Next week’s episode of Quantum Leap asks one factor: Give a trans lady a shot.
Ben’s newest leap places him within the physique of a basketball coach whose trans daughter Gia (performed by Josielyn Aguilera) goals of taking part in on the workforce. It’s as much as Ben to persuade the coach’s colleagues, fellow dad and mom and even his family to welcome her to the workforce or danger shedding her for good.
The episode, titled “Let Them Play,” was written and directed by trans activist Shakina Nayfack, who initially pitched it as a part of her interview for the Quantum Leap writers’ room. Having beforehand starred within the NBC sitcom Connecting, co-created by Quantum Leap showrunner Martin Gero, the pair aimed to create a brand new undertaking led by Nayfack. She then joined the Quantum Leap workforce to assist construct the talents she would want to finally develop into a showrunner.
Nayfack additionally seems within the episode as Dottie, a unusual character with game-changing info for the headquarters crew. The episode was initially purported to be directed by Morenike Joela Evans (whose credit embrace Raven’s Home, iCarly and How I Met Your Father), however she was pulled away unexpectedly earlier than filming. Nayfack, who’d wished to get into directing and shadowed Evans, then jumped on the chance.
“That night, I wrote to all the executives, and I was like, ‘This episode is about giving the trans person a shot, so give me my shot. I’m ready,” she shares. “I’ve done 30 episodes of television as an actor, I wrote the episode, no one understands these characters more than me, I’ve trained as a director in the theater — put me in, coach.” Nayfack acquired the decision the following day that she was going to direct.
Advocating for herself is nothing new for the multi-hyphenate, who says, “You have to because no one else will.”
“My whole career has been about asking for that one more thing that makes me uncomfortable, but I feel like I deserve because I’ve worked hard,” she notes. (*12*)
“Let Them Play,” airing this Monday at 10/9c on NBC, couldn’t be extra related as legislators throughout the nation are advancing legal guidelines focusing on the LGBT+ neighborhood. “I just wanted to counter all the negative political messaging with a Care Bear Stare of joy: trans joy, trans liberation, trans community,” Nayfack says. “I wanted to be sure that this episode didn’t feel like a TED Talk or an after school special, and actually feel like something people would want to watch and walk away from feeling more connected to an understanding of trans experience.”
(*1*)The episode additionally places the highlight on Ian (performed by Mason Alexander Park, who’s trans and non-binary). “We’re going to learn a lot more about Ian’s backstory in this episode,” Nayfack previews. “I’m just so glad that I got to play a small part in the mythology of our Quantum Leap headquarters, and to help bring our series regular trans actor more actively into the story of Quantum Leap.”
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