‘Heroes’ Star Ali Larter Apologizes To Former Co-Star Leonard Roberts After He Accused Her Of Racist Behavior On Set
‘Heroes‘ star Ali Larter issues an apology to her former co-star Leonard Roberts after he accused her of racist behavior on set during the first season of the NBC show. She says, “I am deeply saddened to hear about Leonard Roberts’ experience on Heroes and I am heartbroken reading his perception of our relationship, which absolutely doesn’t match my memory nor experience on the show.”
Larter’s apology follows Roberts’ recently published personal essay in Variety, where he discussed his controversial exit from Season 2 of ‘Heroes.’ Roberts claimed he continuously clashed with his main co-star, Larter, suggested that’s what led to his exit. While accusing her of her racist behavior, Roberts claims the show’s creator and showrunner, Tim Kring, was apathetic to him and his allegations.
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Prior to his character being killed off in the second season, Roberts claims Larter never wanted to interact with him on set, which played a role in him getting written on ff the show. Additionally, Roberts claims Larter refused to appear in intimate scenes with his character, who was her husband on the show. When asking his white co-star, Adrian Pasdar, if Larter was open to appearing in similar scenes with his character, he confirmed yes.
Roberts further writes, “To Black people, whether a part of the entertainment industry or not, the frustration and pain I went through was an all-too-familiar reminder of what it meant to feel as invisible as Ralph Ellison’s revered protagonist. But to white and non-Black people in my orbit, what happened was often chalked up to a tough break.”
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Roberts also notes that the show didn’t have any non-white writers. He said, “I encourage white people to understand that while standing as allies has its place, action is what this moment demands. The white show creator can’t create a show featuring non-white on-camera talent but disregard non-white voices behind the scenes.”