Venezuela-born actor Santiago Cabrera has been a rising television star
for a number of years having appeared in both American and English
television shows such as MI-5 and the miniseries Empire.
But nothing could have prepared him for the role of the heroin addicted
soothsayer/comic book artist Isaac Mendez in the NBC hit Heroes.
In just a few episodes Isaac has become an integral part of the
serialized drama because his paintings reveal what will bring all the
main characters together to save New York City from a nuclear
explosion.

Since Isaac’s paintings are rendered by comic book artist Tim Sale,
Cabrera has spent a lot of time with the famed artist and has used his
experiences to flesh out the character of Isaac.

Newsarama: Are you shooting this week?

Santiago Cabrera: Not this week, no.

NRAMA: Are they not shooting an episode or you’re just not in the episode?

SC: They are. I did my bit already. We’re on episode nine at the moment.

NRAMA: What can you tell about your character in episode nine?

SC: I can say very little, but there is a change in him wanting
to do something about his addiction and wanting to do some good with
the paintings. What we’ve seen until now is a very tortured
relationship as a result of his ability to paint the future but not
being able to control it and not knowing what’s happening. In a way, it
is out of his hands. So we do see more of a want there to maybe make a
difference and change.

NRAMA: By episode nine, has he met more of the other main characters?

SC: Yeah, that’s something that’s very interesting about this
character. The fact that his paintings predict future events and that
there’s clues in the paintings itself is a nucleus. It’s something that
will bring characters together. There is that prophetic quality he’s
able to put into a canvass. It’s like he has this vision of this
Polaroid picture of what’s going to happen but he doesn’t know what’s
going to happen beforehand or how it’s going to get to that or what the
consequences would be after that. But that actual image is something
very crucial that will bring characters together in the story because
people will find these paintings and the paintings will have a lot of
clues on where to go.

NRAMA: Are the paintings and the comics still done by Tim Sale?

SC:
Yeah. He’s always there. We keep in touch a lot. He sends me email.
Sometimes I ask him to send me the drawings beforehand. I met him very
early on. I did the pilot and I asked to meet him and he was very nice.
He has a studio in his home and he showed me around his studio and the
way he works and how he approaches his projects. We’ve kept in touch
and figured out the style of this character with where he’s coming from
and what his style specifically is. It’s been a lot of fun to be able
to have a relationship with the actual painter.

NRAMA: Do you feel interacting with Tim Sale gives you more insight into Isaac?

SC: It does. It’s been great. I’ll suggest bringing out details
when it comes to having to paint and things like what brushes to use.
Also as the series goes on, the more solid I am with things then the
more things I’ll be able to bring to the table. But also it’s been
great to define what Isaac’s style is. Tim has been very open to my
suggestions. It’s amazing how he took it on because I see Isaac as a
very tortured guy. He’s coming from very dark places that he’s
creating. I had that image of Goya when he was in his dark paintings
period. I mentioned that to Tim and he loved that period. He actually
got himself a copy of one of Goya’s paintings and started to bring that
into the character, so that’s been great. He started to bring that into
the painting and it was such an immediate thing. I think he had it
already started to do that already with his comic book background. But
then he played around with them even more.

NRAMA: What was your audition for Heroes like?

SC: I pursued Heroes because it was like nothing I have
ever read before. I had read a few pilots and this one just stood out
to me. I rang my manager and said I really want to go up for this. They
saw me eventually and it was in a room, everyone was there. [Heroes
creator] Tim [Kring], the director, producers. I remember it was a
pretty intense scene from the pilot where he’s getting back on heroin.
When I read it, I was really in the zone there and I just really went
for it and there was a silence in the room afterwards and they were
like, “Well thank you very much for that. Maybe you would try it now
not so on the effects of drugs.” I just lost myself and really went for
it. So then I did a different version. I got a feeling it went well
because they spent a lot of time with me. That’s always a good sign. We
did a few different versions and afterwards we talked about the
character so I could see they were already interested in me. Then they
called me back for the network test and then I got the part so it was
very exciting.

NRAMA: What made you pursue Heroes so much?

SC:
I thought it was very universal. I’ve lived in different places. I’m
from South America but I grew up in Europe mostly and I imagine that
people from all over the world would like it. Also there were a lot of
characters so different people would have their favorites and identify
with each one in the story. I really liked that there were a few
drawings already in the script, which you don’t normally see, like in
the chapter pages and the introduction. They were simple drawings but
it just gave it a feel and an atmosphere in a gritty adventurous way
which really stood out for me.

NRAMA: Do you know people who have gone through what Isaac’s going through with the drugs?

SC: I went to a lot of rehab clinics and talked to a lot of
heroin addicts which was very helpful. It’s very interesting to see
everything from the case worker to some actual patients. They were
telling me they get a lot of artists like musicians and writers that go
through the same thing as Isaac without the premonitions of course.
There’s something about Isaac that stems from insecurity. He’s a
hypersensitive guy even though he feels disgusted and dangerous; he
still has an affinity to be an artist. The drugs are maybe a way to
deal with the outside world and with his ability. A lot of artists that
are patients are people that are doing well, they’re creating great
music and great writing but they think that they can only do it when
they’re on drugs. They really don’t believe or they’re too scared to
try it own their own. Eventually when they kick the habit, they all say
that their work is even better. It will be very interesting to see what
Isaac will paint when he’s off the drug. That’s definitely something
that I think is in the works. We don’t know much about what’s going on
too much because they don’t really give us much, but it’s definitely an
interesting territory to get into with the character.

NRAMA: What’s everyone feeling now that the show is a hit?

SC: Everyone is very excited and the fact that the network
already picked it up for more episodes is gratifying. It’s very
motivating to be in a show that the network is pushing. From the
beginning the network was behind it, promoting it and getting it out
there to the people. But I’m not surprised because I just thought it
was so unique but then you never know. Though deep down I really had a
good feeling about it because I really thought it was something very
different from the other shows that they’re putting out there. It’s so
advanced from anything else in the world, especially American
television, and the more you watch it, the more you realize why.

NRAMA: Are people more relaxed now?

SC: Yeah, they are. There’s a happy vibe. Yesterday we went to a TV Guide
photo shoot and everyone was there. It’s a good feeling. People really
feel good about what they’re doing and they feel like they’re involved
in something special.

NRAMA: Does working with Tim Sale and [Heroes writer/producer] Jeff Loeb, make you want to check out their comic books?

SC: Yeah and I have. After I met Tim, he gave me a few of his
comics. Since I’m playing a guy who actually does comics himself I’ve
been reading more comic books and trying to get more into it. Comics
are much grittier than I thought.

NRAMA: What comics did Tim give you?

SC: He gave me a few issues of his and Jeph’s Daredevil: Yellow.
He gave me a collection of different kinds of drawings which were
things that weren’t necessarily out in the stands. He gave me a Batman
as well. Daredevil is something I really love. I didn’t really know
Daredevil before. I just find it fascinating so I’ve been buying my own
lately.

NRAMA: You’re the first person I’ve spoken to that has said they’ve actually gone and gotten some comics because of the show.

SC: Yeah but I’ve got more of a reason in a way, playing a guy
who actually does it himself. I’ve been copying a few drawings and
stuff, so I’m having fun with that as well.

NRAMA: Are you in the rest of this season?

SC: Well you never know. Isaac is a very crucial character and
what I loved about this part is that he’s still full of surprises. He’s
someone that can go anywhere and you never know what direction he’s
going to go. You can take him different places. There’s a lot of depth
to him and a lot of layers to this part so I’m thinking yes, but
there’s no guarantee for anybody.

NRAMA: That’s scary.

SC: It is scary but you just have to know that when it’s done,
it’s for the best. Things are going fantastic now. You’ve just got to
be positive and it’s all for the best of the show. But I think already
it’s been a positive experience for everyone, so whatever happens to
anyone, I think it’s going to be nothing but good for everyone involved
in this project.

Heroes airs Mondays at 9 pm EST on NBC
http://www.nbc.com/Heroes