We're talking about Hiro Nakamura, the giddy "Star Trek"-loving office drone played by Masi Oka on NBC's "Heroes." Fervent fans of the show have been charmed by his gleeful energy and by how he scrunches up his face like a "constipated hamster" just before traveling through time or space.

All the attention has been a big rush for Oka, 31, who after studying math and computer science at Brown University, pursued acting part time while working in the Bay Area at George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic.

Oka still might be toiling in relative obscurity had "Heroes" creator and Pittsburgh native Tim Kring stuck to his original script draft for the show, which contained no trace of the character. But after Kring realized the dark story could use some levity and a character who would "embrace his power with enthusiasm," a Hiro was born.

Q: You're one of the few breakout stars of the new TV season. How is life different?

A: It's so surreal. I used to be able to go out for dinner and be completely alone. Now, not so much. I get asked by people to pose for photos a lot.

Q: There has been plenty of Internet chatter among women who think you're so adorable that they want to cuddle with you. What do you make of that?

A: Some friends recently sent me a post they found from a woman who was saying she wanted to make me her pet. She wrote that she wanted to "put me in a cage to keep and kiss me and love me."

Q: Do you relate to your character in any way?

A: Sure. We're both Japanese, of course. And we're both big manga and anime enthusiasts. And I can relate to the fact that he's stuck in a corporate job and dreaming of being someone special, because I'm definitely living a dream right now.

Q: If you could time-travel in real life, where would you go?

A: I'd go back to my sophomore year in high school and tell myself to stay away from that certain girl. "Don't even think about asking her out - because there's 10 years of therapy waiting for you right there."

Q: You mentioned the "lightness" of Hiro. But you've also had to play the future version of the character, who seems more dark and serious. Is that a tough transition?

A: Any time you can play two diverse characters in one show, it's a great acting challenge. And playing Future Hiro is cool. You've got the robes, the sword and the soul patch which, in real life, would have taken me a whole year to grow. You feel like a total bad ass and a chick magnet.