Star Trek Beyond actor on playing Sulu's controversial husband
‘Star Trek Beyond’ attracted controversy earlier this year when it was revealed that the film’s incarnation of Enterprise crew member Hikaru Sulu is gay.
In the film this amounted to a short sequence when Sulu greets his husband and the pair’s daughter, who would later be in jeopardy at the film’s conclusion. Despite the brevity of the scenes, it still proved a divisive decision.
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The man who played the unnamed husband - Doug Jung - who also co-wrote the film with Simon Pegg, has now commented on the decision.
“I’ve always been incredibly proud of that scene, even when it was just on the page,” Jung told Entertainment Weekly.
“I’m even more proud of it now. I think the way Justin [Lin] shot it, and the way John [Cho, who plays Sulu] helped craft that scene — certainly more than me, I just basically stood there! — but the way it was presented, I think everybody felt incredibly good about it.
"We wanted to depict it as a normal part of the fabric of life. Which it is! I think it will stand the test of time. The great victory would be that, in however many years, if they look back on 'Beyond’ as part of a 'Star Trek’ retrospective, they wouldn’t even blink.”
While intended as a gesture of goodwill and a tribute to original Sulu actor George Takei (who is himself gay), the star wasn’t a fan of the decision.
“I’m delighted that there’s a gay character,“ he said. “Unfortunately, it’s a twisting of 'Star Trek’ creator, Gene Roddenberry’s creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it’s really unfortunate.”
Picture Credits: Paramount Pictures
