Current:Home > Contact-usSee the cast of 'Ghosts' experience their characters' history at the Library of Congress-InfoLens
See the cast of 'Ghosts' experience their characters' history at the Library of Congress
View Date:2024-12-23 18:25:11
The snarky spirits who inhabit CBS comedy “Ghosts” are appreciated not only for their silly antics and sometimes-wise observations, but also for their distinctive characterizations.
The motley crew inhabiting the fictional Woodstone Mansion in the series (Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. EDT/PDT, and streaming on Paramount+) span centuries, from the 1020s (strapping Viking Thorfinn) to the late-1990s (handsome Wall Street bro Trevor).
Given their diverse histories, it seemed fitting for the Library of Congress in Washington to dig into the ghosts’ backgrounds. Earlier this week, five of the eight “ghosts” – or, more precisely, their human actors – toured the historical building and were shown artifacts from the time period of their respective otherworldly alter egos.
“We saw, to a surprising degree, issues we are talking about today that are reflected in writing 100, 200, a thousand years ago,” said Asher Grodman (Trevor).
“It’s almost like you coined the phrase, ‘history repeats itself,’” responded Rebecca Wisocky (Hetty) with a laugh and comfortable arm squeeze of her co-star.
History presented itself in the form of maps, sheet music, manuscripts and audio recordings curated for Wisocky, Grodman, Richie Moriarty (Pete), Danielle Pinnock (Alberta) and Román Zaragoza (Sasappis). (Missing were Brandon Scott Jones (Isaac), Devan Chandler Long (Thorfinn) and Sheila Carrasco (the currently-MIA Flower).
Here is what they had to say about how seeing the items affected their view of the supernatural.
More:In pivotal election year, 'SNL' should be great. It's only mid.
Rebecca Wisocky (Hetty, late-1800s)
Some historical artifacts: “A Repository of Fashion, Pleasure and Instruction” (Harper’s Bazaar, Feb. 21, 1874); “The Curse of Cocaine is Spreading in New York” (New York Journal, Jan. 10, 1897); “The Perils of Child Labor” (Journal of the American Economic Association, March 1890).
“What is so fun about my character is she gets it all wrong so often,” says Wisocky. “You can watch her and believe she’s a feminist and realize through Alberta (a 1920s ghost) that all right, women should have the right to vote. But then, as it was in her time, she still hates the Irish.”
Asher Grodman (Trevor, 1990s)
Some historical artifacts: A 1994 map of downtown Manhattan; “The Soaring ‘90s” and “Goodbye, Golden Decade. Now What Will the ‘00s Bring?” (Wall Street Journal, Oct. 13, 1999); “2000 and Counting” (USA TODAY, Dec. 31, 1999); Brokerage Firm Safety Directory (May 1995).
“I was a kid during the (Wall Street) era, so it doesn’t feel like history for me. All of the cool kids were part of it and I was watching,” Grodman says. “But we’re looking at these (ghosts) from a modern-day perspective. I don’t think any of these characters are idiots, but it’s easy to fall into the thinking of, ‘they did dumb things back then.’ But some things, like Blockbuster, they’re businesses that are gone, but they were doing really, really, really well at the time.”
Danielle Pinnock (Alberta, 1920-30s)
Some historical artifacts: Copyright deposit from Scott Joplin’s opera “Treemonisha” (May 19, 1911); typescript memoir of “Happy in Hell” by Noble Lee Sissle about the formation of the 369th Infantry Band, aka “Harlem Hellfighters” (undated); lead sheet of “Blind Man’s Bluff,” the earliest known song from Edward “Duke” Ellington (1923).
“Seeing all of that sheet music today, I was like, I want to get on the piano and play it immediately,” says Pinnock. “To also learn there was a jazz singer famous during that time, Alberta Hunter, which I think is where my character comes from as well, and find out she was best friends with Langston Hughes … The 1920s was such a beautiful time for Black artistry. So vivid and brave.”
More:Surprise! CBS renews 'S.W.A.T.' for Season 8 a month before final episode was set to air
Román Zaragoza (Sasappis, 1600s)
Some historical artifacts: An 1852 reprint of a 1656 map of the New York and New Jersey area, Van Der Donck’s map of New Netherland (1656); account of the first contact between the Lenape and Europeans (“The Voyages of Giovanni de Verrazzano," 1524-28); Indian land grants record (1726-71).
“The word I keep coming back to, seeing all of this, is emotional. Seeing what New York looked like before the Dutch got there and what it looked life afterward and to have our curator, who is Munsee, talk about her family, it felt so real, not like a textbook,” says Zaragoza. “When we finished I was like, whoo, it’s heavy. Emotional, but beautiful.”
Richie Moriarty (Pete, 1970s/1980s)
Some historical artifacts: “Archery Safety” from The Boy Scouts of America merit badge pamphlet (1978); “Ant Watching” (T.C. Schneirla, 1971); "Dungeons & Dragons comics (1988, 1990).
“They took some fun creative license and it was so evident how much effort they put into curating things for our characters, like Pete’s love of comics” Moriarty says, “Even from a specific episode: Pete had a weird storyline and was watching ants, so they found a book about ant watching.”
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
- What does Hurricane Milton look like from space? NASA shares video of storm near Florida
- What presidential campaign? The Electoral College puts most American voters on the sidelines
- Alabama jailers to plead guilty for failing to help an inmate who froze to death
- See Chris Evans' Wife Alba Baptista Show Her Sweet Support at Red One Premiere
- Travis Kelce’s Brother Jason Reveals One of the “Greatest Things” About Taylor Swift Romance
- Hot days and methamphetamine are now a deadlier mix
- You'll Need to Calm Down After Seeing Taylor Swift Cradling Pregnant Brittany Mahomes' Baby Bump
- Wendi McLendon-Covey talks NBC sitcom 'St. Denis Medical' and hospital humor
- Jon Batiste’s ‘Beethoven Blues’ transforms classical works into unique blues and gospel renditions
Ranking
- Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn’s SKIMS Holiday Pajamas Are Selling Out Fast—Here’s What’s Still Available
- Severe solar storm could stress power grids even more as US deals with major back-to-back hurricanes
- EBUEY: Bitcoin Leading a New Era of Digital Assets
- Victim of fraud? Protections are different for debit, credit cards.
- Man is 'not dead anymore' after long battle with IRS, which mistakenly labeled him deceased
- Premiums this year may surprise you: Why health insurance is getting more expensive
- Sarah Michelle Gellar Addresses Returning to I Know What You Did Last Summer Reboot
- NFL Week 6 odds: Moneylines, point spreads, over/under
Recommendation
-
Oil Industry Asks Trump to Repeal Major Climate Policies
-
AI Ω: Revolutionizing the Financial Industry and Heralding the Era of Smart Finance
-
Busy Moms Deserve These October Prime Day 2024 Beauty Essentials - Revlon, Laneige & More, Starting at $4
-
Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor’s Daughter Ella Is All Grown Up During Appearance at Gala in NYC
-
What Happened to Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone Character? John Dutton’s Fate Revealed
-
Montana’s attorney general faces a hearing on 41 counts of professional misconduct
-
Former Sen. Tim Johnson, the last Democrat to hold statewide office in South Dakota, dies at 77
-
How to use iPhone emergency SOS satellite messaging feature to reach 911: Video tutorial