Cho Receives Takei's Blessing

Taking on a role that someone else made famous is both nerve-wracking and exciting, according to John Cho, who will be playing Sulu in Star Trek XI.

As reported at SciFi.com, Cho and Takei met for lunch after Cho had written to the actor who had originally played Sulu. "I had lunch with George before we started filming," Cho said. "I wrote him a letter, and we met, and he gave me what amounted to a blessing, and in his typically classy way. I told him I was nervous, and he said, 'Relax. Pretty soon people are going to refer to me as the guy who played the old version of John Cho.'"

As reported at CBR, as a child, Cho admired Takei's work. "He wasn’t wearing a cone-shaped hat or building a railroad," said Cho, referring to Takei playing non-stereotypical roles. "It’s an honor for me to step in to fill his very big slippers."

Taking on the role of an established character can be a tricky business. "I think the trick is, and I think...that everyone involved in the movie is trying to do, what I'm trying to do, is to pay homage to my predecessor and to create something new at the same time," said Cho. "I won't bore you with the particulars, nor can I speak about them for fear of legal indemnity. But I think everyone is trying to do the same thing, is trying to do both simultaneously, and hopefully we're succeeding."

Cho got a kick out of putting on the Starfleet uniform for the first time. "It was unbelievable," he said. "I can't tell you how cool it feels to put on the outfit, look at yourself in the mirror, and go 'Holy s--t.' And then take yourself and your outfit over to the bridge of the Enterprise. But you're looking around, and you're on the bridge of the Enterprise. It's really crazy. It's really insane."

To read more, head to the articles located here and here.

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