Deborah Pratt and Ernie Hudson discussed their connection to the original Quantum Leap series during the Quantum Leap round table interview at WonderCon. Ernie Hudson discussed how his character, Magic, was critical to both the original and new series. Executive Producer Deborah Pratt talked about how the series is timeless in that they can tell a science-fiction story after 30+ years.
Interview with Deborah Pratt and Ernie Hudson
This past weekend, WonderCon returned to the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. WonderCon is one of the country’s best comics and popular arts conventions.
Ernie Hudson stars as Herbert “Magic” Williams on NBC’s Quantum Leap. Magic is the head of the Quantum Leap project and juggles taking care of his team while also answering to his bosses at the Pentagon.
Deborah Pratt is the Executive Producer on the show. Pratt played the role of Ziggy in the original series from 1989-1993.
Ernie Hudson talks about the importance of Magic
Ernie Hudson watched the original Quantum Leap series with his sons. He has a strong connection to the show, and he discussed the way his character was connected to the original series. He said:
“Well, my personal connection is I love the show that was, you know, created. But I. I used to watch it with my sons, you know, and. And that’s something we’ve continued in this new iteration. But the character that I played was connected with in the original series had been leapt in to me. His life had been sort of turned upside down and it put him on a mission.”
When we asked about challenging moments on set, Hudson said, “Well, the really challenging thing is getting up in the morning.” He went on to say:
“I think for, for the character is really sort of trying to be there to develop this family, to sort of nurture them, to move the program forward, but yet they’re really falling apart in other areas of his life. And the sacrifices you make to do this have consequences over there. And how do you reconcile that having to be here 100% and not be there at all…So how I make that make sense of the character.”
Deborah Pratt talks about the connection of the cast and characters
During the round table interview at WonderCon, Executive Producer Deborah Pratt spoke about how clever Magic is as a character. Pratt said:
“I think choosing Magic is a really clever way back into the show. In a sense that yeah, the title “Magic” kind of describes the show. It’s science fiction, but it’s really about people and the magic you create for yourself. And if you go back to that character in that episode, he was already magic.”
Both Pratt and Hudson were asked how it felt to deal with social issues on the show. Pratt talked about how audiences can watch the show purely for entertainment. She went on to say:
“Have a fun ride. It’s a good show, great dialog, good music, maybe cry a little bit and laugh a little bit or you can go, Oh, well, that’s why that happened. And you can then turn around to somebody that you care about, that you’re watching and sharing the show with and say, did you feel that? Did you get that? And now you’re into a conversation.”
NBC’s Quantum Leap
NBC’s Quantum Leap is a continuation of the 90’s series. During a government experiment into time travel, a scientist finds himself trapped in the past, “leaping” into the lives of different people, sorting out their problems, and changing history in hopes of getting back home to the present. In the current series, it has been nearly 30 years 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 in the hope of understanding 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 Chou (Nanrisa Lee), who heads up digital security for the project.
New episodes of Quantum Leap air on NBC Mondays at 10 pm/9 pm central and are available to stream the next day on Peacock.
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