As a regular cast member of one of the most successful sci-fi franchises of all time, it's a bit surprising to hear 69-year-old George Takei (Capt. Sulu on the "Star Trek" TV series and feature films) consider NBC's "Heroes" the first time he has ever appeared on a hit show.
"'Heroes' is the highest-rated new show and that's something 'Star Trek' never had," the actor says in the current issue of Out magazine. "We did not find an audience until after we were cancelled."
On "Heroes," Takei plays the father of Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), the plucky Japanese office worker who happens to be able to bend the space-time continuum. He describes his character as "a powerful industrialist and one of the richest men in the world. My wealth is a surprise [to viewers] since my son, Hiro, was working in a cubicle as a little minion....There will be a revelation about why my character is this powerful, wealthy man and his son has these powers. There is much, much more to my character than meets the eye."
Turns out there was more to Takei than met the eye. He came out publicly as a gay man a few years ago and says it should have come as a surprise to no one: "I've been together with my partner, Brad Altman, for almost 20 years now, and certainly all of our friends already knew. What I hadn't done was talk to the press about it. And we felt it was time."