Don't turn your back, lest you lose your noggin, because the big bad on NBC's "Heroes" craves brains. Actor Zachary Quinto was recently revealed to be the face behind the show's primary villain, Sylar.
Quinto has appeared in just three "Heroes" episodes so far, but he's already made a killer impression. He was mostly seen in the shadows until the Nov. 30 episode revealed his character's background.
"Heroes," one of the few bona-fide hits of the fall 2006 TV season, concerns normal human beings who begin to develop unusual powers, including flight, mind reading, a split personality and indestructibility. In that Nov. 30 episode, viewers learned Sylar was once a mild-mannered watchmaker/repairman named Gabriel Gray. He took his alias, Sylar, from the brand name on the face of a watch.
"The sad part is, he's initially well-intentioned. He wants to improve his life," Quinto said. "He wants to make a difference. He wants to matter. Through the process of realizing how to do that, he gets blinded and loses himself in the pursuit of it and goes a little crazy — 'a little' being understatement."
The big question is, how, exactly, does Sylar absorb the powers of his victims. Does he eat their brains, Hannibal Lecter-style?
"They haven't told me," Quinto said. "The impression I was operating under was he actually ingested them, but I don't know. It's the question I'm most often asked."
That and how long he'll stay on the show. "The stage is set for me to be around for a while," Quinto said. "I would love for it to be the rest of the season."
But he's only as far ahead on the "Heroes" story as what's been filmed.
Sylar is certainly Quinto's most prominent prime-time role to date. He had a recurring role as CTU computer tech Adam Kaufman on "24" in season three, and he played Tori Spelling's best friend on VH1's "So NoTORIous" earlier this year.
"This couldn't be more different," Quinto said. "Certainly more people tuned into one episode of 'Heroes' than tuned into the whole nine episodes of 'So NoTORIous."'
For an upcoming "Heroes" episode, Quinto filmed a scene with a cockroach that got too friendly, climbing up the inside of his pant leg.
"What was I going to do, jump up and have a tantrum?" Quinto recalled, chuckling. "So I was just lying there. As soon as they cut, the cockroach wrangler jumped up and went to get the cockroach, but it was a long five seconds."
He's wary of getting too caught up in the "Heroes" hype, recognizing it could set up expectations that would only lead to disappointment. But he does have one dream role in mind: To play a young Spock in the new "Star Trek" movie. Quinto certainly has the complexion and bearing to pull it off.
"I missed the 'Superman Returns' boat," Quinto said, although many have commented about his resemblance to Clark Kent when he wore glasses in a recent episode. "So I'm angling for 'Star Trek.' People are constantly telling me I bear some resemblance to Leonard Nimoy."
He joked about talking to "Heroes" regular Greg Grunberg, who was on "Alias," whose creator, J.J. Abrams, is directing the new "Trek."
"Maybe Sylar should tell Greg, 'I promise I won't kill you if you get me an audition,"' Quinto said, laughing. "We'll see what happens."
The next original episode of "Heroes" is scheduled to air Monday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m. on NBC/Ch. 5.