[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for “S.O.S,” Episode 114 of Quantum Leap.]In the “S.O.S.” episode (Season 1, Episode 14) of the NBC series Quantum Leap, Ben (Raymond Lee) leapt into 1989 and directly onto the naval battleship where XO Alexander Augustine (guest star Brandon Routh), who also happens to be Addison’s (Caitlin Bassett) father, is stationed. While there, Ben had to consider the ramifications of defying the chain of command, in order to prevent far more deadly consequences.

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Bassett and Routh talked about exploring a leap that is so personally connected to Addison, what makes Quantum Leap special, what this show so impressively pulls off with every episode, shooting this episode on a real battleship, establishing the father-daughter dynamic, how often the script changes, and how much the cast knows ahead of time. Routh also talked about his hope that fans will get to see the Magic: The Gathering animated series soon.
COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY
Collider: Caitlin, congratulations on the Season 2 pickup, which is very exciting.

CAITLIN BASSETT: Thank you.

What was your reaction to learning that a leap would be so personally connected to your character? As the actor playing this character, does this feel like you were getting to add a very important piece to her puzzle?

BASSETT: Oh, absolutely. I was just so grateful that they did it and that the choice was made on a creative level. Everyone, from the writers to the showrunners to the network, felt that it was so important to add such a big piece of herself to the story. What’s so wonderful about this iteration is that we’re gonna get more and more of that from all the characters and all the cast. We’ve now seen that Ian’s history and future is really gonna play a role. I was so grateful that they did it, and that they did it in a way where, not only am I meeting my father, but I’m meeting him in this pivotal moment in his life, which means it’s a pivotal moment in my life. I grew up the daughter of a Vietnam veteran. It’s akin to leaping into my dad’s deployment to Vietnam, to see what he went through and to understand how that made him who he was and what he was really dealing with. It was incredibly personal. So, not only was that a treat to do, as an actor, but to know that they were adding that to the show was fantastic.

Image via NBC

Brandon, you’ve talked about having grown up watching Quantum Leap. What made the original series special to you? And as someone who walked onto this show with this cast for this episode, what is this new series getting right?

BRANDON ROUTH: What stands out the most is the relationship between the two main characters. That’s also at the forefront and is the most important aspect of the present Quantum Leap. And then, there’s the earnestness. Scott Bakula was open and vulnerable. His sincere desire and want to help whoever he’s supposed to help is just magnetic, and Ray [Lee] is absolutely incredible. He’s so full and ready and funny, but also comes down to the level when there’s drama. It’s exciting to watch characters who, when they’re up against it, they’ve got it and they’re ready. But then, when the crap hits the fan, they’re open enough to allow you into that moment, so you can feel the anxiety or the not knowing, and then they overcome it. Every story can be a lesson in life. We all have that same ability to go, “I don’t know how I’m gonna, or we’re gonna, figure this out. Holy crap. How are we gonna do this? I don’t know. There’s a way, but I don’t know. I know the possibility exists to maneuver through this somehow.”

This is a show that has to build a new world with every episode. What do you think would surprise fans about the making of this series? What more impresses you about what this show pulls off, very week?

BASSETT: With the breadth of this show, there are really no rules. We can go anywhere now, and what a treat to play with that. They’re unafraid of taking on big things. We shot on a real battleship, and the week before, I was in an Indian restaurant. From day to day, just as an actor, it’s such a treat to be able to do what we’re doing. Hopefully, it comes across. I hope people understand that we have maybe some of the nicest people on that set. Ray is wonderful. Mason [Alexander Park], Risa [Lee] and Ernie [Hudson] are just such a kind, funny group of human beings, and we genuinely like each other. I hope that comes across to people. It’s not as easy to pull off as it seems, especially Ray’s job. And my hat’s off to Mr. Bakula, as well, because that role is taxing. Ray, and also Scott, just carry it off with an enormous amount of grace and kindness, and you can’t thank them enough for that.

Brandon, what was it like to put on the uniform to walk onto a real ship to shoot this?

ROUTH: Credit to the set decorators, art team, and everybody. There were a few of the interiors, like the command bases, which were created on a soundstage, but we spent three days on the U.S.S. Iowa. It was incredible. It informs an actor so much to be in that actual space and to feel the vibe of what it was like to actually be there, to a degree, in the life that the sailors lived. That’s incredibly powerful in a performance, and just a cool life experience. Having not been in military service, it helped me ground it in some reality of experience that I’ve actually had. I’ve had firearms training, and stuff like that, and I’ve played other characters, but to be on the physical ship was just awesome. It makes the episode even better and the world is bigger because of it, which is important.

Image via NBC

What was it like for the two of you to establish such an important dynamic for these characters, without getting to directly interact with each other? Did you have conversations about that relationship before shooting?

ROUTH: I don’t think we really talked that much about it. Mostly it was conversations with the showrunners. And then, when I met Caitlin, it was just getting into the vibe. Because I didn’t know her as an adult, I only knew her as the three- or four-year-old that she was in 1989, it would have been a cheat for me.

BASSETT: I think it was a unique expression of what’s true because he wouldn’t have known me as an adult, and I only knew the story that I understood as a child. That story is just that, it’s a story. We can only understand the world through what we can understand, at that point, so it’s always an oversimplified version of what the truth is. I got the opportunity to find the truth in real time, as an adult. It was good writing, honestly. When we did have scenes, Brandon is just a wonderful, open actor that we could connect, even though we couldn’t connect.

I loved the beautiful moment, at the end of the episode, when Addison tells her father that everything is going to be okay, and he repeats that sentiment, even though he couldn’t actually hear her. Caitlin, what was it like to shoot such an emotional moment like that?

BASSETT: It was way easier than you’d think. Brandon was available, which meant I wasn’t speaking to a wall. I was speaking to a flesh and blood human that had done his absolute best. And it was actually the last shot of the shoot together.

ROUTH: Yeah, she got to watch all of his inner workings first.

BASSETT: We got to do it last, so it was all there, and in front of me. I also grew up the daughter of a Vietnam veteran and I spent time in Afghanistan, so in a lot of ways, it just felt like understanding, in a new way, my dad, for the first time, and having a conversation with him. Honestly, I had to work to not cry hard. I had to work, so that it didn’t get out of control.

Image via NBC

Caitlin, is this the type of show where the script changes a lot before shooting? Because of everything you have to pull off, every week, do things need to stay a bit fluid, or do they have to be very specific because of everything you have to do?

BASSETT: I think certain things have to be very specific, like what location things we have to do, because we only have a couple of days. The set dec works so hard. They’re pulling off miracles, constantly.

ROUTH: Every week, it’s something different.

BASSETT: They’re spectacular. But yes, the scripts will change constantly, but I think that’s just the truth about network TV, in general. We are moving fast. If somebody gets COVID and can’t be there that day, we have to rewrite the scene. If we lose a location, we have to rewrite that. It’s been a real challenge to learn how to stay that fluid because we all trained to be like, “Okay, we’re gonna work on this play for a month, or five.” That is not life on a network television show

ROUTH: Or life, period.

BASSETT: Yeah. So, luckily, we have a cast of wonderful actors and wonderful writers, and people like Brandon, who come on and make it totally wonderful to solve the problems, instead of it being terrifying all the time.

Brandon, just to sidetrack for a minute, it was announced a while back that you were voicing the lead character for the Magic: The Gathering animated series for Netflix. Are we going to see that sometime soon?

ROUTH: I have no idea. I know as much as you do. You might actually know more. I have heard nothing. I recorded it in my closet during the pandemic, which was fun and exciting.

BASSETT: That’s cool.

ROUTH: Yeah, it was pretty cool. But I don’t know. I trust that we’ll someday reach the light of day for all the fans because I’m a fan too, and I wanna see it.

Image via NBC

The pieces of this Quantum Leap puzzle are slowly being put together. We’ve been learning about Janis’ involvement, about how all of this started because of Addison, and that Ian played a role. Caitlin, how much of that did you know about, going into this show?

BASSETT: I didn’t know about it the whole time. As things moved forward and final decisions were made, I did know-ish the direction we were going. I don’t know much faster than the scripts come out. In a certain way, it’s nice because I’m learning, basically when the character is learning. There are certain things I knew. I knew that I was gonna get this episode, which I was so excited about. There are some things that I get a heads up on.

Quantum Leap airs on Monday nights on NBC and is available to stream at Peacock.