NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
***Mild spoilers for the first season of Quantum Leap ahead.***
Though the first season of Quantum Leap wrapped up the plot line set forth in the pilot — namely, why did Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) go into the Quantum Accelerator? — the finale, in which an eager Addison awaits Ben’s return to the present, hinted that his adventures might not be over yet. That much was confirmed in a teaser that dropped shortly after, which shows a distressed Ben wondering why he hasn’t leaped home yet.
In an interview with The Workprint, Lee discussed his excitement for the trajectory of the show’s next season and what the creators had in mind. “Having done a good deal of it, I’m very excited by the things that we shot and I think we’ve achieved a lot of those ideas we set out to do so all of that is very exciting,” he said.
Lee expressed enthusiasm for the writers’ varied ideas for leaps, saying, “Whatever they propose, I’m like, ‘That is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.’ And then they’ll come up with another episode, I’m like, ‘That is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.’ So, each time they propose something to me, I think that is extremely cool.”
While season one delved deep into Ben’s relationship with Addison — who’s not only his hologram, but also his fiancée — more remains to be explored between the two characters. “Ben and Addison, they have a very, very complicated relationship, right? And the only way to make the story more interesting is to make it even more complicated,” Lee said. “And so there are going to be a lot of complications that come in. But what I’m very excited for is, of course Ben and Addison’s story needs to expand.”
Perhaps the biggest difference between this Quantum Leap and the classic show is the inclusion of scenes in the present, featuring a dynamic cast of characters at Quantum Leap Headquarters, and Lee indicated that we’ll see more of them next season.
“The Ian, Magic, and Jenn characters also get a doubling down of figuring out what their past is, what they’re struggling with,” he said. “I’m personally very excited to see for myself, because I wasn’t there on those shoot days with headquarters, how that story is expanding, and how that universe is expanding on an emotional level.”
While Lee has had a chance to play a variety of characters thanks to his character’s various leaps, there’s one in particular he hasn’t had a chance to play yet that he’d like to. “I would love to play a pro golfer because I love golf, and I think it would be fun to spend an entire episode on a golf course,” he said with a laugh. “So selfishly, I think I would love that. But as far as what the character and what the Quantum Accelerator wants, that’s really up to the writers.”
Playing a character who takes on a multitude of lifestyles and professions from episode to episode, Lee has had to learn and display many skills on screen. But a specific one came to mind when asked. “Walking in heels!” he said. “That’s a skill. That is an actual skill. How to clear your hips to make space for the inches that are on the heels… that’s a skill. Yeah.”
Quantum Leap season two premieres on October 4 on Peacock.
