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What makes NBC's smash superhero series, "Heroes," work is its relationships.

And of those, the most engaging is the one involving two Japanese office workers - between Hiro, a comic book dreamer who learns he has the power to bend space and time, and his best friend Ando, a strait-laced pragmatist who has no powers but gets sucked into the adventure of saving the world.

Because of the huge success of "Heroes," life has changed for 31-year-old actor James Kyson Lee, who plays Ando.

"I think my professional life definitely changed, obviously just because of the exposure of the show," he said during an interview last week. "There's more access now to projects of higher quality and better scripts . . . and being considered for roles that are not Asian-specific."

Lee is shooting a new movie in Salt Lake City this month called "White on Rice," a whimsical comedy about a Japanese family living in the U.S. It's being directed by Brigham Young University alum Dave Boyle, whose first film, last year's "Big Dreams Little Tokyo," will screen Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at the Salt Lake Film Center's Japanese Film Festival at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.

I talked to Lee about his character in "Heroes" and why Ando and Hiro have become the most endearing duo in the show and fan favorites.

"It kind of started out as a sort of like an odd couple, a dynamic duo if you will. And they used to compare us to Abbott and Costello, or they called us the new Martin and Lewis on set," he said. "It was very comical and just good back-and-forth dialogue. But our relationship progressed as our characters have changed, too."

During the course of the season, Ando went from reluctant participant to the sidekick who helps Hiro "save the cheerleader, save the world." By the end, Ando nearly sacrificed himself in a moment that had every fan wondered whether he might be killed.

"The writers are choosing Ando as sort of the guy to represent the viewer, the everyday people among us," he said.

"So many people used to ask 'When is Ando getting power?' '' he said. ''Now I just kind of like the fact that Ando is who he is and the fact that he is immortal, and that he really distinguishes himself.''

There isn't much that Lee can say about the second season, which he starts filming next month when he returns to Los Angeles. But he has hopes it will be as thrilling as the first.

"[The writers] made a very big statement at the wrap party that, 'We're not just going to ride the success, we're really going to challenge ourselves to create a season two that will even exceed the expectations and success of season one.' ''

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* VINCE HORIUCHI can be reached at vince@sltrib.com or 801-257-8607.