The second season of NBC’s Quantum Leap finishes with two back-to-back episodes tonight (February 20), and last week, KSiteTV’s Craig Byrne had the opportunity to speak with three of the show’s major players — Raymond Lee (Dr. Ben Song), Caitlin Bassett (Addison Augustine), and Ernie Hudson (“Magic” Williams) — at a NBC party following their day of the Television Critics Association press tour.
During the interview, we spoke about several aspects of the current season leading into tonight’s finale, and also discuss some hopes for Season 3. You can check it out below.
KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: Ben and Addison were separated for quite a bit at the start of the season. Was it hard to play that tension opposite each other, and not to have as much time to work with one another?
CAITLIN BASSETT: Was it hard for me to have days off? [Laughs]
RAYMOND LEE: I mean, I certainly miss Caitlin when she’s not around, but it’s also the nature of storytelling, right? You have to bend and separate and come together, and then it makes the coming together even that much more powerful. One feeds into the other. Of course, Ben missed Addison and Ray missed Caitlin, but also, I knew that it was important for the story.
CAITLIN BASSETT: I would say we did approach it differently, though, because generally, we would both sit together and chat… but those days, especially leading up to like Episode 4…. there was a morning we didn’t speak to each other. We didn’t rehearse, and he went that way… I totally knew what he was doing, and I walked the other way. We didn’t ask a single question, because we just knew we had to do something that was outside of regular “Ray and Caitlin,” and I think it worked really well.
RAYMOND LEE: As Ben, it’s fun to see what Addison is coming in with. Yes, I read the script. and I know where she’s coming in, but to see “oh, Caitlin is making that choice here! Okay, that’s very interesting! It’s kind of better unrehearsed, coming from those two separate places, to see what’s going to happen in the moment. So yeah, it was a cool new dynamic that we added to our working relationship as well. In some situations, it’s better just to see where the chips fall.
What was your reaction when you heard that Addison would have a new love interest?
RAYMOND LEE: I thought that was right. I felt like it would be insane if three years have passed, and Addison hadn’t even looked at another person. I think it’s great for storytelling, and I think we did right by it.
This season, we had that really fantastic 1994 episode where Magic is the hologram for a change. Can you talk about doing that episode together?
RAYMOND LEE: For me, it was one of the greatest experiences, to get to work not only as Ben with Magic, but Ray with Ernie. We’ve only gotten to share some flashback scenes, or things in the headquarters or the life before Ben leapt, which has been nice to just have as bits. I felt solace in the fact that it always has felt like it’s lived in, but to also be in this space, and to tell that specific story given our specific backgrounds, meant more than just an hour of television. It felt like we were telling a part of history that my community needed to see, and that my family needed to see, and the fact that our show and we can be vessels for that sort of storytelling and putting right what once went wrong in that situation was very specifically warming to me, in so many ways.
ERNIE HUDSON: I feel the same way. I think that this time in our history with so much of what’s been going on… we spoke to a lot of things that are really happening right now in my community, as well, and in our country. It feels great to be able to play with that, but also to get a chance to work with Ray. We’re all fans at the each other. I liked it.
For Caitlin: When you got this role, were you concerned that Addison would have to wear loud outfits like Al had?
CAITLIN BASSETT: I would love to wear outfits like Al had! I’d want a hat with a cigar!
Wouldn’t it make it easier for Ben to find her if she had these weird outfits?
CAITLIN BASSETT: I mean, come on! With the 80s stuff, it was so fun. Dean Stockwell got to have so much fun. It was such a cool dynamic [with Sam and Al] that I’m grateful that they did a different dynamic. It was already scary to come and fill shoes that have been very big shoes, but to make the dynamic a different type of relationship, made me feel like I didn’t have to follow up Dean Stockwell, because nobody can, ever.
Does this imply that you’re the fan of the original show?
CAITLIN BASSETT: I think we all are big fans of it. I’ve also had to stop watching, because it just made me like put more pressure on myself. I’m going to watch it through fully as we get there.
Are we going to see Janis again?
CAITLIN BASSETT: Ohhh! I don’t know.
RAYMOND LEE: I hope so! Maybe Season 3?
CAITLIN BASSETT: We’ll see.
What are you allowed to tease about the season finale?
RAYMOND LEE: I don’t want to tease anything. I just want to tease that it’ll be a great beginning and the culmination of two seasons’ worth of work. Everything that we’ve built in these past almost 30 episodes… questions will be answered, and I feel like fans will be sufficiently happy with what we did.
Is the door left open for Season 3?
RAYMOND LEE: I think the door is always left open for more stories.
Has there been any more talk on possibly getting Scott Bakula back?
RAYMOND LEE: I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m not privy to those developments.
ERNIE HUDSON: We’d be thrilled, but we don’t know.
Have you already thought about what you personally would like to see in Season 3?
RAYMOND LEE: I want to see the future. I want to see what the future would look like, and in the most basic, childish way. I just want to flying cars, and I want to see Ben get plopped in the middle of a flying car and looking down and being a thousand feet above the ground and being like “oh my–!” I just want to see that, and I want to see if our effects team could do it.
The Quantum Leap season finale airs tonight (Tuesday, February 20) on NBC. Browse KSiteTV for more QL content including photos and details about tonight’s episodes!
