Hayden Panettiere

Saving the cheerleader is apparently a full-time job for the superheroes of the NBC hit series.

When Usmagazine.com ran into the cast of Heroes at last week’s NBC upfronts in New York City, protecting their 17-year-old costar Hayden Panettiere from unwanted male attention was the hot topic of conversation.

“Oh yeah, she’s got eight older brothers,” says Leonard Roberts (D.L.). “I do interviews all the time and people are always talking about, ‘She’s so hot, she’s so hot,’ and I say, ‘Hey, be respectful, okay? That’s my girl and she’s 17.’ Good thing her boyfriend [Laguna Beach star, Stephen Coletti] is a great guy, because we’re right there all the time.”

“If she ever needs anything she knows that any one of us is there,” seconds Zachary Quinto (Sylar). “We’ll do whatever we can to help or take care of her.”

Source: Us Weekly

Don’t forget to watch the season finale of Heroes tonight @ 9 p.m. on NBC.