TV stars apologize for past roles on EW's Brave Warriors Comic-Con panel

Even heroes have things they'd like to apologize for.

While joining EW's Lynette Rice for her annual Brave Warriors panel at Comic-Con, TV stars (and heroes) Henry Ian Cusick, Joseph Morgan, Aasif Mandvi, Jocko Sims, and Michael Mando reflected on their first headshots, their favorite toys growing up, filming intimate scenes, and the worst things a director has ever said to them.

But they also came with a mea culpa in hand, apologizing for the worst thing they think they've done onscreen. Joseph Morgan took a tactful approach, apologizing to fellow actors for his villainous ways on The CW's The Originals and The Vampire Diaries. "I want to apologize for all the guest stars I killed and the roles that I cut short for them," he said.

Former Lost star and current MacGyver actor Henry Ian Cusick preemptively apologized for an independent film that he is praying never sees the light of day. "There’s a film that I made that never got released and I live in dread that film will be released. I think on my IMDB page it’s called Everglades," he said. He revealed that he learned after filming the entire project that it was "a birthday present" for the 6- or 7-year-old actress who appeared in the movie with him. "I apologize in advance if it ever gets released," he said.

Jocko Sims, who stars on New Amsterdam, begged forgiveness for a more hirsute sin. Pulling up a Best Buy commercial he did with Kevin Garnett in the early 2000s on his phone, he pointed to his hair and apologized profusely for its appearance. "At the time, I was trying to grow my hair out because that was the way to get on television," he said. "It literally looks like a mop." Sims did note, however, that the hairy scheme worked — after growing out his hair in 2002, he started booking roles when previously he'd been striking out.

Sometimes actors' enthusiasm can lead to their most embarrassing moments. That was the case for Better Call Saul's Michael Mando, who apologized for the turn of events 0n his first ever in TV gig. He was meant to run out in a rainstorm and yell about a boat, delivering his one line, "They're going to bring down the Falcon Temple." On set, he couldn't understand why they kept making him redo the take and why he was leaving the crew in giggles. But things became clear when the show aired and his line had been dubbed by another actor. In his enthusiasm, the line sounded like, "They're going to bring down the f---ing temple."

Mandvi shared a horrifying story of his time filming a Kia commercial in the 1990s when he was expected to play into ethnic stereotypes. Mando astutely noted that the people behind the commercial, not Mandvi, should be the ones apologizing. But Mandvi still felt compelled to issue a plea for forgiveness. He was meant to be playing a taxi cab driver in New York City and the director asked him to do what he called "the Indian head bob."

"A billion Indian people are going to see this and be like what the hell?" he said. "I realize I'm selling my culture down the road, but I really needed the money at the time. I remember driving this cab and [the director] is on one of those cranes, and I hear him yell across Broadway, 'Do the head bob and the accent.'"

Luckily, EW's Brave Warriors all now have years of work behind them to make up for whatever they might perceive as their greatest acting sins.

Watch the video above for more.

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