Ghosts: Devan Chandler Long Discusses the Chaotic, Cod-Loving Origins of Thorfinn [Interview]

At the heart of Ghosts‘ spirited ensemble is Devan Chandler Long’s Thorfinn, an unfiltered, cod-loving, lighting-rod of comedy.

I had the opportunity to speak with Long about his boisterous Viking character, whose loud delivery and extensive knowledge of reality TV have captivated fans. And Long had the best answer when asked if that persona could be exhausting to play.

“It is. I try to tell everyone Rose [McIver] is like a Prius. She has great gas mileage, and she’s good for road trips. She can go forever and doesn’t need any maintenance. But Thorfinn is this big old muscle car that leaks oil in your parking spot,” Long clarified.

“It’s fun to drive him for ten miles, but if there’s traffic, he overheats and makes weird noises. The air conditioning does not work. And ya, it’s cool when you’re playing like eighties classic rock, but also, the seatbelts don’t work, you know? So that’s what I’m dealing with here.”

While on the topic of Thorfinn’s “loudness” we also discussed the character’s ability to catch the cast off guard and who causes the most breaks on set this season.

“There used to be times in Season 1 when I would get everyone all the time. But now they got me — they know me. They’re prepared for Thorfinn. And so, when you know it’s coming, it’s hard to get people,” Long said.

“Brandon, the actor who plays Isaac — Bran is hilarious. He’s always cracking everyone up all the time. Danny is hilarious, and she loves laughing the most. Once you get Danny to laugh, that’s when you know you win. When Danny does that cry laughter, it’s just so much fun.”

Flower and Thorfinn

Ghosts‘ dropped quite the bombshell when it revealed Flower and Thorfinn were a romantic item — all be it a complicated one. For Long, exploring Thorfinn’s crush on the emotionally unavailable hippie has been a blast.

“Flower and Thorfinn, they’re just fun together. Sheila [Carrasco], she plays Flower, she’s such a beautiful actress. And the way she approaches everything with a lighthearted spirit is so much fun because Thor is trying to paint with the same colors that she’s painting with. He has to try to get her attention, and he can’t go about doing it the Viking way,” he explained.

“He’s learning these different tactics on how to communicate with Flower and let her know that he’s interested without getting shut down too much. So it’s just a fun little dance they have.”

Long mentioned that the writers will dictate where the relationship goes but that he may know a little more than we do about those directions. “There’s a story to be told here, that’s for sure. It’s going places.”

Binge-Watching Etiquette

You cannot discuss Thorfinn’s best Ghosts episodes without acknowledging Sas and Thorfinn’s memorable tv-binge fest.

Long was quick to agree. “That was my favorite episode by far when Sas and Thorfinn got in the whole thing about watching It’s Getting Hot In Here.”

“It hits so close to home for me because I’ve had that argument with my son many times. We had to have a family meeting because I think after you watched three episodes of a show with anyone, especially if it’s from the pilot onward, then that means that’s your show; it’s an unwritten rule between those people,” the actor shared.

“Then my son went ahead and watched two more episodes. I found out, and I was hurt. I had a talk with him and said, ‘Hey, man, what’s the deal here? That’s our show.’ We had to have exactly the conversation Thorfinn and Sasappis had. So when that episode came out, I laughed so hard, and it was so real for me.”

No other Woodstone ghost has taken to binge-watching more than Thorfinn, with the Viking working through iconic shows like Fraiser and Friends. So what project does Long think Thorfinn will immerse himself in next?

“He loves reality TV. I mean, he just loves it. But I would be interested to hear his take on Game of Thrones. Because Alberta loves [Jason] Momoa. So, I’m sure Thorfinn has been watching that.”

Long went on to ponder whether the fantasy show for Thorfinn would be similar to ER for doctors, where you watch a show to see how ridiculously inaccurate it is to your profession — Thor’s profession, of course, being plundering and pillaging. 

“But for those of us who are not doctors, we’re fascinated by it. So, I wonder if Thorfinn would watch Game of Thrones, and if he would be impressed or if he would have a lot of notes for production,” Long explained.

The Origins of Thorfinn

When resurrecting Thorfinn, one may assume Long researched the ancient Viking lore extensively. But in truth, the character’s origins were foretold long before Ghosts came along.

“I’m part Norwegian, and so I’ve always been kind of in touch with my Viking heritage,” Long explained. “On my 30th birthday, my mom gave me, like, a custom drinking horn. I had a Viking nickname that my family gave me, and that was like my alter ego for forever. I just loved getting to be a Viking because I’ve always had this strong connection to those roots in my ancestry. So when I got the role, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I got this guy, done deal.'”

And the accent? It is just as unique to Thorfinn’s chaotic persona.

“I didn’t even audition other accents. That weird accent that I got — I don’t know what that is. Danielle Pinnock’s husband, Jack — he’s a voice coach. And I asked him, ‘So this accent that I’ve been doing for Thorfinn, is it anything?’ And he goes, ‘No, it’s nothing.’ Then he came up with a fancy word that basically means B: All the Above,” Long revealed.

“So, when bringing Thorfinn to life, I really was intuitive with the whole thing. I felt like I knew the guy, and I’ve known him for a long time. So I just let the dude talk when I put the costume on.”

For Long, Thorfinn was a reflection of himself. “He’s kind of like me in real life. He speaks before he thinks, which is refreshing. Sometimes that’s the people you want to be around because you know that you’re getting the authentic version. You know you’re not getting anyone who’s trying to game theory or manipulate you. Instead, you’re talking to someone in real-time who’s showing you exactly how they feel about everything.”

And within those prolific origins is an audition story that sitcom fans will surely enjoy.

“One of my best friends, Brian Thomas Smith, who played Zack on The Big Bang Theory. He had become really good friends with Joe Port, one of our showrunners, and when Brian was auditioning for Trevor he saw in the audition sides there was a Viking, and so he texted Joe, ‘Hey, I got your Viking.’ And then Joe asked the casting office to bring me in the next day.”

It’s an intriguing crossover, given Thorfinn and Zack live on CBS and share similarities as the foolish but kind-hearted dudebro. “Zack and Thorfinn would totally bro out. I would love to have Zack come stay at the b&b. I think that would be fantastic,” Long agreed.

As for how Thorfinn will handle the modern festivities of the 1-hour Ghosts holiday episode: “He’s definitely going to let it be known about how he feels about Christmas and where its true origin lies.”

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

And check out our episode postmortem discussion with Devan Chandler Long for Ghosts Season 2 Episode 6, “The Baby Bjorn,” here.

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