John Cho’s has revealed his ‘Star Trek’ character Hikaru Sulu is gay.
The USS Enterprise helmsman will be seen in upcoming movie ‘Star Trek Beyond’ as being in a same sex relationship and the father to a daughter, and the 44-year-old actor is pleased with the low-key fashion in which his alter ego’s personal life has been introduced to the saga.
He told Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper: "I liked the approach, which was not to make a big thing out it, which is where I hope we are going as a species, to not politicise one’s personal orientation."
John explained writer and co-star Simon Pegg and director Justin Lin had chosen to make Sulu gay in a nod to homosexual actor George Takei, who played the character in the original 1960s series.
Filmmaker J.J. Abrams, who rebooted the franchise in 2009 and has stayed on as producer for the upcoming third movie, previously admitted he would consider featuring a gay character.
He said in 2011: "It’s one of those things I’ll bring up with the writers next time we meet."
Meanwhile, George came out as gay in 2005 after a bill to legalise same-sex marriage in California was vetoed.
At the time, the actor had been with partner Brad Altman for 18 years and said: "It’s not really coming out, which suggests opening a door and stepping through. It’s more like a long, long walk through what began as a narrow corridor that starts to widen."
In 2008, he and his partner became the first same-sex couple to apply for a marriage license in California and they tied the knot later that year.
John Cho: Sulu is gay
