The stars of Heroes preview the new season

"With green screen and special effects, it's huge, but it's also very personal," Adrian Pasdar (Nathan) previews of the 2-hour premiere. "It doesn't get lost in the special effects. It's still about human struggle."

"It's fast and furious, with a tremendous amount of action," chimes in costar Jack Coleman (Noah). "We start the season where we left off and it's big."

Getting bad

For those who missed the Heroes' finale, that means Noah (aka Horn Rimmed Glasses or HRG) is back with Claire and their family. Micah and Monica have just watched a building explode with Niki inside. Hiro's back at work with Ando, having stopped Adam from releasing the virus and then buried him alive. Sylar is regaining some or all of his powers, while Nathan Petrelli bleeds out in little brother Peter's arms, having been shot down just seconds before announcing his powers to the world.

With Pasdar back at work, it's clear his character survives the assassination attempt, but much remains unclear. For example, what did Angela Patrelli mean when she told the person responsible for the shooting, "You've now opened Pandora's box.? And what kind of woman – let alone a 'hero' - is so ready to sacrifice her son?

The Petrelli matriarch, one of the few survivors of the old and seemingly fanatical guard of heroes that founded The Company, remains a mystery. We don't even know what her power is yet - though word is we will soon - and while we were starting to warm up to her when she was in jail, a phone call like that just turns us cold.

"That's a great joy of the show," contends Christina Rose (Angela). "You find out where each one of the characters is coming from and then you feel for them… And then you're totally alienated by them again. Not unlike humanity."

"Volume 3 is Villains," she continues. "Who are the villains? What are the different gangs? Who's working with whom? It just explodes."

This means some newbie villains can be expected, but the new season also returns focus to the core characters from season one. Of course, you may find yourself rooting for the "wrong" ones, sometimes.

"Everybody has that capacity for good and bad," Pasdar explains. "There isn't an absolute good or evil. Was King Kong a bad ape? No, he was misunderstood and mistreated. He just wanted that one kiss and to watch the sunrise with a beautiful blonde in his hand. Then he got shot off the Empire State Building! When you can feel empathy for everyone, that's when our show is its most affective and this year, we're going to great lengths for that."

In this vein, fans can expect to learn much more about the Petrelli clan, while also taking a new look at the show's uber baddie, Sylar.

"He's torn in a lot of different directions," portrayer Zachary Quinto says of his character when SheKnows finds him. "This year is about conflict, struggle and restraint. It's a year of growth."

'If I tell you, I'd have to kill you.'

If you were hoping for more dish on the new season than that, you aren't very familiar with this secretive cast. Not only are they tight lipped, but it's also not easy to have a cohesive conversation with all the jostling and teasing that's going on!

"I can't stand any of these guys," Pasdar deadpans after Greg Grunberg (Matt) gives him grief about something. "I hate 'em all."

Then, after more light hearted bickering between the boys, Pasdar laughs and admits he had his castmates over for dinner the night before.

"I generally have such a fondness, respect and appreciation for each one of these cats as people, not just as castmates," he intones. "I looked around the table and every person there, I admire. I love them. They inspire me to be a better person and I have a lot of fun with them."

Needless to say, even onset, these guys are teasing, laughing and even making the occasional wedgie reference.

"We laugh a lot," Pasdar concedes. "You have to when you're dealing with the end of the world. Sometimes, it gets a little much...but sometimes it can hurt more than help, especially with Milo (Ventimiglia, Peter), me and Greg. We get to laughing and it's hard to stop."

In order to get things done, sometimes they have to take a minute to catch their collective breaths and get serious, but when it comes to the premier, Rose suspects fans will be the ones left gasping.

"I saw some of the last scenes as they were being cut together in the editing room: My mouth dropped," Rose reveals. "Each scene's more amazing. The things that are said and revealed! I could barely breathe."

Tune in to NBC on September 22 for Heroes premiere and see how you fare.

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