‘Ghosts’ Star Román Zaragoza Details His ‘Dream Come True’ Episode From Season 1 (Exclusive)

The CBS freshmen hit Ghosts has fired off on all cylinders since its debut last October with episodes that have tugged at the heartstrings of audiences across the country. Averaging more than 8.4 million viewers in its premiere season, the show has become a favorite among viewers and will no doubt grow exponentially thanks to streaming. But while it has been an absolute joy for fans to watch over and over again, series star Román Zaragoza admits there was one episode, in particular, that was a “dream come true” for him.

In an exclusive with PopCulture.com, while chatting about the single-camera sitcom now streaming on Paramount+, Zaragoza admits the episode “Ghostwriter” (which also stars his father Gregory Zaragoza), was a moment in the young actor’s rising career that meant a lot to him. Most notably as it amplifies the discussion around the Lenape people through his character Sasappis, the second-oldest ghost after Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long).

“I’m just grateful that we were able to tell this story and to have my dad be part of it. It was a dream come true and it was exciting to kind of be part of the process too,” Zaragoza told PopCulture. “[The writers] brought me into some production meetings and that was the first time as an actor that I felt like I was really collaborating, which is really cool. Because that’s very rare, especially in TV and film. It’s very rare to have that opportunity, so that was really exciting to have Joe Baker there — who’s our Lenape consultant — very active with us on these meetings. It was just really exciting and also I just got to really play off Rose [McIver], who’s an amazing actor, and to be able to learn from her from that experience of shooting that episode — it was just a dream come true.”

The episode, which has become a staple among audiences has also become a moment of gratitude for Zaragoza. “I’m just really grateful people resonated with it because I think it really can speak to people from all different backgrounds, not just native people, but anyone who has felt like they haven’t been able to come out of their shell or been holding back so much in their life and they’re like, ‘I want to tell these stories.’ I think that’s something that I hope people take away from it.”

Understanding how a series like Ghosts has the power to help create more meaningful discussions around representation for Zaragoza with his co-stars through its diverse characters, like Alberta Haynes (Danielle Pinnock), Trevor Lefkowitz (Asher Grodman), Jay Arondoeker (Utkarsh Ambudkar), and Flower (Susan) Montero (Sheila Carrasco), the 26-year-old admits representation has not only mattered along his own journey but been an equally “big part” of his career from the start. “It has been because of just how I present in the world, because of where I come from and my ancestors. It’s inevitable that representation was going to be such a big part of my career and to be on the show,” he said. “People will reach out to me on Instagram and stuff and say, ‘Hey, thank you for being this representation I never saw before.’ Also being that mixed representation, because I’ve been trying to be very vocal about who I am apart from Sass and I think that’s been really exciting to hear how people feel represented in that regard as well.”

While Zaragoza admits he did see “some representation growing up,” it was never enough and not as deep or “three-dimensional” as it should have been. “The characters were very stereotypical, so to be able to be on a show where I feel very safe in my character, where I can really explore and feel that I can connect with him and that he’s deep and three-dimensional, it’s just been a dream come true.”

For more on Ghosts and Román Zaragoza, stay tuned to the very latest about the show, news about the cast and everything in between only on PopCulture. In the meantime, relive the first season of Ghosts on Paramount+ and get an exclusive streaming offer here.