Star Trek’s George Takei on keeping fit at 85: ‘I do 100 push-ups a day’
"Thank God I have the vanity to try to maintain my desirability!” George tells us in our exclusive interview.
Star Trek icon George Takei has revealed all about his fitness regime, in a new interview with Attitude.
The actor, who is 83, shared that he completes “100 press-ups a day” and is “prudent” with alcohol.
“I do 100 push-ups every morning,” the star told us. “You’ve got to, [as] the more you age, the more your muscles atrophy. Strength training is important.”
“I’m in that category — an octogenarian, slap bang in the middle, 85”
George Takei
“I’m a fish and fall person: lots of vegetables and fruits,” he continued. “Be prudent with alcohol. Green tea has lots of antioxidants. It’s the usual, boring things: eat, exercise, sleep properly.”
George, who married husband Brad Takei in 2008, also reflected on whether ageism in the gay community is visible to him. “Oh, yes. And when I was young, I had that attitude!” he replied, with refreshing honesty.
George, who will soon bring his stage show Allegiance to the West End, added: “Now I’m in that category — an octogenarian, slap bang in the middle, 85 — I say: thank God I have the vanity to try to maintain my desirability!”
That said, when asked if he would like to venture into space like his Star Trek character, George reflected that such a feat “requires the fittest of humankind. I’m realistic. I’m past that point. I feel my aches and pains, my pops in my joints. I am who I am.”
Furthermore, he added: “We’ve spoiled this planet. It was predicted. Now we’re in it. Horrific hurricanes and firestorms. My home is southern California. We’ve been in a 10-year drought and are legally forbidden to water our lawns more than twice a week. Brown lawns are the landscape in our neighbourhood.
He also said: “If we aren’t able to deal with our home, our habitat, this planet, how responsibly will we behave out there? But, at the same time, there’s that unquenchable curiosity.”
To read our interview with George in full, order or download issue 350 of Attitude now.
Allegiance plays at London’s Charing Cross Theatre from 7 January to 8 April 2023.