Star Trek's George Takei thought his career was over at 70. He's making his London stage debut at 85

We often think that careers in show business are over after actors age and lose relevancy with the young new audience. George Takei, the Star Trek actor, thought the same at the age of 70. He thought his successful career has come to an end but now the 85-year-old actor is all set to make his London stage debut. For a brief period in 2023, Takei will perform in the United Kingdom as part of the Broadway musical "George Takei's Allegiance," which itself is based on his actual memories of childhood, per the Blast.

The Moana voice actor announced the news on his official Twitter account by writing, "I am 85 years old. And I will be making my London stage debut in my legacy project, Allegiance, in January. Life really is amazing." He wrote in a previous tweet how he feared that his career will be over by a certain age. He wrote, "When I turned 70, I thought, well that’s it." He felt that his "great career" was "winding down." 

However, he was mistaken and discovered social media and "then a second wind at my sails in my 70s!" He made his Broadway debut at the age of 78 and now is all set to perform on the London stage. According to Broadway World, Tara Overfield will choreograph the performance in the United Kingdom. George Takei will be joined on stage by Telly Leung, a "Glee" actor. 

This United Kingdom Andrew Hilton and Charlie Ingles will also provide musical direction and orchestration for the show's production. Nic Farman designed the lighting design, Chris Whybrow provided the sound design, and Sarah Leung Casting was in charge of casting the project. The musical, which was inspired by George's personal experiences in internment camps, premiered in San Diego and quickly became a Broadway success, per Mirror UK. 

George, who grew up in California, recalls clearly the day the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor in December 1941, prompting President Roosevelt to declare war on Japan.
The deadly strike, which destroyed over 300 American planes and sank 20 warships, killed over 2,400 people. However, there was retaliation was quick as 120,000 Japanese Americans, including George and his family, were picked up and forced to spend the next four years in US internment camps.

That's something the openly gay actor will undoubtedly be thinking about as he takes the stage in London this January to perform in the musical. Eight decades have gone by since the terrible Pearl Harbor attack, yet George recalls it as if it were yesterday. He recalls the day following the bombing, saying, "My father came into the room I shared with my brother Henry and told us to wait in the living room while he and my mother did some hasty packing."

He added, "We went and stood by the window, gazing out at the neighborhood. Suddenly, we saw two soldiers marching up our driveway, carrying rifles fixed with bayonets. They used them to bang on our front door. We were terrified. We couldn’t understand what was happening." 

Takei will be relaying his childhood experiences in internment camps in his London broadway show. It will run in London from 7th January to 8th April in London.