Celebrity Byte

Masi Oka at the 2007 Hollywood Breakthrough Awards.

You spent a lot of this new season in feudal Japan. What was that like for you?

I loved it. I grew up with that. It's the equivalent to Westerns for kids who grew up here. I grew up watching the Samurai. I just wish I got to do more fighting. The Samurais were always sword fighting. It took a while to finally do a sword fight.

How has "Heroes" changed your life?

The biggest change for me is being able to meet so many wonderful people, whether it's the artists and creative collaborators from the show or the fans of the show all over the world. We just did a world tour and it's amazing to know that we've been able to connect with people all over the globe. And it's been great to meet my TV family, my brothers and sisters on the set.

What's your life like now with all of this work?

It's been fantastically busy. Sometimes we had four units running on "Heroes" at one time because there was a rush to beat the strike and we were shooting two episodes at once. I was also shooting another film, the Get Smart DVD for next year, at the same time as I was doing the show. It's interesting because the more you progress in your career the more work you have to do.

Where did you go on your "Heroes" World Tour?

We went to Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong. It's funny, because the media in Japan would ask me, "You're the most famous Japanese actor in America how do you feel? You're bringing Japanese culture to America, how do you feel about it?" And while this was flattering, I'm just an actor. The press had the headline, "Masi Oka's Triumphant Return to Japan," and I'm like, Dude, I'm not a war hero. I'm just an actor. They wouldn't call me Mr. Oka, they wanted my name to be one word, Mr. Masioka. In Hong Kong and Singapore we were like the Beatles. We couldn't go anywhere. We were mobbed everywhere we went. It's amazing how popular the show is over there.

I'm just an actor. The press had the headline, "Masi Oka's Triumphant Return to Japan," and I'm like, dude, I'm not a war hero.

Were you able to check out what's new in games in Japan?

I found some PlayStation 3 titles in Japan that I'm looking forward to. The Thousand Day War looked really good. They also had a lot of interesting Nintendo DS stuff, which made me want to use my DS more. In Japan, if you have a PSP, it's more than just a gaming device. You can download all of this stuff. In America, you don't have that. And in Japan you have so many mobile applications that we don't have here.

What's new at the Japanese arcades?

When you go to the arcade in Japan, everything is all about simulation. It's about using your body. They have these big machines and it's all about driving a train or controlling a Mech Warrior. They have skateboarding, snowboarding and drum machines. Now they have dance games with sensors that go on your hands and stuff. It's kind of cool how you can go to the arcade and actually get exercise.

Masi Oka during CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, a live global broadcast honoring everyday heroes.

Has the show's success impacted your own gaming habits?

Yes, I feel like I have to be more responsible with my time. Not that gaming is a waste of time. I like to have my gaming relaxation time. When I was playing World of Warcraft, I couldn't believe how much time I spent inside of that world. And as great a world as that is, I realize I live in a great world. I want to create these fantasies now, not just live in it. If I have free time I want to write and do creative things. I'm really enjoying real life.

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