17 December 2020
Newsdesk
Ali Larter has apologised after her Heroes co-star Leonard Roberts claimed that her behaviour was partly responsible for his exit from the show.
Roberts - who played D.L. Hawkins in the sci-fi show opposite Larter as his wife Niki Sanders - penned an essay for Variety in which he alleged that while he tried to get on with the actress from the beginning, she didn't reciprocate.
"I pondered why my co-star had exuberantly played a different scene with the Petrelli character (Nathan Petrelli, played by Adrian Pasdar) involving overt sexuality while wearing lingerie, but found aspects of one involving love and intimacy expressed through dialogue with my character, her husband, disrespectful to her core," he wrote. "I couldn't help wondering whether race was a factor."
Following his essay, Larter issued a statement apologising for her alleged treatment of him.
"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," she told TVLine.
"I respect Leonard as an artist and I applaud him or anyone using their voice and platform. I am truly sorry for any role I may have played in his painful experience during that time and I wish him and his family the very best."
Roberts' character ended up being killed off at the start of season two.
Series creator Tim Kring also responded to Roberts' essay in a statement to Variety, in which he said: "Looking back now, 14 years later, given the very different lens that I view the world through today, I acknowledge that a lack of diversity at the upper levels of the staff may have contributed to Leonard experiencing the lack of sensitivity that he describes. I have been committed to improving upon this issue with every project I pursue. I remember Leonard fondly and wish him well."
Heroes ran from 2006 to 2010.
