Knepper: 'Heroes character is complicated'

Robert Knepper has revealed that his character on Heroes cannot be placed within a "niche".

The former Prison Break star recently described his recurring character of Samuel as "a young Keith Richards" to DS, while he has now said that his portrayal is neither villainous nor heroic.

He told TV Guide: "People ask if he's a good guy or a bad guy, and it's more complicated than that. You can't just put him in a little niche there. I love the mystery of it. I didn't even know when we started exactly why he was doing what he did.

"But he's definitely walking more in the shadowy side of life."

The 50-year-old revealed that his character will meet up with Heroes stalwarts including Sylar (Zachary Quinto), Hiro (Masi Oka) and Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) over the course of the forthcoming season.

He added: "He finds that one Achilles' heel for each of these characters, what eats away at [them] the most. He says to them, 'Deep in your heart, you know you need to change, and I'm here to expose it to you. And by exposing it, you're halfway on the path to trying to change it or deal with it'.

"And his hope is that they'll go, 'Thanks for helping me out; how can I help you?'"

The fourth season of Heroes premieres tonight on NBC.