Masi Oka recently gave props to Lost.

And not just because it's such a well-written, well-acted show. He also acknowledged the ABC series for helping to pave the way for Asian actors to land solid roles; the drama stars Koreans Kim Yun-jin and Daniel Dae Kim.

"There's a lot of credit that has to go to Lost for its storytelling and also the foresight and boldness to put two Asian characters on screen," Oka told The International Herald Tribune while promoting Heroes in Hong Kong with fellow cast members.

Oka said the success of Lost provided advertisers with confidence in shows with non-Caucasian actors. He added international viewers are also demanding shows with more diverse casts.

"The world wants to see things that are reflective of our global society that we have. Even in America, there are so many Asian-Americans and so many Latino-Americans," Masi said.

Another Asian cast member, Sendhil Ramamurthy, said he and Oka were fortunate.

"We were very fortunate that they went in the direction of having two Asian characters. I think there's a certain amount of luck involved, as well," he said.

Ramamurthy was born in Chicago. Oka was born in Tokyo and moved to Los Angeles as a child.

The two stars were in Hong Kong to promote Heroes with fellow actors Ali Larter and Greg Grunberg as part of an international tour that also includes stops in Tokyo, Singapore, London, Paris, Munich and Toronto.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.