Quantum Leapis back! Loyal fans of the original show will know that it first hit the masses almost 35 years ago. NBC recently revived the classic series, which now takes place 30 years after Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and after the original show’s finale.
In addition toco-star Ernie Hudson, Mason Alexander Park was on-hand atWonderCon in Anaheim, California, this weekend to promote the new and upcoming seasons of the show. As someone who identifies as nonbinary, Park dished to us about what it means to represent their community on network television. Learn more about their character from our WonderCon interview below.
Related:WonderCon Exclusive: Quantum Leap Star Raymond Lee Reveals Challenges Behind ‘Leaping’ Into Other Personas
Mason Alexander Park on Hollywood’s ‘Shift’ in Representation
Park opened up to us about how it all started in terms of them joiningQuantum Leap:
“I think they came to me because they always wanted to find someone who was nonbinary or gender non-conforming… When they approached me about it, I was very thrilled because I’ve watched a major shift just in the last five years of roles that are like actually explicitly described one way that really were not there when I was, you know, in the industry 10 years ago, or 15 years ago. So it was really exciting for me to kind of get to see myself reflected in a character. Granted, the show itself exists in a sci-fi world, but the character is a very, like, normalized individual. It’s not like, I’m not playing, you know, an anthropomorphic personification… So it’s really cool, I think, that the all the creatives and the writers have a really nice understanding of the humanity of trans individuals, and they’re very dedicated to trying to just allow me to exist and breathe in a space that, normally, we’re not invited to take up space in.”
Park also dished on their appreciation of the original series:
“I wasn’t as religious about it. So when the show came around as an opportunity, it definitely gave me a chance to dive back in. But I just love the genre, you know? I’ve always loved I feel like queer people specifically love sci-fi, because it’s very much often represents this sort of — whether it’s utopian or dystopian — but like, these ideas of like individuality that often is not necessarily as explored in other genres. And I think that’s why queer people kind of like flocked to horror and sci-fi. And so I was very lucky that my career has led me in this direction where I’ve got to do, you know,Cowboy BebopandThe Sandmanand now this. I feel like these are the things I grew up loving and wanting to be a part of when I was growing up — fantasy pieces and sci-fi pieces.”
And due to the time-traveling nature ofQuantum Leap, Park also spilled on which era they’d love to explore if “leaping” were available in real-life:
“The 1920s would be really fun for me… the late ’20s and early ’30s, right around prohibition time. That was when queer people were sort of at the height of popularity, and a lot of people don’t really talk about the history of it. But that time period is commonly referred to as the ‘Pansy Craze’ because it was when pansy performers and drag performers and female impersonators and all kinds of queer artists were some of the highest-paid performers in both underground clubs and like oddly enough on Broadway, you know? One of the highest paid performers in the early ’30s was a female impersonator that was like just selling out crowds. So I think it’d be really fun to experience the positive part of that, because then right after it came like the ‘Hays Code.’ And all of these sort of massive wave of anti-trans legislation was kind of like what we’re seeing in our country now. And I don’t think I would want to be there for that.”
