Interview: Raymond Lee Talks 'Quantum Leap' Reboot
'Quantum Leap' star Raymond Lee on what makes the reboot work, the best part of his experience, and coming up with a catchphrase.
NBC’s new version of Quantum Leap has the same high-concept premise as the original – the consciousness of a scientist (Raymond Lee) leaps into the body of a person at a crucial juncture in their life, “putting right what once went wrong” with the help of a hologram (Caitlin Bassett) only he can see – and it’s a smart pick for a reboot/ sequel (the events of the original series, which ran from 1989-93, factor into the new story). First off, it’s the rare show whose episodic structure is baked into the narrative, allowing the protagonist to literally walk in the shoes of a different character week-to-week. Also, rebooting a show about a character who acts as a human reboot? That’s just cool.
Ahead of the show’s premiere on Sept. 19, Sling TV was able to chat with Quantum Leap star Raymond Lee about his experience, what fans of the original should expect, and crafting a catchphrase for the show’s hero. Watch new episodes of Quantum Leap Mondays at 10pm ET on NBC with Sling Blue in select markets, or a subscription to Peacock.
Sling TV: Is there one thing different about this revival that fans of the original show are really going to love or root for.
Raymond Lee: Yeah, I think the show at its core still retains the heart. We’re leading with empathy here. We’re walking a mile in someone else’s shoes and that is essentially what’s at the core of the story, so that is not changing.
The dynamics also have changed because our hologram is now the fiance of the leaper. That just adds dynamics that are very exciting and interesting, and there’s lots more to uncover with these leaps because there’s so much more at stake for both of these characters. There’s also the entire world of the Quantum Leap headquarters you don’t get to see in the original version, which has its own storylines and plot points and Easter eggs and character connections that [viewers are] going to be making. We’re definitely gonna see characters from the past, or mentions from the past, and there’s so much for the original fans to chew on.
Sling TV: What’s the catchphrase? It’s obviously not “Oh boy!” What is it and how did you decide to change it?
Raymond Lee: It had to be...the stakes had to be up, right? So, I guess there’s an almost curse word involved, but it could also be ‘oh shoot!’ So we don’t know. It’s up to the viewers’ imagination, how they want to fill in the rest of that shht. It felt like it happened in the moment, and it distinctly was at the end of the first episode, when you see Ben strapped into the chair of Space Shuttle Atlantis and he’s about to take off. First we tried it many ways with, ‘oh boy,’ but that’s very Sam Beckett [the scientist from the original]. So we had to try something different and I don’t know which came first, if the writers had told me to say it or if I said it myself, but we came up with oh shht.
Sling TV: If leaping was real, where would you want to leap and who would you want to leap into?
Raymond Lee: You know, I’ve thought about this a lot and I’ve given a lot of different answers, but I keep going back to Jimi Hendrix. I don’t know why except for the fact that it’s something that I can’t do – play the electric [guitar]. So to make a guitar sing the way he can, and just to be in front of that audience, it’s something epic. It’s either that or like Michael Jordan dunk a basketball – things obviously that I can’t do. Anything I can’t do I would love to do.
Answers have been lightly edited.