George Takei talks about what to expect from The Terror: Infamy
Most genre fans know Japanese-American actor George Takei from his role as Hikaru Sulu on the original Star Trek series. He’s currently starring in The Terror: Infamy, the second season of AMC’s The Terror anthology series.
The first (excellent) season of The Terror followed the story of the doomed Franklin Expedition in the high Arctic in the 19th century. This new season chronicles eerie events in a post-Pearl Harbor Japanese interment camp of the1940s. “Set during World War II, the haunting and suspenseful second season of the horror-infused anthology, The Terror: Infamy centers on a series of bizarre deaths that haunt a Japanese-American community, and a young man’s journey to understand and combat the malevolent entity responsible,” reads the official synopsis.
Eiji Inoue as Hideo, Alex Shimizu as Toshiro Furuya, George Takei as Nobuhiro Yamato, Miki Ishikawa as Amy Yoshida, Lee Shorten as Walt Yoshida, James Saito as Wilson Yoshida, Hira Ambrosino as Fumiko Yoshida, Naoko Mori as Asako Nakayama, Shingo Usama as Henry Nakayama- The Terror _ Season 2, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Ed Araquel/AMC
Takei talked about the series with SYFYWire before a screening of the Infamy series premiere at the ATX Television Fest in Austin, Texas. “It’s a very timeless series,” he said. “It riffs on the horror stories that we tell, but it’s also a chapter of authentic American history, fused with the ancient ghost stories of Japan, Kaidan, and carrying a lesson for us today — because it’s being repeated time and time again.”
Takei also discussed his experience with genre fiction, something he knows a bit about, and how it can treat people of Asian descent:
"Genre can stereotype. That’s been constantly repeated from the beginning of, well, the media. Whether it’s newspapers or radio or movies, television or the stage, Asians and Asian-Americans have always been characterized by unattractive stereotypes. The quiet servant, the buffoon, the comic, or the villain — either villainous soldiers or Fu Manchus. Because the media has been so powerful in selling these stereotypes, it was easy for the government, when they got stampeded by war hysteria, to incarcerate us."
Takei is speaking from experience. As a little boy (aged 5-8), he spent three years in Japanese internment camps in Arkansas and Northern California. Showrunner Alexander Woo first hired Takei to work on the show as a consultant, but soon decided to create a role for the veteran actor. He will play Yamato-san, a community elder and tuna-boxing champion, a man steeped in the lore and traditions of old Japan. His knowledge of ancient Japanese folklore and ghost stories becomes particularly important when the hauntings begin.
Kiki Sukezane as Yuko – The Terror _ Season 2, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Ed Araquel/AMC
The Terror: Infamy also stars Derek Mio as Chester Nakayama, Kiki Sukezane (Lost in Space) as Yuko, Cristina Rodlo (Miss Bala) as Luz, Shingo Usami (Unbroken) as Henry Nakayama and Naoko Mori (Everest) as Asako Nakayama.
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The first episode of The Terror: Infamy lands August 12 at 8:00 p.m. CST on AMC. We hope you’ll be watching with us here at WiC!
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