Free Oh Myyy! by George Takei Page A

the whole thing in Los Angeles, and edited in footage (actually from the London production of Sister Act ) to make it look like I was there. Ah, the magic of green screen!
    While this shoot proved to be far less technically demanding than Spider-man (I didn’t have to spend any time in a body harness), I had to brush up on my vocals. To sing the part in the show’s signature number “Raise Your Voice,” I had to memorize a real tongue-twister of a lyric: “ Laudamus te; benedicimus te; adoramus te; glorificamus te.… ” Try saying that a few times fast. And I had to do this trying not to laugh at how I looked in a wimple.
    The producers also wanted me to show off my deep bass at the end of the video by shattering a glass, solely using my voice. No really, that’s what they wanted. Of course, it was all a big stunt. They had provided me with a prop “magic” glass which I held in my hand, and which I could shatter with just the slightest pressure. I was assured it posed no danger to me, but it was still a challenge to make it appear as if the vibrations of my voice alone did the work. So I let loose with a deep “aaaaaaah” and broke the sucker — and we got it all in one shot. Oh, Maaaary!
     

     
    I haven’t had a chance to do a third video, but I’m looking forward to what the producers select. Perhaps I should play a missionary for The Book of Mormon or don an animal mask for The Lion King .
    Apart from my “Road to Broadway” series, I’ve also enjoyed doing what I call “public service announcement” videos. Back in the day, on Jimmy Kimmel Live , I called out NBA star Tim Hardaway for his homophobic remarks by facetiously threatening to have gay sex with him. I suppose that set the stage for my future videos that lampooned other anti-gay individuals. My favorite among these was my “It’s OK to be Takei” piece.
    A bit of background. A bill proposed in the Tennessee Legislature by Representative Stacey Campbell would have prohibited the teaching in elementary schools of even so much as the existence of homosexuality. The bill was quickly dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill because it proscribed even the very mention of gay people. To me, this was not only an egregious violation of equal rights, but also a suppression of the right of free speech. It was premised on the misguided belief that gay people could be silenced, and made to disappear, if no one could talk about us. Inherent in its sweep was the presumption that gays were bad people, and that children therefore could be kept from knowing about us. On a deeper level, it restricted our right to participate in civil society by closing the doors of the classroom to us and our causes, such as marriage equality or the right to adopt.
    When I heard about this, I felt I had to speak out, but in a way that would bring the right amount of public disdain upon this proposed law. So I first put out the following tweet:
     

     
    Based on the immediate virality of that initial tweet, I knew I was on to something. So with the help of my Allegiance production team, I put together a video. If teachers and children were forbidden to say “gay,” they could simply say “Takei.” You could proclaim yourself a supporter of Takei marriage, march in a Takei pride parade, and at the holidays even sing, “Don we now our Takei apparel!”
    But I wanted to do more than just get out the word on this awful bill. I wanted those who opposed it to be able to support those who would actually help defeat it. So I did what other causes do: I sold swag. The “It’s OK to be Takei” line featured t-shirts, hats, mugs and buttons, with all of the proceeds donated to charities, including education funds for LGBT causes.
    The video went viral beyond my wildest expectations, with over a million hits. I was particularly surprised when MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow picked up the story, naming me and the campaign the “Best New Thing in the World” on her show. Oh myyy. You can