“Oh, my!” That’s the reaction from many when George Takei is on “The Howard Stern Show.”
The legendary “Star Trek” actor is often on the shock jock’s radio show and doesn’t seem to shy away from the naughtiness.
“Howard Stern is a startling performer,” Takei explained. “When you’re on that show, you just go with the flow.”
However Stern has been quite the “asset” for Takei when it comes to discussing social issues. In recent years, Takei’s activism has turned him into sort of a social media maven with many of his posts about specific causes and issues going viral.
“Marriage equality was a big issue for me, but normally if you talk about it it’s shocking,” he said. “But with Howard, he’s an open-minded, decent guy and to communicate that is something that we want to happen. That’s part of my strategy, there and it’s worked.”
Takei’s latest venture is the family-friendly film “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank.” It’s about the only dog on an island of cats and the need for a hero. “The idea was to be a minority in a majority of cats, he said. “Our hero is a dog, and you know how cats and dogs get along.”
The animated movie has an all-star cast, like Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Cera, Michael Brooks, Michelle Yeoh, Ricky Gervais, and more. On Sunday Takei saw the film for the first time, and was just happy to be back in a theater again.
“We had a screening at Paramount with the cast and crew for the first time. It was a joy because we’d been in quarantine,” he exclaimed. “I had not been in a big theater, full of people, excited people to see a movie in two-and-a-half years. So just that alone, was a fantastic feeling.”
“Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” pounces into theaters July 15.