George Takei Speaks Out on ‘Star Trek’ Feud with William Shatner: He’s a ‘Cantankerous Old Man’
George Takei is done playing William Shatner’s game.
The “Star Trek” alums have been part of a very public feud for over 50 years, and Takei seemingly put it to bed by alluding to Shatner as a “prima donna” on set.
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When asked by The Guardian if Takei got along with his fellow “Star Trek: The Original Series” stars, the actor answered, “Yes. Yes. YES. Except for one, who was a prima donna. But the rest of us shared a great camaraderie.”
Takei continued, “One of the gifts from ‘Star Trek’ was not just longevity but colleagues that became lasting friends. My colleagues were part of my wedding party in 2008. Walter Koenig, who played Chekov, was my best man. We asked Nichelle [Nichols, communications officer Uhura] to be our matron of honor but she said: ‘I am not a matron! If Walter can be the best man, why can’t I be the best lady?’ So she became the best lady.”
Yet “none of us” got along with that one co-star — clearly Shatner — according to Takei.
“He was self-involved. He enjoyed being the center of attention. He wanted everyone to kowtow to him,” Takei said.
“I know he came to London to promote his book and talked about me wanting publicity by using his name. So I decided I don’t need his name to get publicity,” Takei continued. “I have much more substantial subject matter that I want to get publicity for, so I’m not going to refer to Bill in this interview at all. Although I just did. He’s just a cantankerous old man and I’m going to leave him to his devices. I’m not going to play his game.”
Shatner recently told The Times UK that he believed his co-stars were speaking ill of him for “publicity” purposes. “Don’t you think that’s a little weird? It’s like a sickness,” Shatner said. “George has never stopped blackening my name. These people are bitter and embittered. I have run out of patience with them. Why give credence to people consumed by envy and hate?”
Back in 2015, Takei told The New York Times (via ABC News) that Shatner was “difficult” to work with on set.
“It’s difficult working with someone who is not a team player. The rest of the cast all understand what makes a scene work — it’s everybody contributing to it,” Takei said at the time. “But Bill is a wonderful actor, and he knows it, and he likes to have the camera on him all the time.”
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