Exclusive: Ghosts’ Asher Grodman Spills on Playing a Pants-Less Character and Getting Renewed for Two More Seasons

If you haven’t seen the incredible CBS series Ghosts, you are as late to the party as these spirits. Seriously, Ghosts is a unique show that stands out on its own.

On the surface, the show seems like your run-of-the-mill “living who can see ghosts” plot, but it is so much more than that.

Ghosts is a show that is a layered story full of rich, complex characters that paint a beautiful tapestry of what it means to “live.” And they do it by disguising the show as a casual comedy watch.

This CBS series is in no short supply of emotional stories that will have viewers laughing one second and crying the next – this TV Fanatic included.

And I was lucky enough to sit down with Asher Grodman (Succession), who plays Trevor “No Pants” Lefkowitz, a former Wall Street bro who died giving up his pants in a “Hero Move.”

Check out the fun conversation we had below!

Ghost stands out as a show with its own unique approach to comedy and storytelling. What was it about the series and the character Trevor that drew you in?

Oh, wow. Well, so thinking of the pilot, because that’s really all that I had in the beginning.

I remember reading that pilot and just feeling like I’d been auditioning for pilots at the time for over two decades.

And so, I’ve read a lot of them. And what usually happens with a pilot is you get to the end of the pilot, and you’re like, ‘Okay, I can picture what episode two is going to be. I can see what we’ve set up here.’

And this was the first pilot where I was like, ‘Oh, they could do anything. Like, there are so many possibilities with this thing.’ And I remember Joe Wiseman, who wrote the pilot and adapted it from the BBC One. I was like, ‘Those guys are screwed because I don’t know how you would decide what direction to go in here,’ because the possibilities were endless.

So that was very exciting to me. It was so funny. And it felt so profound in the sense that it’s very rare to get a new, fresh perspective in storytelling.

And then, when it happens, everyone’s so excited. But the concept of this thing is it’s like eight born-yesterdays, right?

So, we’re seeing the world from all these different perspectives. From a comedy standpoint, from a satire standpoint, from the heart, from a hard place, and from an emotional standpoint.

It was just loaded on all cylinders. And then, yes, Trevor. When I read him on the page, ‘It was the summer of 98, my Lehman Brothers boys and I scooped a copter to beat the traffic out to the Hamptons because that’s how we roll.’

I was like, ‘That’s so well-crafted and specific.’ And a deep understanding of that time period and that point of view.

And looking back at the ’90s from this place, it’s this world that doesn’t feel very far away. Yet there’s a real nostalgia there. Because it’s the internet, still being formed. And there’s so much transition in that period culturally.

So, it was just such a rich landscape that our writers and the BBC had created. For all those reasons, I thought, “This thing really works. I just have to get out of the way.”

I just tried to bring a little bit of this, like puppy energy, to Trevor. So, he wasn’t just that kind of Wall Street thing; he had a little more complexity. But, for the most part, I just let the writing ride.

I would imagine that playing a character who never wears pants could leave you in some interesting situations. What is something unexpected that came with playing a pants-less part?  

I’m very aware of temperature changes. So that’s the thing. I think the most unexpected thing was when I’ve been fortunate to shoot something or film something else every hiatus so far.

Going off and doing another show or a movie or whatever it is, and getting to wear pants now, feels like the biggest power move in the world because I’m so used to not doing it.

I just directed something for Paramount that’s going to screen because I’m trying to do more directing. And I play Trevor in this film.

I’m walking around the Paramount offices without pants on, and for me, it’s like nothing. It just doesn’t even faze me anymore. So that’s what I didn’t account for. The comfort that I would have developed over time. It’s pretty weird.

With 20 years in the business and a recent nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series from the Critics’ Choice Awards, things are definitely on the rise. What can fans expect from you in the future? Are you interested in sitting in the director’s chair for an episode?

It would be a dream to direct our show. I was very fortunate that Trent O’Donnell, who directed our pilot and a bunch of our episodes, is just a genius.

I got very lucky that Trent had the patience to be my mentor — he has the patience because I’m not done picking his brain and never will be. I’ve learned a lot from him. Years ago, I directed a short film starring Eli Wallach, which was a real special thing for me.

And then, a couple of years ago, I got to write and direct a film starring the Jacksonville Jaguars that was a mockumentary about the NFL being scripted.

It was about an NFL team, starring all their players, and that went on and had a really nice little run. It won an award at Tribeca and an award at Cannes.

I would love to do more of that stuff. It was such a joy. And at the top of that list is directing our show. I know this cast so well. I know how they like to work. It’s kind of like having the chance to feed all your friends your favorite meal, because I know that it would make them happiest if a director just did XYZ.

That would be a huge joy. And I got to watch Rose McIver do it, who was a brilliant director this last season.

So, I’d love to have a chance to sit in that chair. Aside from that, I think we’re always looking for variety and balance in our lives.

I have to ask, what is with the ongoing joke about The Cutting Edge? Was that something that was put in the script that randomly just stuck? Is there a special meaning or an inside joke about it?

One of our showrunners, Joe Port, deeply loves that film. It is clearly a seminal work for him, and we continue to carry the banner of The Cutting Edge for him.

It is Joe leaving his mark on the show, and it was so much fun because I had never seen it. This show introduced me to the cutting edge, but it’s fun because it’s those details that really make you feel like these characters have lived a life.

And it’s not just like, ‘Oh, he’s into all of the most popular things from the ’90s.’ He’s got his own little specific path. He’s locked down.

So that’s Joe Port having some fun. And hopefully, other people are having fun with us as we walk those specific things down the path.

Trevor gets a massive reveal in the upcoming episode of Ghosts with the return of an old friend. Considering audiences were already faked out once with a baby scare, was it always the intention to bring this plot point back around?

I can’t speak to the intention always, but I knew that Joe and the writers were cooking up something. I got to join them in the writer’s room for a day last spring just to chat, pitch thoughts, and hear what they were up to. And that’s where they told me that they were toying with this.

This was in development. They didn’t have the specifics. I didn’t know if it’d be a son or a daughter or what the story would be, but I knew it was something that could be on the horizon.

But the way you phrased the question is right. Since we did ‘Pete’s Wife,’ which I think was like the fifth episode of season one, and we had that fake out with the whole DILF thing, considering that we had done a similar storyline with the end of it.

In that same episode, we had a storyline with Pete and his grandson, getting his daughter and the life that he left behind.

I always felt like we should do this, and certainly, Trevor is a prime candidate for this because I’m sure there were many situations where he was fooling around and having a good time. So, it would be very, very possible for him to have some paternity tests coming his way.

Trevor seemed like a good candidate for that, but I also felt like if we ever did it, it’d be a while because of what we set up with that episode with both those A and B storylines in ‘Pete’s Wife.’

I always thought we would maybe play with this, but I thought it’d be a while. It is season four, so I guess it’s been a while. It is just crazy.

We’re going to do two more and hopefully more after that. And yes, I was just very excited about it because at the core of this guy is a part of him that is aligned with being a father.

And he’s this caretaker who gave away his pants — stuff like that. But on the other hand, he would be a mess of a father and set all the wrong examples.

So, what I particularly liked about the story was, at least for me, what was interesting: Trevor’s realization that Pinkus is a much better father than he would have been.

It’s a very rare flavor you get to play as an actor just because there aren’t that many stories, shows, or movies that deal with the kind of stuff we deal with from the perspective we deal with it. That was a unique point of view and discovery. I enjoyed that a lot.

Playing a Ghost means playing a character that is virtually stuck in time as they presently are. What are some of the things you must physically keep an eye on for continuity purposes? 

You know, it’s funny. I remember, like, season two, we suddenly had access to a gym that was nearby where we shot. I would try to work out in the mornings, and I’d come in some days, and my legs would be a little more swollen than others.

And then I noticed the script suddenly making fun of how good Trevor’s legs looked recently. Then I stopped working out in the mornings, and suddenly we’re making jokes about how thin Trevor’s legs look.  So, I don’t know how much of the continuity is held up. 

Luckily, we have a great hair and makeup department that’s done a great job. We shot the pilot and then episodes two, three, four, and five all at once. Somewhere in that, from season one, I got into a big bike accident, where I flipped off the top of a bike.

I was being dumb and going too fast and got scraped up. I can’t remember if it was either my right or my left leg, but I scraped up the whole thing. Suddenly, we’re doing makeup and having to cover it up with spray makeup on my legs for continuity.  

And then the same thing happened, where I was running in my apartment, slipped, and my knee went into a handle on a drawer and cut a two-inch gash into it.  All that is to say, despite all of the effort to keep continuity, things happen.

I have a very talented team around me who is keeping the visuals as steady as possible. I am so grateful for them. So, nothing has happened in the build-up to seasons three and four. And I’m hoping, knock on wood, that the build-up to season five will remain safe, too.  

You didn’t really ask this question, but it’s something that I think about a lot: behavior tied to the time period. For me, any opportunity that I have, I put Trevor’s legs up, feet up, or something like that. 

It’s fun to watch Sheila Carrasco, who plays Flower, work as well because she does similar things, like lounging or leaning.

And juxtaposed that with someone like Hetty, who’s always very upright, or Isaac, who’s very upright. And even Pete, right, has a very upright thing to him.

Because of ghost rules, we are limited in what we can do physically. Yet, finding those colors, those behavioral flavors, is so much fun.

I love that stuff where you can turn the volume off and still get a sense of the story just from behavior.

Ghosts was renewed for not one but two more seasons. What was it like for you and the rest of the cast to get that news?

Look, you really never know. And we’re at a point in this business right now where everything seems to be contracting. I remember wrapping up this season and genuinely not knowing if it was going to be no more seasons, one more season, or two more seasons. Just truly didn’t know.

The more time you wait, the more you assume it’s going to be zero. We waited a little bit, but hearing that is just incredible. It’s amazing to have a job.

It’s amazing to have a job where people are watching, and they care, and they’re invested.

There’s a real audience. We’re here because of people who are watching the show and supporting us, like you and the people who are reading and watching you.

It has really just been a remarkable experience. And the idea that as an actor, you’re going to play a role for six years and have two years of job security. That’s pretty insane.

But I work with amazing people with whom I will spend seven months together, and then be away from each other for two days before phones start ringing. I’m calling Brandon, Rebecca, or whoever I’m calling to catch up because we really do love each other.

We would gladly spend exponentially more time with each other. We’re always down, so we’re so very, very grateful for this.

Suffice it to say, Asher Grodman is incredibly passionate about his role and the show as a whole. I mostly gathered that CBS‘s Ghosts is a collaboration between the creators and the actors who help bring the story to life.

Also, I won’t lie and say that Asher wasn’t incredibly handsome. The man was wearing a simple polo, but he was just as handsome after hair and makeup for Ghosts.

Be sure to check out the upcoming hilarious episode of Ghosts at 8:30 PM this Thursday, with new episodes every week. You can also see previously aired on-demand episodes on Paramount+. 

Watch Ghosts Online

Why do you love to watch Ghosts?  

Who is your favorite character? 

Interviews like this take time and care — and we hope it shows. 

If you liked hearing from me, please comment or share the article. That’s how we keep conversations like this going.

TV Fanatic is searching for passionate contributors to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.