don't want Hiro (his character in "Heroes") glasses, so we tried big, round ones, and we tried tinted ones, and we tried some black frame ones. But they ended up being fairly similar to the Hiro glasses, which is kind of interesting.

It's a different kind of character, still comedic, somewhat socially awkward, but it's played in a very different way.

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