Adventure. Plot twists. “Surprise” guest stars. My, Quantum Leap is off to a bold start. The new NBC series has fans buzzing about all the tweaks in the reboot of the 1989 hit. Anastasia Antonia (86 Melrose Avenue, The Promotion) whose character first appears in the series’ third episode, airing Oct. 3, is jazzed to go along for the new ride.
“I hope people take away the same sense of adventure they got from the original series — feeling free to be creative and to use your imagination,” the actress told MovieWeb. “And the idea that anything is possible. I love that about the show.”
Scott Bakula headlined the original series alongside Dean Stockwell. The show was a thrill ride in its heyday, with Bakula’s Dr. Sam Beckett time traveling hither and tither, only to find himself inhabiting the body of another human, and, in turn, thwarting bizarre twists of fate. The premise was rife with possibilities and, in 2022, when networks and streaming sites love to re-imagine shows that once struck a chord, why not leap back in Quantum Leap?
This time around, the show is set 30 years after Dr. Beckett disappeared into the Quantum Leap accelerator — Bakula recently squashed hopes that he might return to the new show in some fashion. It also boasts a new team headed by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee of Mozart in the Jungle and Top Gun: Maverick), who’s restarted the project.
Army veteran Caitlin Bassett plays Addison, who’s forever at Ben's side here in the form of a hologram that only Ben can experience. Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) plays Herbert Williams, a titan at the helm of the operation.
Antonia’s character is linked to a fun “reveal” that should make for good Twitter fodder.
Anastasia Antonia in Quantum Leap
In an upcoming Quantum Leap episode, Antonia plays the role of Eva Sandoval — beautiful, confident, and somebody who also happens to be a bounty hunter living in the 1980s.
“I didn't see the original show because it was before my time,” Antonia said of the series. “But when I got the part, I jumped on YouTube and started doing my homework. One of the first things I first clicked on was Scott Bakula’s character getting revenge for a woman who was victimized sexually. He jumped in her body and fought back the attackers. The show was amazing.”
Antonia’s Eva hails from a Los Angeles bondsman. She’s determined and successful, but when she’s tested in a relationship, Dr. Ben Song leaps into Eva’s body to change the course of a case that she’s working on. The goal? Sweeten the situation for Eva and her beau. But challenges ensue.
“What really stands out for me is the cast and the relationships in the show,” she said. “It reflects more of today or the distant future. You still get that sense of adventure. The talent is just incredible to watch. I also think there's an endearing quality to the show that stands out. There are different spices and flavors to it.”
Time travelling may be new for Ben, and this go around, viewers may appreciate the idea that Ben can leap into timeframes outside of his own lifetime. That certainly expands the creative playing field.
“We're in a world that's changing so much now,” Antonia added. “I hope audiences feel connected with the characters. I found there's so much to relate to and identify with in the series.”
On Acting and the Power of Family
Antonia’s Lebanese-Mexican-Spanish-Greek-Scandinavian lineage provided great insights during her formative years.
“My first name is Greek, my middle name Spanish, and last name is Arabic,” she mused. “Every holiday growing up was either with a Mexican community, Spanish mass, and then Easter would roll around, and it was with the Arabic community. Having all that culture instilled a lot of strength in me. There was lots of music; lots of passion. It informed everything. And being from such a mix, you don’t uniquely fit into one ‘box.’
“I've always been the only Mexican, Lebanese, Spanish, Greek, Scandinavian girl in the room,” she added, chuckling. “Tribalism? You transcend that. I can relate a little bit over here, a little bit over there, but I don’t really fit in a box. That’s been great for me as an actress because it’s deeper than that. I’ve met people on a ‘who you are’ level.”
When asked why she chose acting as a profession, she quipped. “Because I want to fit in. Kidding. No, it was a choice I made when I was young when I did my first play. I just absolutely loved it. I came from artists, musicians, painters, costume designers — that sort of thing. I discovered acting when I was about 11, and it just felt like, ‘Oh, this is my own lane.’ I adore it. It’s like being able to escape into this whole other world of just imagination and freedom.”
Audiences may be quick to recognize Antonia in her head-turning role in 86 Melrose Avenue. She also starred alongside John C. Reilly and Sean William Scott in The Promotion, and appeared in the popular show, The Affair.
As for Quantum Leap… if she could “leap” into any character in history, who would it be?
She smiled: “Cleopatra.”
New episodes of Quantum Leap air Mondays on NBC.