In the super funQuantum Leapepisode “A Decent Proposal,” Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) finds himself in 1980s Los Angeles, having leaped into bounty hunter Eva Sandoval. While there, Ben quickly becomes entangled in a bit of drama when he realizes that he’s in the body of the woman that Jake (guest starJustin Hartley) is partnered with in both work and love, and no matter how hard he tries to keep their focus on their latest target, Tammy Jean (guest starSofia Pernas, Hartley’s real-life wife), all Jake wants is an answer about their future together.
During this 1-on-1 with Collider, Hartley talked about how he came to guest on this episode of the NBC reboot, how big a fan he was of the original series, balancing the action with the comedy, how the structure ofQuantum Leapmakes it feel like each episode is its own mini-movie, and the fun of jumping into different words when you guest star. He also talked about how the incredibly successful run ofThis is Usgave him the opportunity to be more selective in the projects he does, and revealed which other TV series he’d love to guest on.
Collider: I had so much fun with this episode, “A Decent Proposal.” It’s a romantic comedy/action adventure movie.
JUSTIN HARTLEY: Yeah, we had a lot of fun.
How did this all come about? Who came to you with the idea? What did they say? What was your reaction to doing all of this?
HARTLEY: My wife Sofia [Pernas] and I went to dinner. Sofia is friends with Dean Georgaris, who is an executive producer onQuantum Leap. She worked with him before, on a project calledThe Brave. That’s how they met, and they stayed in touch. Dean and his wife invited Sofia and I to dinner, and we were all sitting there talking. It got brought up that he was doing this show and I said, “Oh, my God, I’ve been a fan ofQuantum Leapforever.” I remember the original. I love Scott Bakula. I loveQuantum Leap. I remember watching it and just absolutely loving the show. I said to him, “Hey, honestly, if there’s ever any room for me to come and play with you guys, I’d love to do that.” And then, lo and behold, the next day, Dean called Sofia and said, “I actually have this thing that I’m writing right now, that’s perfect for not only you, but for Sofia, if you guys wanna come in and help us out and play with us.” I was like, “Well, that sounds great.” And then, he explained the two characters, and said that I would get to arrest my wife, which was fun. I got to work with her, which was wonderful. I haven’t worked with her in forever. I got to hang out with her and be onQuantum Leap. It was the best of every world that you could imagine.
You’ve been doing this acting thing for a while now, but do you get nervous when you do a new project? The first day you walk onto a set, are there always some nerves, no matter what it is?
HARTLEY: I’ll tell you when I get nervous is the first time that I see it, or when someone goes, “Hey, I got a screener of your movie, and we’re gonna watch it tonight,” and I haven’t seen it. That’s when I get nervous. I go, “Fuck, I haven’t seen it,” or even if I have seen it, I get nervous. But then, I just remember that people are gonna say whatever they say. I look at the opportunities that I’m given and how much fun I have on set and the wonderful people around me, and what a blessing it is to be able to do this for a living. You take the good with the bad. In recent times, people have been very, very kind to me, so I’ve been very lucky. But that’s when I get nervous.
You always want your work to be well-received, and for people to really enjoy what you do and get the message. I’m so glad to hear you say that you had so much fun with this show because we weren’t being goofballs, but it takes place in 1981 and the wardrobe is what it is. That lends itself to comedy. It’s a different time. It was 40 years ago, and people talked differently and thought about things differently and dressed differently. I thought we could have a lot of fun with that. It’s a fun era. We had a blast with it. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I love the little details on this show. I couldn’t stop laughing when your character tells Eva to look up where they’re going by using a Thomas Guide because those things were the bane of my existence.
HARTLEY: Yeah, and she says, “What is this?” Exactly.
There’s something inherently funny about watching someone trying to work out their relationship in the middle of an action movie. What was it like to find the tone of this and to find that comedy groove, just having one episode to do that in?
HARTLEY: It can be tough. I think that a lot of it is the writing. Dean did a really good job of mapping out those beats, and making sure that we had action where we needed action, and we had comedy where we needed the comedy, and then blending the two when you needed to. [Raymond Lee] is trying to be this woman that he’s never met. Jake is probably realizing that she’s acting a little differently than she normally does, so you have that as a comedic beat, as well. And then, there’s some really serious stuff going on. You have a maniac shooting people, dressed in all pink. We had a lot of fun. Sofia and I laugh all the time about the show. It was a blast. I wish we could have done more.
It’s so interesting because this is a show where every episode is essentially a pilot. There’s a new cast, a new setting, and a whole new world each time. When I spoke to Raymond Lee, he told me that he views himself as the guest star in each of these worlds, instead of the other way around. How did that affect the vibe on set? Did it even really feel like a guest spot? Does it feel like you’re making your own little mini-movie?
HARTLEY: It does, yeah. It was fun. [Raymond] is right, in a way, because you’re being introduced to all of these new characters, but at the same time, he’s taking on a whole new persona in every episode. It really is a series of mini-movies, or one-offs. They have a whole story about trying to get him back, and I get that, but as far as the action stuff goes, or the story goes, per episode, that’s the procedural element to it. You have a whole new set of characters and a problem to solve, and hopefully, it gets wrapped up by the end.
What was it like to prep for and do all the physical and stunt work for this? What did you most enjoy about the stunts that you actually got to do? Were there any challenges with pulling that off in, in such a limited time?
HARTLEY: It’s good to have a good stunt double, for sure. I enjoy that stuff, honestly. I’m working on a show right now where there are a lot of stunts involved, and it’s just something that I haven’t done in a long time. WithThis is Us, there were a lot of tears, a lot of laughs, and a lot of great scenes, but not a lot of physical action. It’s like anything else, anytime you get a chance to do something a little different and that’s a little more action-based, it’s always fun. Jumping into new characters is always fun, or it should be, anyway. It was great. They’ve got a great group of people over there. Everyone has got a really great attitude. It’s fun to be part of something brand new. Even though it’s a reboot, it’s a brand-new show, and it’s got its own know aura about it. It’s got its own brand. Even though it’s calledQuantum Leap, it’s a totally different show, and it’s fun to jump into a different world.
As someone who came off of playing a character onThis is Us, that you got to live in and develop for six seasons, and that show was so successful and so beloved by its audience, how much does that affect what you wanna do after that? Have you found yourself putting a lot more thought into the things that you want to do?
HARTLEY: Absolutely, and not just because it wasThis is Us.This is Usbasically gave me the opportunity to be more selective, to be honest with you. Now, for me, it’s all about the character and all about the people that I’m working with. If I can have a great character, whether it be fun or serious, or both, it should always be fun, no matter what. And if you’re working with a great group of people, that are exciting and that inspire you, and you have a great story to tell, whether it be in one week, or six years, or 10 years, or whatever it might be, that’s what attracts me.
I’m at a point in my life where I have a really great family around me. My daughter is doing great. My wife is a lovely, wonderful human being. I love being at home with her. Acting in anything, whether it be a guest star, or a series regular, or a movie, or a play, or whatever, it’s time-consuming. It’s a labor of love. You love to do it, but it takes a lot of your time and a lot of your effort, especially if you wanna pull it off and do it right. It’s definitely a blessing to be able to look at stuff and be a little more selective or a little more discerning about what you do because it takes you away from the place that you are at in life, which is a really great place.
This one was fun. I got to work with my wife, and we had an absolute blast. Hopefully, we made some people laugh. Hopefully, we left the show in as good a shape as it was when we found it, and hopefully even a little bit better. Hopefully, we helped a little bit. It was just so nice of them to have us. They were so wonderful to us and treated us like gold. We loved it. We wish them the best over there. It’s a fun show and a great group of people.
Is there another show that you’d love to do a guest spot on? Is there anything that you guys watch, that you would love to show up on, in some way?
HARTLEY: Of course,Successionwould be a blast. I would love to do that show. That would be fun. That would be the opposite ofThis is Us. you may be outrageous on that show.
