Save the cheerleader, save the world? How about trying to rescue everyone who's trying to save her?

That's the job of Dr. Mohinder Suresh, a scientist who's taken over his deceased father's job of finding those humans with DNA that gives them superpowers. Unfortunately for them, they're being hunted down and murdered.

Found in "Heroes," airing Mondays on NBC, Suresh is played by Sendhil Ramamurthy, who has adjusted well to not having a superpower. "In the beginning, I was totally bummed. I won't lie to you," he says. "I was like 'This sucks! All of my friends are gonna make fun of me. I'm the only one that doesn't have a power!' But now I like the fact that the audience sees these things through my eyes. ... I think if everybody had a power on the show, it would become 'The Justice League' or something like that."

For someone who's on the hottest show around, it's amazing to learn that Ramamurthy never intended to act professionally. "Tufts (University) is a liberal arts school, and to graduate, I had to have an arts credit. And so I just took Intro to Acting because I thought it would be easy," Ramamurthy says. "I'd never acted before my junior year in college. I took the class because I thought it would be an easy A, and it wasn't. It was actually a lot of work."

Despite not being enamored with the class, he discovered that the actual acting process was something that snagged his imagination. Having auditioned for a play as part of a class assignment and being cast, he initially didn't want to do it. "I was like 'This isn't what I planned on happening,' " he said.

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Birth date: May 17.

Favorite actresses: Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett in "Babel," Kate Winslet in "Little Children."

Favorite actor: Marlon Brando, Sam Rockwell ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy").

Favorite movies: "On the Waterfront"; "Withnail & I."

Sibling: One younger sister.

Higher education: Tufts University, majored in history.

Hobby: Tennis: participated in competitive tennis as a youth