Interview: Utkarsh Ambudkar Talks About the Thrills of Playing Jay in ‘Ghosts’

Ghosts continues to entertain audiences with its unpredictable narratives involving several people from across time. As the series continues to create unforgettable moments for viewers around the world, there’s one character who has to be a part of the family without seeing most of the main cast. Jay Arondekar (Utkarsh Ambudkar) is a loyal husband to Sam (Rose McIver). More than that, the character continues to be a loving friend for all the ghosts, even if he can’t talk to them.

Awards Radar had the opportunity to interview Utkarsh Ambudkar, who has been portraying Jay on the screen over the course of 4 seasons of the series. There’s no telling where the character is headed next, as Jay continues to become a larger part of Sam’s world without directly interacting with the spirits who live in their house. Here are the highlights from the conversation with Utkarsh Ambudkar:

Awards Radar: Congratulations on the double renewal for Ghosts. What do you hope to see with Jay in the next two installments of the show?

Utkarsh Ambudkar: We left Jay in Season 4 having signed a contract with an emissary of the Devil. It was to sell his soul, essentially. I’m hoping that Jay gets to defend his life. Maybe even go to Hell. I would love for our ghost lawyer, Flower (Sheila Carrasco) to be Jay’s defense attorney. I’d like Flower to save Jay’s life. That’s what I would love to see. But I just made that up. It may or may not happen. I think something else we see that was fun was Elias (Matt Walsh) immediately trying to kill Jay to take his soul. I think Jay is going to be dodging literal bullets for the next season or two, until they resolve this issue. I think there’s going to be a lot of physical comedy coming from that. It’ll be great.

AR: You don’t interact with most of the characters. What’s going through your head while waiting for the next line? Specially in scenes that feature plenty of ghosts?

UA: It depends on the day, how much I’ve had to eat and whether it’s before or after lunch. It also depends on how much caffeine is in my system. It could be anything. From fully engaged to “I wonder who is going to win the basketball game tonight”. It really just depends. The cast that I’m a part of is so supportive and so great. We work for eight months straight. Some days are more engaged than others. But you’ll never know, because we all make each other look our best. We all keep each other engaged and support each other a lot. It’s a real family. If anybody comes to our set, you’ll feel it. If I’m having days when I’m all loosey-goosey, Richie (Moriarty, who plays Pete in the show) will come up to me and say: “Hey man, lock it in”, and viceversa. So it’s great.

AR: How has your perception of Jay changed over the years?

UA: My perspective was changed by the audience’s response. I had a very different idea. Season 1, we shot during the pandemic. We were fully isolated and we couldn’t go anywhere. We were in Montreal. You could barely go out and family couldn’t come. It was very lonely. It just us, hunkered down. And then you all starting watching the show, loving it and making it the #1 comedy in America. It broke records in viewership numbers and it was #1 on Paramount+ for I don’t know how many years in a row now.

I start going into my neighborhood, the airport, grocery store and Disneyland, and feeling all the love. It went from being a lonely experience to seeing how special it was to our audience. That is why I started acting in the first place. To bring joy, life and uplifting content into the world. It was extremely validating. As long as we keep making people feel that way, I’ll keep doing it.

AR: There’s plenty of on-screen chemistry between you and Rose McIver. Has it gotten easier to work with her over time?

UA: Definitely. Rose and I work very differently. We’ve always had great chemistry, on camera. Off-camera, I’ve had to learn how to support her. She’s very meticulous, she’s very planned. She’s got a lot going on as Sam. It’s like a switchboard, lit up. And she has to make sure everyone is taken care of. She has to do a lot of heavy lifting. And then, as Jay, I do heavy lifting in a different way. I have to make staring at a wall look interesting. We really learn to support each other. She knows that sometimes I need to fly and improvise a little bit. And I know that when I have an idea, I have to tell her: “Hey, I’m going to try something here”, so that it doesn’t throw her.

Because she’s dealing with a lot of stuff, other than my shenanigans. I think, honestly, nobody makes me laugh more on set than Rose does. She has become such a comedic force that I’m constantly broken by her line deliveries and her antics. She’s really someone I love working with.

AR: Do you think Sam is selfish when she puts the needs of the ghosts over her marriage?

UA: By the way, I’m in my daughters room, which is why there’s a bunch of Chappell Roan posters on the walls!

AR: I’m not judging!

UA: Has Sam gotten selfish? Yes! Of course, speaking from Jay’s perspective. It’s difficult to be put in that position. I think that’s where the comedy goes. The ghosts dictate often where the couple goes, and thank God Jay is constantly written as an unconditionally loving and supporting husband. We’ll see what happens in Season 5, because now it’s literally life or death for him. I know Sam his back. She’ll have his back.

AR: Jay and Pete are friends, we all know that. Who do you think is Jay’s most underrated ghost friend?

UA: Probably Sasappis (Román Zaragoza). I think they spend time together in dreams a get along. They’re very similar. They’re romantics who are soft and sweet people. They lead with their hearts. I think Sasappis, in many ways, even if he’s 500 years old, is a younger Jay.

AR: Was Jay’s love for basketball inspired by you?

UA: Yes! I think so, sure.

AR: If you cold bring any historical figure as a character in Ghosts, who would it be?

UA: I don’t know, actually. That’s a really good question. How would they get to the mansion? Would it be someone who died on the Woodstone property?

AR: Yeah! It could’ve happened in a limo or something! Anything could happen!

UA: Who haven’t we seen? We haven’t seen a cowboy! I don’t what a cowboy would be doing in upstate New York.

AR: How has Ghosts changed you as a performer?

UA: I think it reinforced things that I already believe. I love to see them coming true. “If you succeed, I succeed”. All boats rise. Support your fellow actors and be happy for them when they do well. Show up on time, if you can. Be prepared. It takes hundreds of people to make a 22-minute television show. Each one of them is very important.

AR: Would you like to write an episode of Ghosts centered around Jay? Have you ever thought about that?

UA: Oh my God, we’ve pitched it so many times! What would it be like to see an entire day from Jay’s perspective? Just an empty house and your wife talking to the wall. I think it would be too creepy (laughs). It’s too weird. Maybe we could do it for five minutes. Maybe for a cold open. A whole episode? The ghosts would want that. Because then they get the day off. They don’t have to work the entire episode. All the ghosts are like: “Yeah, we can go home!”. It would be really fun to do. Let’s put it that way. I would love for it to happen.

AR: Do you think Jay gets overlooked in favor of the ghosts or Sam?

UA: No, I don’t think so. Rose and I know we are as bread and butter. It’s an ensemble show, a family show. If it’s just her and I, it’s not interesting. It is, but it’s not nearly as interesting as watching all of these people from all across history trying to get along. Everyone matters. Our core ghosts, our basement ghosts. It’s an ensemble show. The more, the merrier. I don’t feel left out or underappreciated.

AR: Who would you like to spend more screentime with in the next seasons?

UA: Any of the ghosts! Richie and I haven’t (our characters) been able to act together before, that would be cool! And with soul hanging in the balance, I need a lawyer. Flower Montero is my girl. She’s a force of nature. She can’t remember things for more than twenty seconds, but she knows the law. I want her on my side.

AR: Exactly. You should see how the bear ended up.

UA: Yes, I want Pete, Flower and Jay to hang out.

All seasons of Ghosts are now available for streaming on Paramount+.