Ali Larter Apologizes To Leonard Roberts After He Claims Racism Led To Firing

From 2006 to 2010, Heroes, a superhero television series, was a hit show on NBC. The premise revolved around regular, everyday people who all of sudden realize they have superpowers, and for four seasons, audiences were captivated by the storyline. Now, 10 years after the finale, Heroes star Leonard Roberts has come forward with accusations against co-star Ali Larter. The allegations were trending topics for the better part of the day (December 16), as Roberts claimed his character was killed off of the show because of Larter.

“The script suggested [my character] and [Larter’s character] had a volatile relationship — and it wasn’t long before art was imitating life,” Roberts wrote in a lengthy article for Variety. He detailed several experiences, including an episode when Larter made a fuss about dropping her bra strap in a bedroom scene with Roberts. The actor said they had to cut as Larter complained that she'd never been so disrespected for being asked to bare her shoulder, but when a similar scene with co-star Adrian Pasdar arose, she didn't seem to have a problem. 

“I couldn’t help wondering whether race was a factor,” Roberts wrote. He also spoke about non-White characters being killed off and soon, he was concerned about his character's fate. "His presence on the show kept getting smaller, and by the mid-season finale he had been shot more times than 2Pac." Robert later revealed that Heroes creator Tim Kring told him that he would be killed off in the second season of the series  “due to ‘the Ali Larter situation.'"

After going viral for hours, Larter addressed the allegations against her. “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,” the actress said in a statement. “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.”

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