Diego Peralta
There are occasions in which ensemble casts are so good, it gets hard to focus on a single character. As some sort of television miracle, Ghosts manages to keep the core group’s chemistry intact while telling compelling stories with every single character. The format of the series works extremely well for everyone involved.
Awards Radar had the opportunity to interview Asher Grodman, who portrays Trevor Lefkowitz in the CBS smash hit. The charismatic ghost has grown so much over the years, thanks to the relationships he forms with those around him. Asher was eager to discuss what had made the stock market genius so energetic during the recent seasons of the comedy. Here are some highlights from the conversation:
The actor knows how important it was for Trevor to grow thanks to his relationship with his daughter: “What is great with Trevor. I’m always interested in the stuff only our show can do. If you’re going to see a revelation on another show, I prefer to outweigh it and find the specific flavor that is attached to this unique concept for a television show. Someone who has a big ego like Trevor, comes to the realization that he wouldn’t have been as a good father to his daughter as Pinkus (Richie Keen) was.
On some level, things worked out the way they should have. Especially when Trevor, by trying to make it about him and telling his daughter the truth, he blows up her life. And it’s an accident! But this girl lost her mom a few years ago and Trevor takes her dad away. And it’s Abby (Gideon Adlon) who saves the day by being able to process those feelings in such a mature way and be reunited with her father. As an actor, it was interesting to work with the concept of her being better off with (Pinkus).”
Asher wanted to address Trevor’s fear of intimacy directly. The ghost is known around Woodstone for not taking commitments seriously: “I don’t think he is (afraid of commitment) in a social way. I think he, in terms of relationships in general, he wants the party together. I think Trevor had a big party life, and intimacy brings a level of commitment where he feels like he doesn’t get the other options. I don’t think he’s interested in that. Even the stuff with Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky). On some level, he doesn’t want to date anyone!
Even in a situation where there’s eight of us in this house (“Well, there’s more”, Grodman added), Trevor lived a life in which he got taste everything. He doesn’t want to stop that, he loves life. More than anything. And that means endless possibilities.”
The Ghosts performer was happy to discuss how versatile the balance between serious and funny moments is in the series: “I think it depends on what he is serious and emotional about. As an actor, there’s something very fun about a sitcom that is still dealing with mortality. Episodes like the one in which Trevor feels his life passing by, it’s like when Tom Sawyer got to see his own funeral.
Dealing with the stuff that’s a little heavier, it’s a fun departure from what we usually do. My favorite stuff is when his ego is involved. Watching him win is a lot of fun. But the serious things, like the work retreat and the stuff with his daughter, was a lot of fun. You don’t usually see things dealing with death so much in a sitcom.”
Ghosts gives audiences the occasional opportunity to see what Trevor’s life looked like before making his way to Woodstone, and that’s something Asher appreciates: “Even if those movies were not great, I remember the thrill of the Star Wars prequels when they came out. You grew up on the originals and then seeing where we got to where we thought the story began.
That kind of thrill is exciting when we get to do the flashbacks. I think we have only done one flashback with Trevor. But whenever you get to meet his parents or what happened in the dating app episode, you get to see the world Trevor would make if he had all the power in the world. He has complete authorship over his identity. Getting to see his very creative take on what’s fun is always a blast.”
Trevor is known for his signature look, after he passed away while wearing no pants. Over the years, the shirt that covers his body appeared to get longer as the seasons went on, and that’s something Asher himself noticed over the years: “It’s so funny you mention that. The shirt is made by our costume team. We’re not buying this in a store (laughs). I remember trying on a new shirt when we wore another one down. I felt it was a little longer. And then we pulled out measuring tape and it was the same!
I remember having the sensation of it being longer than what it usually is. The tape measure didn’t agree with me. I have to look because I’m hearing this a lot. Unless someone is changing the measuring tape, I think it’s the same! But now I’m going to go back and look. This season, I’ll be wearing one three times as long (laughs).”
Asher is known for talking about his insecurities in the industry as an actor, and the challenges he has faced over the course of his career. In this conversation, Asher took some time to talk about a project he is infinitely proud of: “This may not be what you’re expecting, but it’s true. I am a big football fan. Because of Ghosts, I got to form a relationship with my favorite team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. I basically got to convince these guys to let me collaborate with their players, coach and owner.
We created a mockumentary about the National Football League. It was all scripted. It was professional athletes pretending to be actors who were playing themselves. We shot it in a day and a half. It was ten minutes long. It won an award at Tribecca and in Cannes. I wrote and directed it, and if I had told myself, a year or two before it happened, that I would work on that, I wouldn’t have believed it. But when you get a creative wind, you do stuff that you never thought you were capable of. We shot forty scenes over a day and a half, I edited at a friend’s wedding. (Laughs). I’m in it, too. But as a director and a writer, I’m very proud of what we created.”
This interview was edited for length and clarity purposes.
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