Ghosts Star Rebecca Wisocky Interviewed

Photo Credit: Sela Shiloni

How would you describe your character on Ghosts?

Hetty Woodstone built the house in which the show takes place. She was a desperately unhappy woman of great privilege and questionable morals in her life. In the 150 years of her death, she has undergone a slow transformation thanks to the love and friendship of her fellow ghosts and her living great-great-great-great-grand niece. She still has a long way to go but watching her get it all wrong is often the best part.

In what way do you relate to her and if not, what characteristics of hers do you wish you had?

I love an updo! I have to be reminded to look less like her in real life. I relate to how deeply she loves her friends.

 

How do you think Hetty had evolved since season one?

She was probably the most tightly wound Ghosts character. So, she’s unraveled quite a bit in our first 4 seasons. She’s a burgeoning feminist, she’s had a sexual awakening with a washing machine, a torrid affair with a man 100 years her junior, and she’s come to realize that her life had value independent of her wealth. But she still has a lot of blind spots. There’s a significant one that we get to explore this season!

What do you want to see for her as the show goes on?

I’m interested in her relationship with her mother. We found out in season three that her mother was involuntarily institutionalized by her father. I’m pretty sure there’s a juicy story there. There’s a bit of a surrogate mother daughter dynamic between Hetty and Rose McIver’s character, Samantha too. I love working with Rose and it would be a good chance to explore some of those themes more deeply.

Who are some actors you would like to have on the show?

It would be a hoot if my buddy Tom Irwin came to visit Woodstone. He played my husband on Devious Maids. We still hear so much love for those characters. So, that’d be fun to have a twisted little Powell reunion.

I’d also love to see more of the Horrible Histories gang come visit us. They’re the group of actors that originated the Ghosts concept for the BBC and they’re all spectacularly talented. Mathew Baynton came to play with us in season 2. That was a thrill.

We’ve had so many wonderful guest stars on the show. Matt Walsh will be back from hell again this season as Hetty’s diabolical husband. That’s always fun. Well, it’s fun for me. Hetty doesn’t like it one bit.

 

What is one storyline you would like Hetty to have?

I’d love to know more about the first year of her afterlife. Isaac, Sass and Thor were trapped in the dirt and her husband was locked in the vault. She would’ve been alone as a ghost for that first year; watching her house transform and her son cope with her death.

Well, she wouldn’t have been completely alone. I’m sure there would’ve been some interesting interactions with Nancy and the other basement ghosts.

 

You’re also on Sex Lives of College Girls. What was that experience like?

I loved it! I was so happy that Justin Noble asked me to come do it. My storyline is with Gracie Lawrence who has the voice of an angel. I play her withholding drama professor. It was a challenge to pretend that Gracie isn’t a superstar. She’s phenomenal. All the young actors I met there were incredibly talented.

What else are you working on?

I have a few things that are percolating for our hiatus this year. Nothing I can tease just yet. But I should be pretty busy.

 

Tell me a fun fact about yourself. 

I’m a new pickleball fan. I’ve gotten a lot of the cast into it, and I’ve met some new friends in Montreal that I play doubles with on the weekends.

 

What are you currently watching these days?

I’m obsessed with The Diplomat! Give Keri Russell all the awards please.

 

We are in holiday season! What is your favorite holiday tradition?

I’ll be back in LA with the husband and dogs enjoying hiking and cooking and relaxing for a bit. I still have the ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas pop-up book that I had as a child. I like to read that to whoever is visiting Christmas eve.

Anything else you want to share?

I’m very thankful for all the love that the Ghosts audience has shown Hetty. I’m proud of the show and love the family we’ve created. I hope we get to continue doing it for many more seasons.