For the people out there who may not have heard of Greg Beeman, can you give us a brief bio of who you are and what you've done before?

I've been kicking around for a long time. I grew up loving comic books, and still havea couple thousandcomics from the 60's and 70's, including complete editions of Silver Surfer, Conan, and two sets of the first few New X-Men, starting with the famous Giant-Size X-Men #1, which I bought two copies of on the newsstand for 50 cents...

I saw Star Wars the week it opened when I was a teenager and it inspired me to make films. When I found out that George Lucas went to USC Film School I determined I would do the same. Luckily I was young and dumb enough to not know that was a hard thing to wantto do. Anyway, while at USC I learned the elementary aspects of filmmaking and I met many great people who would become lifelong friends, and, most importantly, I met my wife. Tim Kring coincidentally was at USC Film School at the same time I was and we have known each other all thistime.

I made a student film in 1984 called The Big Garage which I adapted from a short story by T. Corgahessan Boyle. It won some national awards and launched me into directing professionally. I worked on a number of music videos in the early 80's and a couple of Disney Sunday Night movies for kids. Then I directed the feature film License to Drive—which I guess is considered either a classic of the 80's or a classic example of what was wrong with the 80's, depending on your point of view. I made a couple of other feature films and eventually my career path led to television.

The kid movies I'd done probably helped me get family TV shows like The Wonder Years and Eerie Indiana...I started kicking around directing episodes and soon realized that, to have the kind of creative control a director has in features, in television you have to become a producer. Television has always been a writer's medium - but beginning with shows like X-Files, the position of director-producer was beginning to come into being. I set my sights on becoming that guy because I knew I wanted to be more involved in creating the look and tone of a show and be more involved from the ground up with stories and casting and stuff like that. It also was becoming clear to me that an aspect of having creative control was to understand the money. I was seeing that studios and producers had an enormous amount of influence,because they could use money as an excuse either to allow or not allow some creative decision to happen. Previously, like a lot of artist-types, I had washed my hands of all the money stuff, but now I was seeing that it was a tool to get a vision on screen just like the camera was. My first producer-director job was on the Don Johnson show Nash Bridges.

At that time I was also directing a lot of family movies for the Disney Channel and I began to produce those as well. I won the Director's Guild Award for a Disney Channel Movie called Miracle in Lane 2, which was one of Frankie Muniz's first jobs, and was nominated for another DGA award for Ring of Endless Light,which was one of Mischa Barton and Jared Padelecki's first jobs. I was really proud of those films because I felt they were well made, and visual, but also they were stories that were spiritually uplifting. I was getting to a nice place in my career where I didn't have to take a job unless I believed in it. All of which led to Smallville.

A lot of your fans know you as one of the primary directors of The WB's Smallville. Can you talk about that experience, and what made you decide it was time to move on?

Smallville was just the right show for me at the right time. I came on to direct Episode 3 and I never left until Episode 100, which is the last one I was really deeply involved with. I feel like I was looking for them and they were looking for me. I loved the material and the pilot and it spoke to everything I believed in. I saw the mythic and spiritual aspects in Smallville; it had darkness, romance, action. I believed in it. In the very beginning, they had started with agreat pilot, but then weren't sure how to make it week-to-week. It was lacking a cohesive design or visual style. I was able to bring to it what I believe has become a signature look. The strong use of color, the romantic lighting, the graceful moving camera, the big close-ups, etc. etc. And I really had the chance to work intimately with the young actors and help them develop their craft and their characters. Without a doubt, Smallville has been the most creatively satisfying job I've ever had.

Because I was up in Vancouver and all the writers and other producers were in L. A. ,there were certain frustrations but also a lot of freedom. I had a pretty free hand at least as far as the production of the show went, and I oversaw all aspects of it.

As far a why I left? Two reasons. First,my family. My wife and kids live in L. A. and Smallville films in Vancouver. My family moved up for half of Season 1 and Season 2, but a variety of factorscaused them to move back to L. A. So for two years I was commuting home every weekend on a three-hour flight, plus international customs. That was too hard on me physically and emotionally.

I was ready to leave after Season 4 for those reasons, but the creators and the studio really wanted me to stay. So, in Season 5 we worked out a new arrangement where I was in L. A. most of thetime and was more involved in developing the stories and scripts and was overseeing production more remotely. That was a great and new experience for me—but still I was having wanderlust. As I said, I've never been prouder of anything, but I'm the type that enjoys the act of building something 'once it's built, the maintenance is less interesting.

Smallville was a challenging show to build, and don't get me wrong, it's still a challenging show to write and get on the air every week. But for myself, I felt like I'd made every creative statement I had to make and it was time to move on. I wasn't really looking for a new job. In fact I was planning to take six months or so off—that was until I saw the Heroes pilot.

Heroes was so good. And I knew Tim Kring's work and work ethic and integrity as a writer, and I knew I had to get involved.

Is it easier working with characters that are completely fresh rather than keeping to a set mythos as Smallville is?

No. It's harder. Right now I'm scared. I don't know what compelled me to take a job where I'd be nervous again, just as I was at the beginning of Smallville. When a pilot is fantastic—as Smallville was, as Heroes is—there's an obligation. We've got to do a great job, to respect the original material. And that's a scary thing. To live up to those expectations. To exceed them.

Is it different shooting a show in the Los Angeles area vs. shooting something up in Vancouver?

Not really. Shooting is shooting. In some ways the process of making a film or a TV show is always the same...The basic structure of the crew and how you schedule and how you get through a day is similar. At the same time, no one project is ever exactly like another.

How long has it been since you've shot a movie or TV show in Los Angeles?

Six years.

How difficult is it to create locations that look like completely different parts of the world?

Well, one of the reasons the film business originally came to Los Angeles is because the weather is generally good, and because there are so many different looks. Film making is problem solving. Making our locations to look like different parts of the world will be an exciting challenge, but certainly an achievable one.

How did you first become involved with the Heroes project?

I saw the pilot. I thought it was genius. I found out there might be a position available similar to the one I had on Smallville. I knew Tim Kring personally, from way back, and I had been a fan of his writing—especially the Crossing Jordan pilot, which was one of the best pilots I'd ever read. So I persistently bugged my agent to get me a meeting. I met with Tim, Dennis Hammer and Allan Arkush—the producing team from Crossing Jordan. I tried the best I could to convince them my Smallville experience would be valuable here and that I could be a contributing member of the team andâ basically, I got the job.

What was your initial reaction upon seeing the finished pilot?

I thought it was great. Brilliant writing. A deep concept with spiritual themes that spoke to me personally. I think Tim designed a pilot that speaks very personally to a vast number of people. I expect my experience will be similar to many in the audience. I am just lucky enough to get to work on it.

Can you tell us a bit about your role in the production of Heroes?

Since as of today, we haven't shot a frame of film, I can only answer what I hope and am trying for my role to be: To take these brilliant scripts and get to work on the business of shooting them. And I mean this in the sense of 'How can we get all this work done 'how do we schedule it?'as well as 'How do we make it look?' and 'How do we guide the performances?'

I have theories right now of how the show should look, how we should film it. The pilot is a strong guide, but we as a group have new ideas that are additive. We're lucky to have so many talented people involved in creating the direction for the show. Tim Kring, executive producer Dennis Hammer, director/executive producer Allan Arkush, the writers... All of us are putting our heads together to find out how to tell these stories week to week.

Based on my experience with Smallville, my job will then hopefully evolve to guiding the directors into our distinctive Heroes storytelling and shooting style. Working with the cast on the evolution of their characters over the long term.

And it's funny, I seem to always take on one other role as well. I guess it's part of my personality, but I tend to evolve into a kind of coach/cheerleader. I like to pump everybody up, encourage them to strive higher. I think it's important.

What is it about Heroes that appealed to you and made you want to become involved?

The combination of mythos, great writing, an exciting cast, and the opportunity to do the kind of visually designed work I love. And of course, there's the action and visual effects...

Basically, there's enough in the stew to keep me interested for a long time. I believe in this material.

If you could have any superpower, what would you want it to be and why?

I have an eight-year-old son, so, over the years I've had a lot of super-battles.

The ability to shoot power beams out of the palms of your hands, combined with the ability to go into 'Matrix-bullet-time'to avoid any knives, bullets or palm-blast energy rays coming your way seems especially valuable.

Of the characters of Heroes, which character do you feel has the most interesting or appealing power?

Hayden Panettiere's regenerating power is the most visually cool. And Greg Grunberg's mind reading power seems interesting...would you really want to know what everyone is thinking? Could be helpful when buying a carâ but troubling at Thanksgiving dinner with all your relatives.

Is there a particular character that fascinated you that you'd like to know more about?

Sylar, the bad guy. What's up with that evil *#@!?

Have you ever worked with any of the cast or crew from Heroes before?

Jeph Loeb, obviously who wrote Smallville for three years. Tim Kring wrote an episode of the show Providence that I directed seven years ago, and as I said, we went to college together and have known each other socially a bit...I've hired a handful of people on the crew I've worked with before...that's it.

[If you've had time to work with any of them] What is it like to work with this cast?

As of this moment, I've met them all and we've had some preliminary discussions about their characters and the future directions of the show.... They are all cool, great people and they are all VERY pumped up about this series.

I love actors and respect that very difficult craft more than anything. I can't wait to get started working with them. The director/actor collaboration is one of the most creatively exciting things there is. It's going to be great.

At what point in the process do you come in to the creation of individual episodes of Heroes?

As early as I can...Usually after the story is 'broken' (figured out and roughly outlined) but before it's written I'll start throwing in my two cents. Though I'm not always sure the writers want my input at that time.

As a director, do you have any input to the show's storylines?

A little. Not a lot. That's a thing that has to evolve from the writers trusting you and your story instincts. By the end of Smallville, I was literally developing the episodes with the writers'room from the ground up...But it took several years to get to that position. On a first year show like this there is plenty of other stuff to do. And the writers have a really clear and very well developed sense of where they are going.

Do you think Heroes will appeal to the people who were fans of your work on Smallville?

Actually I do. Although the story is different, Heroes is much more realistic, less fantastic/romantic 'but the themes are very similar and the epic nature is very similar to Smallville. All I can go by is what I think and feel...and they both appeal to me!

Last season you directed the Aquaman pilot for the CW, which never made it to the air. In it there were some pretty intense water sequences. Could we ever see anything of that scale on Heroes?

Maybe, not as much or as long or as often...Tim wants the show to be very realistic, so that everyone feels they can not just relate to the characters but can see themselves in the characters...

That doesn't, so much, go with typhoon super-battles with evil mermaids.

What is your favorite part of the Heroes concept?

The exploration of human beings evolving 'of humanity going to the next level of evolution and the 'how, why, why now'questions that stirs up.

Who was your favorite super-hero growing up?

Spidey. He rules.

Is there anything else I am leaving out?

No. Let's keep talking. I'll know a lot more after we've actually finished a couple of episodes.