Prior to this month’s premiere of the second season of Quantum Leap, Dorkaholics had an opportunity to speak with Ernie Hudson about his role as Magic on the series.
How did you approach playing Magic who serves as this connective tissue between this series and the last?
Ernie Hudson: First, I was really excited that they considered me or wanted me to play Magic and I knew that Magic came from the earlier iteration. I had seen the show and it was really great but it opened up a lot of questions in terms of ‘how did he get from there to where he is to be the head of this program and just the kind of human being that he is.’ And the first season I think sort of addressed a lot of it, what was driving him to succeed. Then of course in the first season when Ben Song leaps without permission that creates a lot of problems, but I think Magic still feels pretty much on top of things. He knows that he can figure things out and get things done, but then at the end of season one when Ben doesn’t return home, it opens up a lot of difficult insecurities, questions, and I think the second season just sort of explores parts of him that even Magic didn’t want to admit to himself. So the second season is really a sort of a challenge and a wake up call.
Earlier this year that you and the cast were at WonderCon, what was that experience like for you?
Ernie Hudson: It’s always great to see people who watch the show, who enjoy the show, get meaning from it. This is one of those shows that crosses generations, families watch it together, and it deals with empathy and stepping into someone else’s shoes, so it was just great [and] overwhelming to see people turn out and really genuinely curious about where the show was going. It was just a great experience.
