Rebecca Wisocky on Hetty’s Evolving Hypocrisy and ‘Ghosts’ Real-Life Haunts [Interview]

Rebecca Wisocky’s Hetty scares up high-class snobbery on Ghosts with hilariously misplaced hypocrisy and a sweet juxtaposition.

I recently spoke with Wisocky about our fascination with ghost stories, on-set scares, and Hetty’s sexual reckoning this season. As Wisocky teased, learning to let loose is just the beginning for her Gilded Age character.

“You see in the possession episode when she gets a hold of a body that can interact in the world, consume food, and get in a car — she is a maniac! She has a voracious appetite, and you’ll see similar themes now that she feels a sense of physical and sexual empowerment,” Wisocky explained.

“But, in Hetty fashion, she’ll get some of those things wrong. She takes it a little too far, and it’s one of the things that has been really interesting to play.”

Indeed, this newfound empowerment brings forth an opportunity to explore Hetty’s past in captivating, if not mischievous, ways.

“Hetty will start to confuse sexual empowerment for manipulation of power,” Wisocky revealed.

“In her time, she was a social manipulator. That was her role in her family — social espionage. So I think she’ll come to not only enjoy her sexuality but become voracious about it and also discover how it might be used as a form of manipulation and power as well.”

Despite her shortcomings as a reformed robber baron, Wisocky loves how multifaceted Hetty’s problematic persona can be.

“I love the way she’s fickle. I love how verbal she is. I love how the writers give her these long arias — long musical speeches, and she is capable of changing her mind three times in the course of one monologue,” Wisocky laughed.

“It’s very fun to play someone who is so contrary and selfish. She succumbs to her basest desires often yet is the hypocrite that seems to place such a high value on propriety and etiquette simultaneously.”

Wisocky went on to say that those “contradictions” are very fun to play.

“I love that they’ve allowed her to evolve and understand the error of her ways, both past and present. Yet they also don’t let her off the hook. She was not an angel. She was complicit in many of the not-so-great things that her family was responsible for.”

Favoring the Family Sitcom

Ghosts has become a sitcom phenomenon in its short time on air, stirring up stellar ratings and a dedicated cult following. 

When asked what she believed resonated with fans, Wisocky said, “Initially, what really resonated with people is the theme of eternal purgatory in tight confines with other people. That was a great metaphor for the pandemic in many ways.”

“And historically responsible in a way that is not preachy; in a way that has meant something to people. It’s an intergenerational workplace/family comedy, and we’re hearing so many people say that it has become their family show. And it’s allowed certain conversations about mortality, regret, and personal growth to happen. So those stories have been very meaningful to us.”

She also credited the Horrible Histories legacy and BBC for their generosity with this American adaptation.

“We’ve already teased that Mathew Baynton, an original creator and actor on BBC’s Ghosts, comes to play with us this season in a couple of episodes. We had such fun together, and we hope to see more of those guys,” Wisocky said.

Ghostly Encounters

Because it’s spooky season, the question had to be asked: has the cast experienced any ghostly encounters while filming the series? 

“You know, we were suspicious,” Wisocky revealed. “We film the exterior to show in this beautiful area of Quebec called Montebello, and it’s this gorgeous grounds in the middle of the countryside. We all stay at this old lodge on the river. And we’re starting to suspect there may be certain rooms in this hotel that are less restful than others.”

She didn’t say too much, given the show will use this location again, but assured me there was “nothing maleficent” going on. “But we are starting to suspect that it might be a mini The Shining hotel, and that’s why we got set up there.”

Wisocky added that everyone has thought about the paranormal more since Ghosts came into their lives.

“I started reading a book — it’s Ghostland, and written by a friend Colin Dickey that I would recommend. It deals not necessarily with the argument of whether ghosts are real but with what they meant to us as a society. There are lots of great historical references for different hauntings in America,” she shared.

“Ghosts represent the unknowable and that which we’ve relegated to the outskirts of our understanding or palatability. There’s a whole section of genre writing in 1800 by women, which I hadn’t known,” the actress pointed out.

“Similarly, the fascination that the people in the Gilded Age had with the occult and spiritualism was something very fascinating. So, that is one thing the show has done for us that has been a great blessing — it’s been a prompt to get to know more about American history.”

As Wisocky mentioned, women played an essential role in shaping history, and Ghosts stands as a “great reminder” of that.

“With the origins of the women’s suffrage movement and all the dialog that Hetty has with Alberta about women having the right to vote, it’s important to remember that women, in particular, were not monolithic in these times. People came to understand social movements in different ways, if at all. So it is all very fascinating.”

Halloween Costumes & Upcoming Conflict

As for immortalizing Hetty in costume, Wisocky was surprised to see people dressing up as the socialite for Halloween.

“It’s so elaborate. I thought we wouldn’t see many of them, but I have! People have been sending them to me on Twitter. Someone sent me a listing on Amazon that appears to be a very accurate Hetty costume, which is shocking,” Wisocky confessed.

“Last year, Rose [McIver] dressed up as Hetty and surprised me, which is so sweet, especially given she plays my ancestor. So I would love to see Rose play Hetty’s sister Margaret in the flashback someday, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”

But you know what is going to happen this season? A Hetty and Trevor standoff.

“The writers have done a lot of unlikely pairings for ghosts this season. But there’s a conflict and natural rivalry between Hetty and Trevor that they go deep with. We will call it the old money, new money conundrum,” Wisocky hinted.

“Hetty has always been fairly abusive with Trevor, and those two have a lot more to say to one another.”

Ghosts airs Thursdays at 8:30/7:30c on CBS.

And check out our episode postmortem discussion with Rebecca Wisocky for Ghosts Season 2 Episode 5, “Halloween 2: The Ghost of Hetty’s Past,” here.

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