Star Trek Interviews (6) - Profile of/Interview with George Takei/Commander Sulu Taken from the Public Domain 1. Profile - George Takei/Commander Sulu "Two weeks after I received my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, I went into Hollywood to buy a white wig for Halloween. The store was not too far from the star, so I figured I would roam by and take a peek at it. I was walking, almost right by my star," says its proud owner, George Takei, "when this guy recognized me and said, 'You're George Takei, you were on the news the other day getting a star. Where is it?' Well, I was all but standing on it. I said, 'It's right here.' So, this guy must have this horrible impression that I'm always hanging around my star, protecting it and guiding people to it. That was embarrassing. Since then, I've been avoiding it a bit." However, the first Asian-American actor to receive a star on the famed walk isn't avoiding the role which earned him that honor, a role which has made him a familiar presence the world over. Sulu, the heroic commander who has manned the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise for more than 20 years, returns to his post in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. "It's like slipping on an old glove each time out. Believe me, I'm as familiar with Sulu as the fans, and just as happy to be back," says the actor. "Star Trek V will please the fans. It's an exciting, ripsnorting adventure." Takei finds it difficult to believe the popularity of Star Trek has spanned three decades, "but it's true, and we all have Gene Roddenberry to thank for that. He still believes in the ability of man and creature alike to work out their differences, to change," Takei says. "It's a message that stands as tall today as when Gene created Star Trek all those years ago. That's the beauty of Star Trek." While still enjoying his Star Trek connection, Takei displays his versatility through numerous appearances in plays, television and film. He guest-starred in episodes of Miami Vice and Murder, She Wrote. His long list of TV credits includes The Twilight Zone, The Six Million Dollar Man, Magnum, P.I. and Blacke's Magic. Takei took to the stage recently in Undertow, a two man drama which played to receptive crowds at Scotland's Edinburgh Festival before returning to his native Los Angeles to begin shooting Star Trek V. 1990 was a big year for Takei. In addition to The Final Frontier, the actor's fans can see him play a role far removed from that of Sulu in Return From the River Kwai. "My image is that of Sulu from Star Trek, there's no denying that," Takei admits. "My character in River Kwai is named Lieutenant Tanaka. He's a driven, type-A personality, a really tough, brutal guy. I felt I had to take the risk and do the role. I like to stretch and play interesting characters." Takei initially planned to become an architect, but once at UCLA, he felt destined for acting. He first used his distinctive voice to dub such Japanese productions as Rodan and Amchitka into English. He later worked with classmate Francis Ford Coppola on a student film, Christopher. An appearance on Playhouse 90 marked his television debut and was followed shortly by his first role in a feature film, Ice Station Zebra. His other movies include The Green Berets and Walk, Don't Run. An avid health enthusiast, the actor runs daily, and zipped through a recent Los Angeles Marathon in a personal record time of three hours, 40 minutes and 48 seconds. Takei's equally involved in local politics, devoting much of his free time to various causes of interest. "I am a power of people to bring about change in society. I realized again what a privilege it is to be an American at a ceremony in New York, when I served as guest speaker before hundreds of recently naturalized American citizens," Takei says. "These people recognized me as Mr. Sulu, so I bear a responsibility to project a positive image, and to do my part in society." Takei is pleased that Star Trek continues to uphold its responsibility to its fans, a tradition of stretching the imagination and promoting creativity through the adventures of a group of men and women hurtling through space in the 23rd Century. "Star Trek II touched upon ageing. The Search for Spock taught us about the strength of brotherhood. The Voyage Home pointed out the catastrophic consequences facing mankind if we don't respect our environment. And," George Takei notes, "The Final Frontier offers a metaphor to the plight of those in Africa today, of hunger and great suffering. These are the major issues we can confront in Star Trek, all the while providing our fans a sense of camaraderie, a great deal of humor and a rollicking good time. "I'm proud of Star Trek and of my part in it. It's a respected, historic show and series of movies. As long as there is Star Trek, I'll be there." 2. Interview - George Takei/Commander Sulu Q: What have you done since Star Trek IV? A: I did a whole slew of TV work. The one that took me out of town was "Miami Vice," which was shot in Miami. "Murder She Wrote" was shot here locally. "McGyver" I did right here at Paramount. I went to England last year to do Aladdin, a musical version of Aladdin and His Magic Lamp, and I played the genie. That closed in January. It played in Reading, England. Then I was back for the month of February and the first week of March because I was nominated for a Grammy for my reading of the audio cassette of the novelization of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. That Grammy was won by Garrison Keillor, but amongst my other competitors were no less than Leonard Nimoy reading a thing called "Whales Alive," as well as Katharine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall. Then I went to the Philippines to do "Return to the River Kwai." Then in July I went to Edinburgh to rehearse the play Undertow by Simon Winceberg. It won the Scotsman First Award at the Edinburgh national festival, an annual theater festival that they've had since 1948. I played Captain Kimura, a Japanese soldier who's marooned on an island near the end of the Second World War with an American soldier. In "The River Kwai" I play the commandant of the prison camp, Captain Tanaka. He is in the traditional sense a bad guy, but I saw him as a supremely good solider, dedicated to his cause. Based on a real character and real incidents, The Bridge Over the River Kwai was a fictional piece by Pierre Boulle based on real events at a real prison camp. The story of "Return to the River Kwai" is based upon factual, historical occurrences. Q: Any of George in the commandant? A: I wouldn't be as ruthless, cutthroat or singularly driven as the character that I play. I do think of myself as a workaholic and as goal oriented. But I also consider myself an artist whose work is dealing with the human sensibility. Q: How much of George is in Mr Sulu? A: I think there's a good amount of George Takei in Mr Sulu and there's a good amount of Sulu that's not in George Takei also. Like Sulu, George Takei is a very disciplined, organized professional. George Takei, like Sulu, is also something of an iconoclast and an eccentric, the kind of Sulu that has his hobby, fencing, an ancient martial arts activity. Q: Do you fence? A: I used to. I took fencing lessons but now with my crazy travel schedule I don't. It's been a good ten years now. But I do fancy that kind of activity. Where Sulu and George Takei differ is that Sulu is very mechanically oriented. He's a professional at what he does in the technological area, whereas George Takei is an artist. If George opened the hood of his car, he wouldn't know what to touch or what to kick or what to spit at. Q: How did you prepare for Star Trek V? A: Well, in terms of physical preparation, I had to ride a horse, and I don't ride horses. So for a week I drove out to Newhall to take, every day, lessons. Corky Randall started me out very gently, with the horse walking about in circles. And within two days, he had that horse actually galloping and it was terrorizing! But by the end of that week it was really a lot of fun and I went horseback riding on my own through Griffith Park a few weeks ago. But Corky had me firing phaser rifles while I was galloping, standing in my saddle! Beyond that, in terms of the character, it doesn't require much because we've been living with these characters for twenty-three years, and so I knew Sulu well. Q: How much has Sulu changed? A: There has been that passage of time, and of course we've changed physically. We'd like to think that the characters have matured. We know that they've advanced in rank, and that they have gained experience over the years. However, in terms of the scripts we really haven't changed that much. I'm still there at the helm console. My duties are essentially the same as what Sulu was doing when we were on the first five-year mission. Q: What has been your experience with Bill as director? A: Directing a film of this complexity with all kinds of technical aspects as well as the logistical aspects, locating in Yosemite and Ridgecrest, plus working at night, brings a lot of tension and trauma. I know all the front office relationships that are involved. The front burner has about twenty kettles boiling away. It's something that can drive a lesser man to ranting and raving, bursts of emotion and temperament. What really impressed me about Bill on this was knowing the kinds of pressures and forces that he's got to confront. On the set he has been extraordinarily vibrant and joyous, keeping the spirit of the set up. Keeping up the kind of creative, energized atmosphere that's necessary to get a good picture made. That's what has been most impressive about working with Bill. Q: How do you feel about this script? A: It's going into a whole new different area, that's the thing about the Star Trek movies. Each movie has been different in tone, texture, feel, quality. And here again we're moving off into another area while retaining elements from all of the past films. A philosophic film that questions who we are. The subtexts are very pertinent and specific to our times today - the issues of hostage taking, cultism, the environment having been successfully respected - our enjoyment of Yosemite in the twenty-third century makes a powerful statement. Q: When you're acting, what do you seek in a role? A: I like a role that challenges me so that I can use some of my own life experiences as a human being in the character. There are very few opportunities like that. I also look for a project that makes a statement, that has import for the audience viewing it. To play a character that has admirable qualities, supremely pathetic qualities that we can all find in ourselves, the great human weaknesses or the great gifts that an individual can have. Q: Why do you act? A: My mother says I made my theatrical debut in the maternity ward. I think it's something about the need to perform, to become someone other than ourselves, the need to communicate via that need. I think it's almost an inborn need, something that you cannot really help, the way I cannot help the fact that I am a Japanese who is also American. Those are givens. Q: I know you are also very active politically? A: I am a citizen of this city. I am a member of this community in which I live. And I am a participant in the political process that makes this city work the way it does. We live in a participatory democracy which calls for the assumption of responsibility on the part of those of us who live in it. I am an activist in the community and in my city. I do participate on both a voluntary and an appointed basis in a lot of civic areas. One that I'm really most proud of has been having served on the board of directors of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and to have been a participant in the shaping, forming, and planning, early on, of the metrorail project. I think that that's going to be the great shaper and backbone of what LA will look like in the twenty-first century. I left that in 1984. I'm currently on the board of directors and the executive committee of the L.A. Theater Center, which involves two of my passions, the preservation and restoration of our heritage. Q: You're also on the L.A. Monument Committee? A: Yes, we're calling it, for the time being, The West Coast Gateway Committee. I'm on the judging committee. Last weekend we made a final decision and now we must sell the project to the people. I think it will be as controversial as the Eiffel Tower. The architect calls it Steel Clouds. The inside will be museums, galleries, theaters, a park that will connect the El Pueblo state historic park, the birthplace of LA, with the civic centre and Little Tokyo. We intend to have the first phase completed by 1992, the anniversary of Columbus's arrival in America. Q: Do you feel like people are continually acknowledging you as Sulu and nothing else, in spite of your other activities? Has Star Trek ever been a source of frustration for you? A: Well, the thing is, if I felt that way there's nothing I can do about it. It's a given. Some of my actor friends say, "Why don't you leave Star Trek?" And I say, "Thank you very much, but if I left Star Trek, I'd forever be know as the guy that left Star Trek." So I don't get away from it. It's a given in my life and as long as it's there I'll use it and enjoy it. Life would be a terrible drudge if somethings that's a given is terrible. "Oh, it's limiting me, it's confining me." It's like my saying, "Well, I'm a Japanese-American, and that's terrible." Q: You use them both in a positive way? A: Absolutely. I consider them as assets... [For example], when I served on the RTD board, my colleagues were attorneys or retired businessmen or people like that. If I have a particular view on an issue that I want to go public on, all I need to do is go and tell one of the reporters and I'll get it printed... there's also the flip side. It can be a liability. When I ran for city council, that's when "Star Trek" was still running in syndication. As a candidate there's this dumb thing called "the equal time rule." It's perennially brought up for examination, but it's not yet been acted on. What is says is, if any candidate appears on television, the other candidates have to have equal time. The inequality in it is that I can be a candidate running against half a dozen other people, and I am on the air say, seventeen minutes wearing this costume, and saying someone else's lines... Q: And that counts? A: But my opponents can each [have] access to say, "My name is Bob Smith and this is the way I feel about education," or "My name is Mary Jones and I feel this way about taxation." They can talk as themselves... The other side of that is, if the station chooses not to give a half-dozen seventeen minutes of their time, then their option is to pull the show that I appear on... Now I'd like to think that if I'm elected, I can speak for my other community, the entertainment community. But if I should get elected at the cost of my colleagues... I may be willing to forgo my residuals. But the other actors, writers, directors - my decision is imposing an economic penalty on them. So it would then be hypocritical to say I'm representing their interests when I've gotten in at their cost. Q: Is that what happened? A: I've been subsequently asked to consider running again for the [California State] Assembly, but I've decided that... after that experience, which gave me political credibility because I came in second with only a 3 percent difference from the guy that won... I really do enjoy my career. It's fun and it's fulfilling, and it gives me the opportunity to do these other things. Q: You think you might run again at some future date? A: I enjoy public service. I think it's an important thing that we do. But I think because of those problems my public service will be confined to appointed positions, advisory boards, things like that, rather than an elected position. Q: Is there a large crossover between entertainment people and political people? A: Well, being in the public arena in one capacity does give one some experience speaking publicly, in simplifying issues, and in articulating clearly to a large group of people... Also, if we're characterized in a heroic light in our professional acting career, it's certainly a persuasive image... So the opportunities for people in our business to cross over into the elected area are enhanced. Q: Well, I'd love to see you around. I'd vote for you. A: Thanks! [He laughs] - o -