Classic Mr NYC

In the summer of 2020, during the depths of COVID, one of the few bright spots of that dark time was interviewing Jean-Pierre Dorleac, a legendary Hollywood costumer designer. He worked on numerous movies and TV shows over the decades but easily one of the highlights of his career was as the costumer for the early 1990s TV show Quantum Leap.

Even though there are now a billion shows on TV and streaming, Quantum Leap remains one of my favorite shows ever. The story of Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula), a brilliant scientist who "leaps" into the lives of other people throughout his own lifetime (roughly 1953-1995), making right where once went wrong, was one of the most imaginative, best written, funny, and emotionally wrenching shows ever on TV. (He was accompanied on his journey by Al, a holographic sidekick appearing from the Imaging Chamber back in the future). Each week Sam leaped into the a new time and place, on a new mission -- and Jean-Pierre Dorleac was the costume design genius who had to dress the characters from different times and places each week, along with designing Al's funky 1990s costumes.

It was a wild, fascinating interview, and I'm grateful to this day that Jean-Pierre agreed to do this interview.

Well, whaddya know? Quantum Leap is back! A reboot pilot has been greenlit for NBC and show "leap" to our screens sometime later this year or next. I'm cautiously excited -- these reboots can be wonderful or a disaster. But it's exciting to know that Quantum Leap remains beloved almost 30 years since it left the air and that the interest exists to re-imagine it and bring it back. I hope it's great. Sadly, Dean Stockwell, who brilliantly played the sidekick Al, won't be a part of it because he passed away late last year. 

Anyway, I hope you'll read my interview with Jean-Pierre and also sign the Change.org petition to bring him back as the costume designer for the reboot. His costumes on that show stood out and it would be great to see him apply his genius to the next generation of this show. You should also read the beautiful tribute that Jean-Pierre wrote about Dean Stockwell last year after his death.