Actor George Takei meets B.C. Premier John Horgan while filming The Terror: Infamy

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      While George Takei may have risen to fame as an actor, his political activism in social-justice causes has also garnered him an additional following.

      This was evident on Friday (May 10) when B.C. Premier John Horgan met with Takei, who is in Vancouver filming the TV series The Terror: Infamy, which he is both starring on as an actor and also serving as a consultant for.

      Horgan stated on Twitter that he is not only a fan of Takei for his most famous role as Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek but also for the work Takei has done to raise awareness about the Japanese American internment.

       

      Along with Bruce Lee, Takei became one of the few prominent Asian Americans on television in the 1960s and ’70s (not to mention David Suzuki on this side of the border in the 1980s).

      At speaking engagements, Takei has talked about his experiences of the internment, which inspired the Broadway musical Allegiance (which premiered in 2012), and he also spoken out against U.S. anti-immigration efforts and policies.

      For instance, in December 2016, he expressed concerns about how U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed Muslim registry echoed a Japanese American registry that led to the internment.

      His latest project also relates to the internment.

      The series is a U.S. anthology historical horror-drama series that is focussing its second season on the Japanese American interment that took place during the Second World War.

      Takei experienced the real-life relocation of Japanese Americans with his family, who were all forcibly moved from Los Angeles to Arkansas.

      While in Vancouver, Takei took a tour of the Downtown Eastside to learn about the history of Vancouver’s Japantown district and the Japanese Canadian community's wartime experiences.

      Takei later attended a special event on April 24 at Burnaby’s National Nikkei Museum and Cultural Centre where Canada Post unveiled a new Canadian stamp to honour the historic Vancouver Asahi baseball team, which achieved great success in the Pacific Northwest before being forced to disband due to being removed from the coast during the Second World War.

      Hollywood star George Takei and original Vancouver Asahi team member Koichi Kaye Kaminishi (centre), accompanied by the Asahi Baseball Association at the National Nikkei Museum and Cultural Centre on April 24.
      Craig Takeuchi

      The event took one place after the Royal Canadian Mint released a coin (designed by Vancouver artist Joe Average) commemorating the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada.

      Upon learning about the coin, Takei, who is a prominent U.S. LGBT activist, expressed surprise and commended Canada on being ahead of the U.S. in social progress. 

      During his time in Vancouver, Takei co-hosted the Variety Show of Hearts Telethon at the Hard Rock Casino on February 10, which raised over $5.5 million for children with special needs and their families.

      In March, he was also a celebrity guest at Fan Expo Vancouver.

      Also in March, CBC radio host Stephen Quinn beamed up Takei, who is a public-transit advocate, and his husband Brad Takei to take a ride on the SkyTrain and SeaBus. Takei served on the Southern California Rapid Transit District board from 1973 to 1984.

      However, Takei’s temporary residency in Vancouver is coming to an end as filming of the TV series will call it a wrap on May 13.

      As Takei previously told the Georgia Straight he found the weather in Vancouver to be "bone chilling to the core", he will undoubtedly be happy to return home to the warmer clime of Los Angeles.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook. You can also follow the Straight's LGBT coverage on Twitter at @StraightLGBT or on Facebook.

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