let me squash immediately whatever misguided notions anyone may have gotten from a picture taken a couple of days ago of hayden and me on the set. there were two papparazzi hanging around all day across the street taking pictures of hayden's every move. in the scene we were shooting claire (hayden) kisses her father (me) on the cheek. the angle at which the photo was taken created in a very misleading image. in one picture i am in short sleeves, that was a rehearsal, in the other i'm in a jacket, that was during a take.

that's it. please go no further with this nonsense.

sincerely,

jack coleman

Jack Coleman, who plays the mysterious Mr. Bennet on NBC's Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that fans can expect a satisfying ending as well as a "big cliffhanger" in the last few minutes of the upcoming season finale. "What it really is is a fantastic resolution," Coleman said in an interview at the Saturn Awards in Universal City, Calif., last week. "And then a springboard into something completely unexpected. I just saw it, and it's so cool I can't even tell you. It's just fantastic. It's like, 'What? What?' It's great."

Since the beginning of the season, Bennet has gradually been making the transition from an ambiguous villain into a hero. And now that he's chosen to protect his daughter, Claire (Hayden Panettiere), from the shadowy organization he once worked for, his transformation is complete. But that doesn't mean he won't still have a dark side. "I think he's morphed into a good guy," Coleman said of his character. "He had to make a choice. He chose Claire. And then there's the fallout from that. But the good thing is that I don't think he'll be defanged. I think his skill set will be used still in a morally gray way, but to different ends."

Coleman also said that Bennet, also known by the nickname H.R.G. because of his horn-rimmed glasses, will finally get a first name. "There will be a name," Coleman promised. "I can't tell you when it comes or how it comes, but I think there will be a name."

Few characters on NBC's hit drama "HEROES" are as baffling as the enigmatic Mr. Bennet. Last week, the actor who portrays Claire Bennet's adoptive father spoke to the press on an NBC conference call, and CBR News was there.
Episode 17, "Company Man," which airs Monday, February 26 th , promises to be a hallmark episode for the character whose name appears in "HEROES" scripts as Horn-Rimmed Glasses, or HRG for short (after his signature eyewear). Mr. Bennet lives in Odessa, TX, with his wife and daughter, Claire. And it is no accident that the invulnerable, young cheerleader came under his care: the seemingly mild-mannered employee of Primatech Paper is actually involved with a shadowy organization that has designs on Claire and all the people like her who have manifested superhuman abilities. HRG, along with a mysterious Haitian man who has the ability to erase memories, pursue the murderous Sylar, and advance an agenda re: the heroes known to them and them alone. And at the end of the day, HRG comes home to his loving family. "He's been able to sort of separate the personal and the professional for a long time." Coleman said. "And that is about to end."

Despite playing the leader of a shadowy government organization steeped in skullduggery on NBC's "Heroes," actor Jack Coleman swears he doesn't know much more about what his horned-rimmed glasses-wearing character is up to than the average fan.

"There are certain scenes, where you go, 'okay, I really don't know what I'm alluding to here'....But in general, I don't spend too much time worrying about what's coming on five episodes down the road," said Coleman, during a conference call for reporters.


"Speculation only gets so far and you're going to be wrong anyway, so you might as well go for the ride."


What Coleman does know is that 25 years after striking it rich as Steven Carrington, the openly gay son of an oil tycoon on "Dynasty," the actor has notched his second big television hit. Catching "lightning in a bottle" twice is how Coleman describes it - an ironic choice of words for the direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin. And he did so by embodying a character that threatens to become an iconic pop culture villain: equal parts merciless schemer and loving father.

Fireworks Due For Heroes' H.R.G.

Jack Coleman, who stars as the mysterious Mr. Bennet (aka Horn-Rimmed Glasses) on the hit NBC series HEROES, told SCI FI Wire that fans can look forward to more emotional fireworks between his character and Bennet's perceptive and distrustful daughter, the invincible cheerleader Claire (Hayden Panettiere). "Any allegiance on this show is subject to change," Coleman teased in a conference call with journalists on Feb. 16. "Certainly, the relationship between H.R.G. and Claire has been very strained lately. In episode 17 ('Company Man,' airing Feb. 26), there is a crisis situation that brings it to a head and possibly a temporary resolution. But I suspect the relationship between Claire and H.R.G. is one of the core values, so to speak, of this show. As twisted as the relationship is, they've said so many lies to each other, but ultimately I think they do really love each other, and there is a tremendous bond there. It's one of the bedrocks they build story on, so I can't imagine they will be at each other's throats and trying to kill each other. I think it's much more of a domestic issue rather than a superhero issue."

Coleman told TV Guide that H.R.G., as he's known as, wasn't intended to be more than just a guest star in the pilot. However, the character has expanded over the first dozen episodes and Coleman is now a series regular. Whether he is good or bad has yet to be seen, although last week's episode revealed that he doesn't appear to be the person responsible for cutting people's brains out of their heads. Although it will be slow in coming, more details will eventually come out about the "Face of Evil," Coleman said.

"I don't know when, but I can tell you that hints are starting to get dropped that there are marching orders, and there aren't a lot of clues as to where they're coming from," he said. "We're started to get the idea that H.R.G. is a cog in a larger wheel, but we have not quite learned that much more about it yet. I would say that H.R.G.'s motives may be suspect, but ultimately, I don't think he's plotting the end of the world."

Thanks to a spy inside NBC, the TV Addict recently came across a great interview with the man who is simply known as ?Horn Rimmed Glasses? on NBC?S newest hit HEROES. Here?s what now series regular Jack Coleman had to say about being television?s newest villain (or is it hero?).

When asked whether the myseterious character of ?H.R.G? is a good or bad guy, Coleman always answers with authority: ?Yes?.

On his character ?H.R.G?, ?I see my character as someone who could be either good or bad, but definitely creepy. That?s the operative word. He?s a guy caught out of time, like a refugee from the Cold War in the 1950s. H.R.G.?s default position is to plot ? he doesn?t know any other way.?

?They?ve made H.R.G. even scarier since he loves his daughter (cheerleader Claire, played by Hayden Panettiere) and his family, and thinks he?s doing everything for the greater good,? Coleman says. ?Every time he goes too far in one direction, they bring him back to the other direction. They?ve woven a rich tapestry and the show creates insatiable hunger for answers that form the journey.?

?It seems H.R.G. is the only one to have tentacles into so many other characters, but he might be biting off more than he can chew. And the ultimate question is ? who does he take orders from??

Coleman occasionally logs on to one of the many raging chat rooms dedicated to the series and observes what viewers have to share about recent episodes. ?I just saw a lot of reaction to the ?Save the Cheerleader? revelation. That got a lot of people wondering what that meant.?

"Heroes" has its villain: Jack Coleman, who plays the hit drama's mysterious Mr. Bennet, has been made a series regular.
Coleman ("Dynasty") joins the series full time in its 11th episode. He plays the father of Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), the cheerleader at the center of the show's current "Save the Cheerleader" story arc.

The thesp's character is also known as "H.R.G." - short for "Horn Rimmed Glasses," a strange figure who is seen kidnapping people (including Greg Grunberg's character, Matt Parkman) and experimenting on them.

Coleman's recent credits include the Disney Channel telepic "Cow Belles," as well as guest stints on "Entourage," "CSI: Miami" and "Nip/Tuck." He was a regular on ABC drama "Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital" and the Lifetime laffer "Oh Baby," and played Steven Carrington on "Dynasty."