Raymond Lee (Kevin Can F*ck Himself) stars as a scientist who defies both time and space to jump into someone else’s body in the NBC sequel of Quantum Leap.
The new Quantum Leap begins 30 years after the original 90s series (1989 – 1993) left off. Now Lee leads a team to understand the accelerator machine just like Sam Beckett did in the original.
Lee plays Dr. Ben Song, a physicist who jumps into time leaving behind in the lab security analyst Jenn Chou (Nanrisa Lee), artificial intelligence scientist Ian Wright (Mason Alexander Park) and boss Herbert “Magic” Williams (Ernie Hudson). Song is backed by Caitlyn Bassett (Addison Augustine) who appears as a hologram and only Ben can see. The trailer hints that a romantic relationship will develop between the two.
“Ben’s a better person than I am,” said Lee to EW. “He’s constantly risking his own life to save another person. He’s very altruistic, brave, and smart. Ben’s a selfless guy, and I’m learning how to be a better person through him.”
Lee has had a chance to work with Sandra Oh and veteran Chinese actress Tsai Chin He says he’s taken advice from both of them and acknowledged both have had an impact on him. However, he really doesn’t have much to say about an Asian American actor playing a lead on a classic TV show.
“It’s beyond me. I do this because I love doing it, and I look this way because I have no choice. I hope to be a reflection of not only the work I’m capable of, but also what folks like me are capable of,” he said.
According to show executive producer Martin Gero, each week the accelerator will put Lee in a different genre.
“One’s in space, one’s horror, one’s an old Western,” Gero said to the New York Daily News. While he’s traveling in time, his team back home is trying to figure out why and how Song left.
“It’s a dream job. I don’t have ADD but I like new things. I like being constantly stimulating. I like learning new things,” Lee said. “I am literally putting myself in someone else’s shoes and forced to look through that lens.”
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc. Please consider making a donation and following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Information about interning, joining the staff or volunteering is here. We are supported by a grant from the California Library Commission and its Stop the Hate program. You can find more resources here.
