'Ghosts' Star Utkarsh Ambudkar Talks 'Super Fun' Possession Episode (Exclusive)
After another solid ratings night last week on CBS, Ghosts will be breathing easy this Christmas as it heads on its first fall finale before new episodes return in 2022. But before a well-deserved break following a consistently hilarious season, series star Utkarsh Ambudkar is teasing a "super fun" episode that sees his character Jay getting possessed by uptight, Victorian house ghost Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky). In an exclusive with PopCulture.com ahead of Thursday night's episode airing at 9 p.m. ET and streaming exclusively on Paramount+, Ambudkar reveals he was extremely pumped for the opportunity to channel his co-star.
"I was really excited to have the chance to just do something wacky, a little bit weird. I mean, it's got to be grounded when you're impersonating someone. It has to have some truth in," Ambudkar told PopCulture. "But like Rebecca — Rebecca's created such a dynamic, distinct, very clear character with Hetty. She's got a very certain voice. She's got a very certain poise. Her eyes are just so. And Rebecca, craft-wise, did a lot of the work already. Right? Most of the heavy lifting, she did. All great impersonations you have to have really strong source material. And kudos to Rebecca for creating that for me."
Teasing how audiences can expect "romance and action and talking and listening and looking," Ambudkar shares the show's milestone 10th episode of the season will see his character Jay taking on a home improvement project to some unfortunate results. "He's trying to change a light bulb and it doesn't go well for him and Hetty just happens to be standing behind him while he's electrocuted," he says of his character who is not much of a handyman at home. "The next thing you know, Hetty has jumped into Jay's body and now they both occupy the same space, which would be fine if Jay and Sam weren't also trying their very best to secure the account of a wedding that's trying to come to the mansion and they're trying to cook up this feast and really impress this wedding planner, which is like super hard to do when you have a 200-year-old ghost of, specifically Hetty, traveling in your body."
Adding how the events boil up to a "bit of an obstacle" for the couple, Ambudkar says it's a formula for "really fun situations" that transpire in the episode. "We had a lot of fun shooting that, this episode," he said. A lot of the multitalented performer and actor's mannerisms came from studying Wisocky's Hetty who is a very distinct and proper character with a unique vibrancy. "Hetty's got this hoot, right? Hetty's got this 'hoo, hoo.' And once you get that, like 'hoo, hoo' — once you get the music of her voice, the rest kind of comes easy. You have to pretend that you've been wearing a corset for like 250 years. That also is key in playing Hetty. But that was pretty much it. Stand up straight and 'Ooh,' and do the hoot, and you're good to go."
One of the scenes fans will enjoy most is previewed in this week's teaser, highlighting Hetty embracing food more than two centuries later through Jay's body. It was a moment for Ambudkar he says was a lot of fun but came with some minor consequences. "Dude, I ate so much candy that day and it was amazing. I went home with pockets full of candy," he said. "I was throwing Sour Patch Kids. I had Twizzlers. Ooh, it was a magical day. I have a bit of a sweet tooth. And then who doesn't like a Cheeto. So I was good. I went home. I got sick. I'm not going to lie. A bit of an upset tum-tum, but totally worth it."
With the episode being an equally fun one for fans come Thursday night, Ambudkar says the whole experience for Jay getting the Woodstone immersive treatment will drive him to be a bit more cautious during home improvement projects. "I think that he's going to be a lot more wary when he's changing light bulbs in his home. You know, like, look man, this is a guy he loves his wife dearly. He also has to wear a bathing suit in the shower because he's not sure if ghosts are in there. He has to make a lot of different kinds of breakfast food so that people that he can't see can smell said food. He's got to be careful — basically at all times."
He goes on to share how "possession from one of the ghosts is going to put him on high alert even more" following the events with Hetty. "Lucky for [Jay] and lucky for the viewers is that he just loves Sam so much and he just wants to be there for his wife," he added. "So this guy is just, he's just there, he's a ride or die. He's like, 'You see ghosts? Cool.' Like, 'We got to bury a Viking. Cool.' Like, whatever it is baby, we'll get through it. That's Jay's catchphrase —it's basically like, whatever it is. We'll get through."
Ghosts airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount+. Those interested in seeing all Paramount+ has to share with audiences can click here for a free streaming offer.