George Takei, best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in the original “Star Trek” series, has a story that goes beyond the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Born in 1937, Takei’s life took a drastic turn when he and his family were forcibly removed from their home and sent to an internment camp during World War II.
In a recent interview, Takei shared the harrowing experience of being uprooted from his home at a young age, simply because of his Japanese heritage. “Two soldiers marching up our driveway in Los Angeles carrying rifles and shiny bayonets. They banged on our door with their fists and one said, ‘Get your family out of this house,'” Takei recalled.
Despite the trauma of internment, Takei’s father instilled in him a deep belief in democracy and the power of the people. “My father suffered terribly in the camps, yet he continued to believe deeply in democracy,” Takei said. “He loved quoting Lincoln’s lines from the Gettysburg Address about this being a government of the people, by the people and for the people.”
This experience fueled Takei’s passion for activism and storytelling. After finding success as an actor, Takei used his platform to shed light on the injustices faced by Japanese Americans during World War II. He recently appeared in the British production of “George Takei’s Allegiance” and voiced a character in the Netflix animated series “Blue Eye Samurai.”
Takei’s latest project, a picture book titled “My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story,” was released in April. He is also set to appear in the Netflix series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” as Koh the Face Stealer.
Through his work and advocacy, George Takei continues to inspire others to stand up for justice and democracy. As he puts it, “It’s the people that make a democracy work, and, sadly, most people are not equipped anymore to take on the responsibility of being American citizens.”
