During the roundtable interview at WonderCon Mason Alexander Park spoke with pride about NBC’s decision to tell stories that matter and the importance of representation in network television. Nanrisa Lee spoke about what it’s like being on the show now after having grown up watching the original series as a kid with her dad.
Interview with Mason Alexander Park and Nanrisa Lee at WonderCon
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.
Nanrisa Lee stars as “Jenn Chou”. Lee is a California native from Oakland, CA, and is best known for her breakout recurring role on “Bosch.” Her character Chou on Quantum Leap is the head of digital security and works alongside Magic in hopes of solving why Ben Song leaped in hopes of bringing him home.
Mason Alexander Park stars as “Ian Wright” on the new NBC drama “Quantum Leap.” Ian is the lead programmer on the confidential program that has rebuilt “Ziggy,” the Artificial Intelligence unit which provides essential information on Ben’s leaps. Park is a nonbinary artist who played “Desire” in Netflix’s hit adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.
Nanrisa Lee on growing up watching Quantum Leap, teases the season finale.
Nanrisa Lee grew up watching the original show with her father. “I watched the original with my dad. I used to watch that show when I was a kid. So I remember when I got the audition for this, I was just thrilled that, like if it went further, I was going to earn points with my dad. And then look what happened, you know? So it’s really exciting for me, think to be able to definitely work on a show that’s a continuation of something that I used to watch as a kid and, you know, on TV after 40 years and my dad is still a fan of the show, which is great.”
When asked to tease the season finale, Lee told us “I think you know that we still have some loose ends going on that we’ve been sort of struggling with over the course of the season. Our recent collaboration with Janice being one of them and also, you know, trying to stay one step ahead.” She goes on to say “I think there’s a big struggle with trying to keep the program afloat here. And then as a result, sort of, you know, new conflicts arise in the season finale, which creates that.”
Mason Alexander Park on the importance of representation on network television
During the roundtable interview at WonderCon Mason Alexander Park spoke with pride about NBC’s decision to tell stories that matter and the importance of representation in network television. They spoke in particular about the episode “Let Them Play”, which was written and directed by trans activist Shakina Nayfack.
Park said of the episode, “It was really amazing to be a part of a groundbreaking piece of television that I would have loved to have seen when I was growing up because that representation really didn’t exist for me, especially not in a network television context.”
They went on to say “And I learned so much about morality and about life and about individuality through my experience with network television when I was a kid and through the shows that I watched. So the things that they chose to highlight really did matter to me and matter to the people around me. So I’m glad NBC included that storyline. And that Shakina got a chance to direct it”
NBC’s Quantum Leap
NBC’s Quantum Leap is a continuation of the 90’s series where 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, its 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.
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.
New episodes of Quantum Leap air Mondays at 10 pm/9 pm central on NBC, and are available to stream the next day on Peacock.
