NBC reimagined the classic television sci-fi series “Quantum Leap” with new cast and new missions starting Monday.
The show, helmed by “Blind Spot” executive producer Martin Gero, stars Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, who ends up just like Dr. Sam Beckett in the original show – leaping into the bodies of various individuals on a mission to do something right. Wrong before he can move on. But, unlike Sam, Ben has lost some of his memories, which makes his journey a little daunting.
Luckily, he’s found Ziggy and his fiancé Addison (Caitlin Bassett), who he can’t remember but who is there to help, and hopefully brings him home.
Ahead of Monday’s series premiere, TheWrap spoke with Lee about what’s next, and whether his character’s memory loss will affect Ben’s focus at home.
TheWrap: I’d love to know a little bit about how this role came to be and how secret it was. Was it a blind audition?
Raymond Lee: It was not a blind audition. It was not so secret in the sense that I was given the pilot script to read first. So, I was very well aware of what I was getting myself into. And as far as auditions are concerned, I had to audition for networks and studios, and it was a character that I felt very close to. So, in addition to being a physicist, I needed to be someone else, who I’m not, in this context the pressure was off. That person felt close enough to where I am, maybe I just have to be myself.
Why did you feel close to Ben Song?
Just because it is a fish out of water story, and I have always felt like a fish out of water in many situations and I always have to understand my surroundings and I have to know my surroundings and I just understood. I understood that even though I never cleared my memory, I could understand what it was like to learn everything from scratch, which is what I love to do.
What do you mean, you feel like a fish out of water?
The fish is out of the water in every sense. Like, I like to learn things I don’t know. My favorite thing to do is to be likable, to indulge myself in a hobby where I have no business rock climbing wall. I’ll figure it out. [At] First, you’re always stressed out because you don’t know what you’re doing, and then you figure out how to relax in those situations. And when that happens, I get like an euphoric burst of serotonin that happens. I’m just like, ‘Oh my god, I know how to do this.’ …and there are moments in the script, over and over again, where Dr. Ben Song goes, ‘I know this. I know how to use stick shift now. And so I can understand and relate to those moments.
The original show is actually still on air in syndication. If you have regular television, if you have an antenna, you can watch it regularly on certain channels. … were you familiar with it?
I was, yes. I saw it a second time, I believe it was on USA at the time. My best friend in sixth grade, this was her favorite show. He kept playing baseball, we used to play in the playground, and we would all get sweaty and then we would gather around and watch the show. I was only into cartoons at that time. So he was watching like a real show. This was actually my first exposure to science-fiction. Yes, I was brought up in the universe in a very special way. It has a special place in my heart.
So tell me a little bit about the approach you guys are taking with the “quantum leap,” because I imagine, you know, when it’s 2022, the stakes are raised. Technology is completely different these days.
The way we are able to manipulate quantum accelerators has progressed rapidly, yes. Even though we don’t know when Ben Song is leaving, we can know where he’s headed and we may be able to control some aspects of him. We just don’t know how to get into the story yet. And also, Ziggy has improved in a big way. … Mathematics has also come a long way since then. So yes, new algorithms. And our writing staff is extremely clever at digging up those details. That’s why we’re excited to show it.
And then in terms of coming, you know, jumping into other bodies, do they approach that in a different way than the original?
No.
Are you still just like suddenly trying to figure out who you are?
Yes, that legend is the same. He learns to use his body. What we can add to this now is Ben’s photographic memory; We are able to pair with [Ben’s] Crazy ability to process physics in real time. And so, we see the most customized version of Ben leaping into a prize fighter and suddenly this award winner… he has everything available.
And at the same time, he has to try to solve some of the world’s problems, because in the original series, and it seems that in this series as well, he’s got a mission. He leaps into someone to fix something, doesn’t he?
That’s right. He has to do well to make the leap. It’s figuring out what specific good he has to do with the help of Addison and Ziggy that will help him on his next leap.
How much does Edison help?
Ben wouldn’t be able to function without Edison and [in] The original show it was a bromance, and now it’s a romance. They have a lot of history together. Ben may not remember that history, but Edison sure does. And how much she can try to reconcile those memories is going to affect the story. So, she might not be able to say everything she wants to say, because it could be [Ben’s] own benefit.
Sam Beckett – He is known in this story, and he has disappeared, he never came back as far as anyone knows. Correct?
Yes.
Does Ben want to do this? If he doesn’t have a memory, is there any reason for him to go home?
Yes, it’s a big part of the show. That’s what we’re finding out – why did he leave, where is he trying to reach, does he want to come home?
“Quantum Leap” premieres Monday, September 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.