MASI OKA

I have a lot of appreciation for what people do in front of the camera as well as behind the camera. I don't think I could like one without the other. Eventually, I think the road will lead me down to producing or directing, because it's more about problem solving.

Playing a superhero was an acting challenge for me. It was fun.

At its core, 'Heroes' is an ensemble character drama with genre elements.

The more things you do outside of your norm, the more ideas you get exposed to, the more people you get exposed to, and I think that's interesting.

I've been programming computers since elementary school, where they taught us, and I stuck with computer science through high school and college.

I'm a real dumb-dumb in real life. I'm just book smart. But definitely not street smart. The other day I lost my jacket in a cab. And I'll forget things every time I leave the house.

I got to college and saw all of my friends going to these other schools and thought, 'You know, college is just a blank slate.' And I had an opportunity to go to different schools, but I chose Brown because it was unique and allowed you to be yourself as an individual and like I said, it's a blank slate.

Even as we get older, we get in these routines - and routines are nice and comfortable - but I think that it's important to live life to its fullest and try different things. Because you never know what you're going to learn. You might not like it, you might like it.

I think it enriches you as a scientist to be able to see things in an artistic perspective and as an artist to see things in a scientific perspective.

I love both acting and programming equally. I think it enriches me and enhances me as an artist.

I played piano back in my elementary school days and I sang a cappella back in college.

I'm not American. I still have my Japanese citizenship.

Being a geek is a great thing. I think we're all geeks. Being a geek means you're passionate about something and that defines your uniqueness. I would rather be passionate about something than be apathetic about everything.

The key to digital effects is to do things that are visually accurate but done cheaply and approximated.

I wasn't the best UI programmer, but I know to use the interface and that stuff. It's definitely given me a leg up in terms of being able to talk to the people in the games industry.

I still have a Japanese passport. I haven't become an American citizen, and I am worried about getting deported every day.

When you're making an adaptation, you have to make content for the fans; otherwise, you'll get something that won't even be accepted by the mainstream. You want to make something that the fans will approve and the mainstream will enjoy.

If you look at Japanese drama, I think there is definitely a treasure trove of it, but I just don't think that people know about it. It's got to be pitched and presented better.

Will Smith is just an all-around amazing talent and really funny.

I was born in Japan and moved to L.A. when I was six, and I grew up with Japanese culture. I was reading manga, and I read 'Death Note' in real time in Japanese.

To have a director's direct feedback is invaluable.

In 'Star Wars: Episode II,' when Jango Fett is chasing Obi Wan Kenobi through an asteroid field, they needed a big asteroid to shatter into a million pieces, and I had to figure out how to do the fracturing, write the code, and show an artist how to use it.

I would say that there's definitely some advantages with me being able to talk shop with some of the effects people. Because I come from a post-production world, I can speak shorthand with them. I don't think many other actors can say that and know how the process 100% works.

Anyone can be a hero. You just have to have faith in yourself.

Acting can be very solitary, even if you're in a scene with someone else, because you worry about your own performance and if you look good.