Gee Takei Reacts to Gay Sulu News: “I Thk It’s Really Unfortunate” – The Hollywood Reporter

Contents:

• HAS STAR TREK'S SULU ALWAYS BEEN GAY? IT'S COMPLITED
• SULU IS GAY IN 'STAR TREK BEYOND,' MAKG FRANCHISE HISTORY
• STAR TREK CHARACTER HIKA SULU REVEALED AS GAY
• HIKARO SULU PORTRAYED AS GAY NEW STAR TREK FILM, SAYS ACTOR JOHN CHO
• ‘STAR TREK BEYOND’ NFIRMS THAT HIKA SULU IS GAY
• GEE TAKEI REACTS TO GAY SULU NEWS: “I THK IT’S REALLY UNFORTUNATE”
• SULU IS AN OUT AND PROUD GAY MAN STAR TREK BEYOND, ACRDG TO JOHN CHOMUCH LIKE GEE TAKEI, THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED THE ORIGAL SULU THE FIRST STAR TREK TV SERI.BY HILLARY BISJULY 7, 2016LEFT, OM CBS PHOTO ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAG; RIGHT, URTY OF PARAMOUNT PICTUR.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVELOOKS LIKE STAR TREK BEYOND WILL BOLDLY GO WHERE NO STAR TREK FILM HAS GONE BEFORE: MELBOURNE’S HERALD SUN REPORTS THAT THE UPG MOVIE WILL PICT U.S.S. ENTERPRISE HELMSMAN HIKA SULU AS A GAY MAN RAISG A DGHTER WH HIS PARTNER. (VANY FAIR HAS REACHED OUT TO PARAMOUNT FOR NFIRMATN AND MENT, AND WILL UPDATE THIS POST ACRDGLY WHEN WE HEAR BACK.)SUCH A MOVE WOULD MARK A TONE FOR THE STAR TREK ANCHISE, WHICH, THOUGH FAMOLY TRAILBLAZG TERMS OF DIVERSY AND PROGRSIVE STORYL, HAS NEVER BEFORE FEATURED AN OPENLY GAY CREW MEMBER. JT DON’T EXPECT A DRAMATIC G-OUT MOMENT FOR SULU: “I LIKED THE APPROACH, WHICH WAS NOT TO MAKE A BIG THG OUT ,” ACTOR JOHN CHO, WHO PLAYS SULU THE NEW FILMS, TOLD THE HERALD SUN. “WHICH IS WHERE I HOPE WE ARE GOG AS A SPECI, TO NOT POLICIZE ONE’S PERSONAL ORIENTATNS.”CHO ALSO DITED THAT STAR TREK BEYOND SCREENWRER (AND -STAR) SIMON PEGG AND DIRECTOR JT L CID TO MAKE SULU OPENLY GAY AS AN HOMAGE TO GEE TAKEI, THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED SULU ON THE ORIGAL STAR TREK SERI. (SULU WAS NEVER GIVEN A ROMANTIC PARTNER OF EHER SEX PREV STAR TREK RNATNS, THOUGH HE DID HAVE A DGHTER.) THOUGH CLOSETED DURG THE SHOW’S N THE 1960S, TAKEI ME OUT PUBLICLY 2005, WHEN HE REVEALED THAT HE HAD BEEN WH HIS PARTNER, BRAD ALTMAN, FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS. THE PAIR MARRIED 2008.THE EXCG WORD ABOUT SULU’S ORIENTATN—AS WELL AS S LOW-KEY REVEAL—IS A NICE B OF POSIVE NEWS G OUT OF A PRS TOUR MARRED BY TRAGEDY: CHO, HIS ST, AND THE RT OF THE STAR TREK TEAM IS STILL GRAPPLG WH THE TRAGIC ATH OF THEIR RA ANTON YELCH, WHO DIED SUDNLY JUNE AT THE AGE OF 27. “IT’S VASTATG LOSG SOMEONE YOUR FAY,” CHO’S -STAR KARL URBAN TOLD THE HERALD SUN. “I’M HAVG A DIFFICULT TIME G TO GRIPS WH TALKG ABOUT HIM THE PAST TENSE—’S VERY RAW AND VERY PAFUL.”STAR TREK BEYOND OPENS JULY 22.MOST POPULAROUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLNEW ON NETFLIX: SEPTEMBER 2023'S BT NEW MOVI & SHOWSBY CHRIS MURPHYFLORENCE PUGH SAYS CHRISTOPHER NOLAN “APOLOGIZED” FOR HER SMALL OPPENHEIMER ROLEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHILLARY BIS
• GEE TAKEI LLS 'STAR TREK BEYOND' GAY SULU SCENE 'A WHISPER'
• 'STAR TREK BEYOND'S SULU IS THE FRANCHISE'S FIRST GAY CHARACTER
• HIKA SULU WILL BE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER THE STAR TREK FILM ANCHISEHIKA SULU WILL BE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER THE STAR TREK FILM ANCHISE

HAS STAR TREK'S SULU ALWAYS BEEN GAY? IT'S COMPLITED

Hika Sulu is now known as the first openly gay character  Star Trek, but the character's sexualy hasn't always been so clear-cut. In 2005, 36 years after Star Trek: The Origal Seri end, Sulu's origal actor, Gee Takei, publicly me out as gay.

Wantg to honor this legacy, Simon Pegg me up wh the ia of havg Sulu be gay  J. John Cho supported the ia, as did Zachary Quto, the actor who played Spock and who publicly me out as gay 2011. Why Takei Was Upset That Sulu Beme Gay.

Takei publicly disagreed wh wrer and Stty actor, Simon Pegg about the plan to make Sulu gay. While he wholeheartedly supported the cln of LGBTQ+ characters  Star Trek, he thought a new character should be created stead of makg Sulu nonilly gay. Pegg was also wary of Takei's advice to create a new character simply to fulfill the purpose of havg a gay character, as he thought that would lim the character to tokenism.

SULU IS GAY IN 'STAR TREK BEYOND,' MAKG FRANCHISE HISTORY

Was Sulu Gay In The Wir Star Trek Canon? The fact that his dghter existed many of the novels and gam don't preclu the possibily that Sulu might be gay. Abrams' Star Trek exist on different timel, 's possible to say that both a straight Sulu and a gay Sulu exist as part of the multiverse's non.

STAR TREK CHARACTER HIKA SULU REVEALED AS GAY

On Thursday, the Herald Sun announced that the character Hika Sulu will be revealed to be gay Star Trek Beyond, which hs theaters July 22.

Gee Takei, who played Sulu the origal show and who has been a proment LGBT activist sce g out as gay jt over a ago, told the Hollywood Reporter that he has been agast revealg the character as gay sce he first heard was unr nsiratn last year. “I’m lighted that there’s a gay character, ” Takei told THR. He believed ma more sense to create a new character who has always been gay, rather than brgg Sulu out of a prumed closet.

” But he also exprsed a ncern, which he discsed wh L and -wrer Doug Jung, that a new gay character may have been perceived by the dience as a token gay character, “primarily fed by their sexualy. ” Pegg believ Rodnberry’s cisn not to velop a gay character earlier was a product of his time, not of his visn.

HIKARO SULU PORTRAYED AS GAY NEW STAR TREK FILM, SAYS ACTOR JOHN CHO

” Based on the movie’s timele, the cisn to make Sulu gay do not necsate his havg been the closet, Pegg explas, and prum that there has been an LGBT prence sce the begng of the anchise’s universe. One of the “Star Trek” universe’s most beloved characters is revealed to be gay the latt stallment of the inic anchise. “I liked the approach, which was not to make a big thg out , which is where I hope we are gog as a speci, to not policize one’s personal orientatns, ” he and Pegg’s cisn to pict Sulu as a gay man was a nod to Gee Takei, who played the role the origal 1960s “Star Trek” televisn seri and six subsequent films, Cho said.

Takei, 79, me out as gay 2005, and has sce gone on to bee an outspoken advote for LGBT rights. UPDATE: After news of this story broke, Takei lled the cisn to pict Sulu as a gay man “really unfortunate” a Hollywood Reporter terview.

‘STAR TREK BEYOND’ NFIRMS THAT HIKA SULU IS GAY

Image source, EPAImage ptn, John Cho plays Hika Sulu the latt Star Trek filmOne of Star Trek's bt known characters, Hika Sulu, has been revealed as character, played by John Cho the current anchise, will be shown as havg a same sex partner the forthg Star Trek told the Herald Sun the move was a nod to Gee Takei, the gay actor who played the character the origal 1960s televisn cisn was taken by Brish star Simon Pegg, who wrote the said: "I liked the approach, which was not to make a big thg out , which is where I hope we are gog as a speci, to not policise one's personal orientatns.

"Takei has prevly said he had to keep his homosexualy secret when he origally worked on Star Trek orr to ntue workg televisn.

Actor John Cho, who plays Hika Sulu the new Star Trek films, revealed that the character is portrayed as gay Jt L’s upg Star Trek an terview wh Atralia’s Herald Sun, Cho revealed that Sulu is picted the film as a lovg father a same-sex relatnship. ”Cho said the cisn by wrers L and Simon Pegg to make Sulu gay was done honor of Gee Takei, the openly gay actor who played the character origally.

GEE TAKEI REACTS TO GAY SULU NEWS: “I THK IT’S REALLY UNFORTUNATE”

In a tribute to his ongog legacy as an in of the Star Trek anchise, wrer Simon Pegg and director Jt L cid make Sulu nonilly gay the upg movie. While Hollywood still has a long way to go terms of queer reprentatn, feels appropriate for Star Trek to be the first big sci-fi anchise to clu a gay character s ma st.

Neverthels, Takei — who announced he was gay 2005 — was fully attuned to the gay equaly nversatn gag momentum at the time. Te to s tle, the latt big-screen outg, Star Trek Beyond, has gone where none have gone before: Star John Cho — who assum the Sulu mantle for the third time the reboots — has told Atralia’s Herald Sun that the character is revealed to be gay. He had never asked for Sulu to be gay.

“I’m lighted that there’s a gay character, ” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. Takei tried to nvce him to make a new character gay stead. “I told him, ‘Be imagative and create a character who has a history of beg gay, rather than Sulu, who had been straight all this time, sudnly beg revealed as beg closeted.

SULU IS AN OUT AND PROUD GAY MAN STAR TREK BEYOND, ACRDG TO JOHN CHOMUCH LIKE GEE TAKEI, THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED THE ORIGAL SULU THE FIRST STAR TREK TV SERI.BY HILLARY BISJULY 7, 2016LEFT, OM CBS PHOTO ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAG; RIGHT, URTY OF PARAMOUNT PICTUR.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVELOOKS LIKE STAR TREK BEYOND WILL BOLDLY GO WHERE NO STAR TREK FILM HAS GONE BEFORE: MELBOURNE’S HERALD SUN REPORTS THAT THE UPG MOVIE WILL PICT U.S.S. ENTERPRISE HELMSMAN HIKA SULU AS A GAY MAN RAISG A DGHTER WH HIS PARTNER. (VANY FAIR HAS REACHED OUT TO PARAMOUNT FOR NFIRMATN AND MENT, AND WILL UPDATE THIS POST ACRDGLY WHEN WE HEAR BACK.)SUCH A MOVE WOULD MARK A TONE FOR THE STAR TREK ANCHISE, WHICH, THOUGH FAMOLY TRAILBLAZG TERMS OF DIVERSY AND PROGRSIVE STORYL, HAS NEVER BEFORE FEATURED AN OPENLY GAY CREW MEMBER. JT DON’T EXPECT A DRAMATIC G-OUT MOMENT FOR SULU: “I LIKED THE APPROACH, WHICH WAS NOT TO MAKE A BIG THG OUT ,” ACTOR JOHN CHO, WHO PLAYS SULU THE NEW FILMS, TOLD THE HERALD SUN. “WHICH IS WHERE I HOPE WE ARE GOG AS A SPECI, TO NOT POLICIZE ONE’S PERSONAL ORIENTATNS.”CHO ALSO DITED THAT STAR TREK BEYOND SCREENWRER (AND -STAR) SIMON PEGG AND DIRECTOR JT L CID TO MAKE SULU OPENLY GAY AS AN HOMAGE TO GEE TAKEI, THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED SULU ON THE ORIGAL STAR TREK SERI. (SULU WAS NEVER GIVEN A ROMANTIC PARTNER OF EHER SEX PREV STAR TREK RNATNS, THOUGH HE DID HAVE A DGHTER.) THOUGH CLOSETED DURG THE SHOW’S N THE 1960S, TAKEI ME OUT PUBLICLY 2005, WHEN HE REVEALED THAT HE HAD BEEN WH HIS PARTNER, BRAD ALTMAN, FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS. THE PAIR MARRIED 2008.THE EXCG WORD ABOUT SULU’S ORIENTATN—AS WELL AS S LOW-KEY REVEAL—IS A NICE B OF POSIVE NEWS G OUT OF A PRS TOUR MARRED BY TRAGEDY: CHO, HIS ST, AND THE RT OF THE STAR TREK TEAM IS STILL GRAPPLG WH THE TRAGIC ATH OF THEIR RA ANTON YELCH, WHO DIED SUDNLY JUNE AT THE AGE OF 27. “IT’S VASTATG LOSG SOMEONE YOUR FAY,” CHO’S -STAR KARL URBAN TOLD THE HERALD SUN. “I’M HAVG A DIFFICULT TIME G TO GRIPS WH TALKG ABOUT HIM THE PAST TENSE—’S VERY RAW AND VERY PAFUL.”STAR TREK BEYOND OPENS JULY 22.MOST POPULAROUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLNEW ON NETFLIX: SEPTEMBER 2023'S BT NEW MOVI & SHOWSBY CHRIS MURPHYFLORENCE PUGH SAYS CHRISTOPHER NOLAN “APOLOGIZED” FOR HER SMALL OPPENHEIMER ROLEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHILLARY BIS

In other words, assumg non orthodoxy, this storyle suggt Sulu would have had to have first been gay and married, only to then go to the closet years later. Not long after Cho’s bombshell ll me another, this one om L, aga rmg him that Sulu was ed to be gay Star Trek Beyond.

'” Takei was certa the creative team had rethought their cisn to make Sulu gay.

Cho said was bound to e out that his character was gay, and “what should he do?

GEE TAKEI LLS 'STAR TREK BEYOND' GAY SULU SCENE 'A WHISPER'

“I really tried to work wh the people when at long last the issue of gay equaly was gog to be addrsed, ” Takei says. Takei for his part is hopg to take Sulu new directns as well, potentially on CBS’ upg Star Trek seri, slated to premiere January and -n by Alex Kurtzman and Bryan Fuller, who is openly gay. Enterprise helmsman Hika Sulu as a gay man raisg a dghter wh his partner.

'STAR TREK BEYOND'S SULU IS THE FRANCHISE'S FIRST GAY CHARACTER

)Such a move would mark a tone for the Star Trek anchise, which, though famoly trailblazg terms of diversy and progrsive storyl, has never before featured an openly gay crew member. ”Cho also dited that Star Trek Beyond screenwrer (and -star) Simon Pegg and director Jt L cid to make Sulu openly gay as an homage to Gee Takei, the actor who played Sulu on the origal Star Trek seri. The reboot versn of Sulu is gay, we learned "Beyond, " the third of the new movi.

Takei has said publicly he is agast the ia of Sulu beg gay, and he had plenty to say about here at the 50th anniversary Star Trek nventn Las Vegas.

Takei would have preferred for the reboot filmmakers to create a new gay character.

HIKA SULU WILL BE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER THE STAR TREK FILM ANCHISEHIKA SULU WILL BE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER THE STAR TREK FILM ANCHISE

" Takei says he has agreed to disagree on the issue of gay Sulu wh the movie's -wrer Simon Pegg, wh whom he has exchanged emails. 'Star Trek Beyond's Sulu Is the Franchise's First Gay Character. It's been nfirmed that USS Enterprise helmsman Litenant Hika Sulu is, fact, gay.

That mak Sulu the first openly gay character the storied anchise.