Ben and Addison’s rising distance throughout season 2 of Quantum Leap bled into Caitlin Bassett and Raymond Lee‘s real-life friendship as properly.
Throughout an unique interview with Us Weekly, Bassett, 33, broke down the exhausting work that went into telling Ben and Addison’s onscreen story.
“Ray and I sort of needed to be on completely different paths. It’s humorous as a result of [during the] first season we labored collectively on creating backstory [together]. Apart from him having to resolve what he remembered [due to Ben’s memory loss], that was the one actual separation between the 2 of us,” she defined to Us. “Whereas in season 2, I needed to work on the me facet of issues.”
Bassett and Lee, 36, adjusted their collaboration course of so as to precisely depict the shift between their characters.
“We truly didn’t talk about that a lot [about season 2] as a result of we needed to separate as buddies. Ray and I — we weren’t fairly as shut. We needed to be like, ‘All proper, we received to determine that out individually,’” the actress recalled. “Then because the season moved on, [we had to] rebuild a brand new kind of relationship [between Ben and Addison].”
Quantum Leap, which is a revival of the ‘90s science-fiction collection, follows Ben after he makes a secret leap via time and will get misplaced previously. With assist from his now-ex Addison and the remainder of the Quantum Leap crew, Ben tries to determine what induced him to change historical past.
Season 2 revealed that three years had passed by because the crew final heard from Ben, which resulted in a time leap that felt like solely days to him. In consequence, Addison needed to mourn Ben and finally moved on along with her life, which included assembly her new boyfriend Tom (Peter Gadiot). Ben and Addison struggled to regulate to their new regular as exes all through the season.
“It was a extremely jolting factor to attempt to play,” Bassett admitted. “Ray and I have been like, ‘Bye,’ as a result of we knew it was coming. So we needed to be like, ‘This was nice, and we’ll see how this occurred. We’re not going to be as linked.’ We didn’t get to be as tight and bodily [Addison was] not going to be there [with Ben] on a regular basis. We knew I used to be going to go away the leaps. So there was some disappointment to it. However on the similar time, it was simply so thrilling to play one thing completely different to utterly change the present.”
As a fan, Bassett discovered the adjustments within the second season to be “higher for the present.”
Honoring its predecessor. NBC’s Quantum Leap revival has usually paid tribute to the unique science fiction collection. The unique sci-fi present, which ran from 1989 to 1993, starred Scott Bakula as a physicist named Dr. Sam Beckett who unintentionally leaps via time and quickly takes the place of an individual from that point interval. In […]
“That’s why I really feel like individuals speak about how completely different the performances are for season 1 and season 2, however they have been days aside. It was simply because we had new tales to play [and] a totally completely different chapter to depend on,” she continued. “So I simply actually frolicked attempting to determine who [Addison] needed to grow to be to let go of Ben after which how that particular person created a brand new relationship with somebody new and the way completely different that should have been.”
Bassett needed to rationalize how Addison was in a position to transfer on from Ben with Tom.
“I had at all times sort of damaged it down the place Addison and Ben have been dreamers. They fell in love over a shared dream of this challenge they usually have been in that house of their lives the place they only wished to make the world a greater place,” she defined. “Then who Addison grew to become on the opposite facet of that was while you notice that the world will break your coronary heart and also you truly can’t repair every thing. Her accepting that and sitting with that and [understanding] who she is after the dream sort of dies a bit. The sort of choices that you simply begin to make and also you begin to make a unique kind of choice then.”
Caitlin Bassett as Addison, Peter Gadiot as Tom Westfall in ‘Quantum Leap.’ Casey Durkin/NBC
Throughout season 2, Addison discovered herself conflicted between her previous reference to Ben and her present relationship with Tom. Bassett went via comparable ideas whereas making ready to play Addison once more after the most important offscreen time leap.
“[I had to examine] what’s my [character’s] relationship with this Tom and the way loyal of an individual Addison is. There’s several types of loyalties,” she added. “I’ve informed this man, I’m in a relationship with him, so I’m. But additionally now this different particular person comes up and I can’t abandon that both as a result of there’s a unique sort of loyalty there.”
Addison finally waved goodbye to her relationship with Ben so as to plan a future with Tom. Within the latest episode of Quantum Leap, which aired on Tuesday, January 30, Addison admitted to Tom that she discovered the ring he had hidden and the couple received engaged.
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Bassett informed Us that she was excited to see Addison proceed to be in command of her personal life.
“What’s nice about what’s occurring for Addison — which is why my favourite a part of the season is actually now till the tip — is as a result of not is she coping with issues in previous tense and catching everyone as much as the current,” she detailed. “Now she’s going via issues in current tense and she or he’s making choices in current tense that may not be absolutely knowledgeable or are absolutely knowledgeable or won’t be utterly proper. … It’s the primary time the place Addison will get to essentially begin steering her personal ship and Ben has to cope with that. Quite than Addison coping with it, which is far more enjoyable.”
Caitlin Bassett as Addison in ‘Quantum Leap.’ Casey Durkin/NBC
In accordance with Bassett, it took a while for her to just accept that Ben isn’t the appropriate possibility for Addison proper now, including, “Fan of the present Caitlin and perhaps even actor Caitlin appears like Ben is the man. You’ll be able to’t substitute that feeling.”
She continued: “However after I sat with Addison this season, I used to be like, ‘It was three years.’ And the human being that she needed to be to get via it, you don’t get to inform somebody how you can heal while you detonate their world. So I truly ended up changing into a defender of her choice to maneuver on, which is I believe precisely the place try to be after which have to determine the place to go from there.”
Bassett additionally supplied a glimpse at what Quantum Leap followers can count on from the ultimate episodes of season 2.
“On the finish of season 1, we left on a cliffhanger. It took till the tip of the primary episode in season 2 to comprehend that, ‘Oh, it is a new setup.’ By the tip of season 2, you’re going to understand how completely different season 3 goes to be,” she teased. “I believe it was an excellent transfer by the writers. The final episode, it simply appears like a brand new journey. It’s so cool. So I hope individuals take pleasure in it.”
Quantum Leap airs on NBC Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET and shall be obtainable to stream on Peacock the subsequent day.
