Exclusive Interview: Raymond Lee and Eliza Taylor Discuss Quantum Leap Season 2, Ben and Hannah’s Future, and More

Raymond Lee and Eliza Taylor are two of the stars of NBC’s must-see time-traveling adventure, Quantum Leap.

Nearly 30 years have passed since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team led by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee) has been assembled to restart the project, with the hope of unraveling the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.

Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it. At Ben’s side throughout his leaps is Addison (Caitlin Bassett), who appears in the form of a hologram only Ben can see and hear. She’s a decorated Army veteran who brings level-headed precision to her job.

At the helm of the highly confidential operation is Herbert “Magic” Williams (Ernie Hudson), a no-nonsense career military man who has to answer to his bosses who won’t be happy once they learn about the breach of protocol. The rest of the team at headquarters includes Ian Wright (Mason Alexander Park), who runs the Artificial Intelligence unit “Ziggy,” and Jenn Chu (Nanrisa Lee), who heads up digital security for the project.

As Ben leaps from life to life, putting right what once went wrong, it becomes clear that he and the team are on a thrilling journey. However, Addison, Magic, Ian and Jenn know that if they are going to solve the mystery of Ben’s leaps and bring him home, they must act fast or lose him forever.

Eliza Taylor joined the series in Season 2 as Hannah Carson, a complex young woman who may be more than she appears.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Raymond and Eliza about Quantum Leap Season 2, the future of Ben and Hannah, and more.

PC: Raymond, Season 1 laid down the foundation for this world, its tone and voice, and the elements you all wanted to lean on. The scope and leaps have expanded in Season 2, and you’ve really delved into the emotional core of these characters. Given that you filmed Season 1 and Season 2 so closely together, how were you able to create the space for yourself to dive into that depth and vulnerability, specifically when it comes to the fallout of Ben’s relationship with Addison?
Raymond: It was actually a great benefit not to have a break in between. We used all that momentum and adrenaline and took it into Season 2 to really take it off. With the addition of Eliza and Peter [Gadiot], we were also given a new lease to look at the show differently. It filled us up once again to be able to take our show where our writers have been wanting us to take it. It’s a brilliant move to invest more in the emotional journeys of each of the characters and stray further away from the mythology, which is great to establish the rules of our world. That’s important. Now that we’ve established it, we can reallocate that time into our emotional journeys, which is brilliant.

As far as Ben’s relationship, everyone loves a good story. Even in my own relationship with my wife, there was a time that we broke up for a bit. Then we got back together, and now we’re married. You’ve got to add those complications and that drama. The most important part of it is that we actually don’t know what’s going to happen with Ben and Addison or Ben and Hannah. Everything’s up in the air. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s strengthening our show.

PC: Eliza, Hannah has such a zest for life and is such an empowering character who faces a lot of adversity during a time and in an industry that was primarily male-dominated, but she never lets that hinder her own journey, which you brought so much nuance to. Did you channel any of your own experience as you stepped into her shoes? What was that character development process like?
Eliza: From the moment I got the audition scenes, I knew that this was a really special character. What I love about her is that she’s so tenacious and determined. The limitations or seeming limitations of the time and place never boggle her down. She still has this really playful view of the world. I love that about her. Even though she’s in a time and place where it’s very hard for women to get ahead, she’s doing it anyway. That’s incredible and it’s such a joy to play.

PC: Raymond, Ben’s mission is to change history for the better. You’ve been really open about your own experience as a journeyman in this industry. Have you had time to reflect on your own contributions that you’ve made for our community and knowing that for so many, it might be the first time that they see themselves reflected on screen in a series like this and on a network like this? What does that mean to you?
Raymond: The best part about the strike that happened, if there was any positive takeaway outside of us getting a fair deal by the end, was that I was able to step out of the Quantum Leap bubble for a brief moment because we’ve been in our own world for so long and I haven’t been able to step outside of it until this strike. I got to connect with our community and I got to really see and hear the impact that Quantum Leap and my presence have been making. It’s been great. I wouldn’t call it contributing specifically because my intention isn’t to go out and contribute. It’s to be a part of a community as I’ve always been. It’s nice to have gone into that and then now come out of it and know that, “Oh, I am doing my part in some way to add to the bigger picture of the journey for all of us in this business.”

PC: Eliza, since your character was introduced in this series, there’s been a lot of speculation about how she’ll continue to be woven into this narrative, and a lot gets revealed in Episode 206. How much information were you given about your character’s arc heading into the show? How have those various points in which we find her impacted the decisions that you’ve made as an actor?
Eliza: I was really lucky in the way that my character’s arc had been really fleshed out before I got to set. Dean [Georgaris] and Martin [Gero], who are incredible and care so very much about their characters and the show, sat me down and talked me through so much of the nuances of Hannah, her story, where she’s coming from, and where she’s going. It’s an actor’s dream because I really did have a great scope of Hannah’s life. I can’t speak too much to what’s going to happen or how it’s going to play out, but it’s really exciting. I think the viewers are going to love it.

PC: There’s such great chemistry that comes off the screen between the two of you. Was that instant? How were you able to build that bond?
Raymond: Well, Eliza is very easy to get along with. She’s a strong and open individual to everyone. I don’t know how else to put it. The chemistry that you see, at least for me, was very easy and effortless, even outside of shooting.

Eliza: I agree. Ray is a dream to work with, and he makes all of the actors around him feel safe. He gives you a safe space to play. We had a funny audition story. I wasn’t in L.A. for the chemistry read so I couldn’t go into the room. There were other women who were able to go into the room with him. I thought, “I’m not going to get the role doing a chemistry over Zoom.” But I did feel this instant connection and was immediately relaxed and felt connected. And here we are!

Raymond: I believe that was the first time in a long time that in-person auditions were a thing. All of us with Martin and Dean were like, “This feels so strange.” To see Eliza in a safe space that we’ve all been accustomed to on Zoom, we were all like, “We know how to do this part. We all fell in love with Eliza instantly.”

PC: In Episode 206, Ben geeks out about potentially meeting his hero. Who were the people in your own lives who’ve paved the way for you as storytellers?
Raymond: Oh, wow. Growing up, there weren’t a lot of folks that I could watch and look up to, but John Cho continues to come up for me because he was somebody that I saw myself in. He’s a brilliant guy who played this normal person in American Pie and Off Centre. He’s been a great beacon for me.

Eliza: For me, it’s been more behind the scenes. I was a child actor. It wasn’t my mom’s idea. It shook her life up in a way that she pretty much had to give up everything to follow me around the country doing shows and giving me that freedom to follow my dreams at such a young age. It’s gotten me to where I am today. I’m so thankful that she let me do that and sacrificed so much to allow me to do that, so it’s my mum.

PC: There are so many reveals that happen in Episode 206. What were each of your reactions when you read that script in particular? What can you tease about what’s ahead for Ben and Hannah?
Raymond: I think we both agree that we thought it was brilliant. Drew Lindo, who wrote that episode, had worked with Eliza on The 100. You could see and feel when he’s excited about something, and it wasn’t just Eliza’s involvement, but it definitely added to it. He was like, “I know how to write for her. This is so exciting.” All of our reference points were aligned, from Indiana Jones to Da Vinci Code. It was all the right vibes that titillated all of us. I knew cracking open that script that it was going to be incredible. By the time we got to the final scene, I was like, “Yeah, this makes sense. This makes a lot of sense that the journey would go this way.” As far as what I can tease, I’ll let Eliza take that one.

Eliza: Because I’m so good at it. [laughs] I can’t do it. You have to tease.

Raymond: There’s nothing we can tease.

Eliza: By the end of the day, I’m going to have a really good answer.

Raymond: It’s your fault for interviewing us so early!

Make sure to follow Raymond (Instagram) and Eliza (Instagram). New episodes of Quantum Leap air every Wednesday on NBC and on Peacock the day after.

Photo Credit: NBC