ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: In one memorable scene last season, your character taught Hiro how to fight with a samurai sword. How did you prepare for that?
GEORGE TAKEI: Well, if you remember that scene from the Star Trek episode ''Naked Time,'' when I whip off my shirt and accost everyone on the Enterprise with my fencing abilities, you'll know I have some on-screen experience with swords. Sword fighting has been a thing for me ever since I was a child, when I saw Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood. l was absolutely transported by that. I came home, had my mother make me an outfit, my backyard became Sherwood Forest , my friend Martha was my Maid Marian, and my best friend Gary was my Friar Tuck. But samurai sword fighting was something I had not done, but fortunately, about two months before I got the Heroes job, I did an independent film called Ninja Cheerleaders, like Charlie's Angels with cheerleaders, and I was their ninja master. So I had to learn sword fighting for that. That was my preparation for being able to legitimately say, ''Yes, I can do Japanese sword fighting.''
You helped pave the way for other Japanese-American actors like Masi — do you take pride in his accomplishments?
Absolutely, I take great pride. I feel like I'm the bridge between the future of the '60s and the present of now. What Masi is experiencing is one of the things we've always lobbied for — more Asian-American faces in films and TV, more multidimensional depictions of Asians and Asian-Americans on film and TV. Masi is a personification of all we in the Asian community have been working for.
One of your Heroes co-stars, Zachary Quinto, has just been cast as Spock in J.J. Abrams' feature film reboot of Star Trek —
Yes, and I'm very happy for him. The physical resemblance he shares with Leonard Nimoy is uncanny. I told him, ''Now you know what you're going to look like in 40 years.''
J.J. has also cast Leonard in his Trek film. Might you be appearing in the film, too?
I wouldn't be too surprised if I am. [To be clear, Takei means this in a ''You never know what the future may hold''-kinda way, not in a coy, ''I may or may not be dead''-kinda way.]
Finish this sentence. ''I'm going to retire when...''
Never. The blessing of aging in Hollywood is that they're always going to need old codgers to play the old codger roles. My body will tell me one day when it's time to retire, but until then, I'm going to play the grandfather roles and the old codger roles. My grandfather passed away at 105. I intend to be around a long time.
You Might Also Like
- Pop Culture Commentary Scott Brown's Hit List | Scott Brown
- Monitor Monitor | Kate Ward
- Television News Ellen DeGeneres gets engaged | Simon Vozick-Levinson
