GEORGE TAKEI GO Boldly

The Star Trek alum opens up about his favorite Hollywood co-stars and his new book

- Susan Hornik

George Takei, best known as Hikaru Sulu in the original Star Trek television series and its movies, doesn’t believe in bucket lists. “I believe in living my life fully when I’m doing it,” George, 86, tells Closer. “People like to go to Venice, Italy, when they retire, but once they get to that point, they can’t walk that much. They can’t eat that much. What’s the point of the bucket list? You got to do it when you can!” Living up to his word, the actor, author and activist has a number of new projects in the works, including the release of a new illustrated children’s book, My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story, due out April 16. It’s based on the experiences George’s family faced, along with approximately 120,000 other Japanese Americans, held captive in internment camps during WWII by the U.S. government. “I’m speaking for two generations,” he explains of his book: “Daddy, Mommy and their kids.”

You were 5 years old and living in Los Angeles when your family were detained solely because of your Japanese heritage. What do you recall about that time?

I still remember that morning in May when my father came into the bedroom I shared with my brother, Henry. He told us to wait in the living room while our parents did some last-minute packing. We stood by the front window and saw two soldiers marching up our driveway. They began pounding on our door. It was really terrifying. My mother came out with our infant sister in her arms. Tears were just streaming down her face. The memory of that morning is just seared into my brain.