When actor Asher Grodman landed the role of Trevor Lefkowitz, the flirty former Wall Street stockbroker on the CBS show, “Ghosts,” he never imagined his character’s missing pants would become one of television’s greatest mysteries.
The sitcom, based on the British series of the same name, premiered last October and quickly became a fan favorite. The plot centers around a young married couple, Samantha (Rose McIver), a freelance journalist, and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), a rising chef, who inherit a county estate only to learn it’s already occupied by a group of colorful spirits that died on the property over the years. After sustaining an injury, Samantha learns she can see and talk to her ghostly guests.
Joining Grodman’s character in the afterlife are a Viking (Devan Chandler Long), a Revolutionary War soldier (Brandon Scott Jones), a jazz singer (Danielle Pinnock), a successful robber baroness (Rebecca Wisocky), a bank-robbing hippie (Sheila Carrasco), a scoutmaster (Richie Moriarty) and a Lenape Native American (Roman Zaragoza).
While viewers learn that Grodman’s character, a wealthy, hard-partying finance bro, died in 1990 from a heart attack while not wearing pants, the reason he was without them wasn’t revealed until episode 16.
“Everyone on social media had a theory as to what happened to Trevor’s pants and none of them were correct,” says Grodman, who admits he had fun responding online to some of the crazier fan theories about the mystery of Trevor’s pants.
“A lot of people see Trevor as this former Wall Street party guy who is kind of douchey and always looking to have a good time,” Grodman says. “I see him more as a puppy, he’s the little brother of the group since he’s the most recently deceased.”
An actor for the past 18 years, Grodman, 34, is thrilled to be a part of one of this season’s highest-rated sitcoms.
“We have a great cast and crew and writers who do such a great job of making each episode both humorous and poignant,” Grodman says. “Being Jewish, I’m also thrilled to be portraying a Jewish character on television who isn’t just a stereotype. Being Jewish is just another part of who Trevor is.”
Grodman’s Jewish heritage is important to him. In 2015, he wrote, produced and directed actor Eli Wallach (in his final performance), in the short film, “The Train,” where Wallach played a Holocaust survivor whose life was spared by a single moment in time. The film was inspired by the true story that Grodman’s father told him about Holocaust survivor, Andre Mencz. Grodman also co-starred in the film.
Photo By Emily Assiran
Paying His Dues
Growing up on a farm in New Jersey, Grodman had a childhood filled with lots of animals including horses, geese and 14 dogs. He attributes his lifelong love of canines to the bond he formed with his family’s pets, including two litters of Labrador Retrievers.
A shy child, Grodman got his first taste of the limelight in seventh grade when his mother forced him to try out for the school play.
“I had a crush on a girl in the show and when our school jazz band started playing the song, ‘Brown Eyed Girl,’ I changed the lyrics to Hazel Eyed Girl and sang it to my crush who was appropriately mortified,” Grodman says with a laugh.
While a middle school romance with his crush never materialized, Grodman found he enjoyed acting and the following year he was cast as the lead in the school play.
“I really enjoyed being part of the theater community and I developed a passion for storytelling,” he says.
Continuing to act in middle and high school, Grodman went on to study film and English at Columbia University in New York City, where he earned a bachelor’s degree, while also playing on the university’s varsity fencing team. He then moved to San Francisco where he completed a Master of Fine Arts degree from the A.C.T. Conservatory.
After graduation, Grodman landed roles in the play “Amadeus” in Los Angeles and appeared in popular shows including “Succession,” “Chicago Med,” “House of Cards,” “Elementary” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
While he’s primarily played dramatic roles, Grodman welcomed the chance to perform comedy in “Ghosts.”
“I’d never done comedy before, but I fell in love with the script for ‘Ghosts,’” he says. “The writers do an amazing job of making the show emotional, poignant and funny.”
Grodman remembers how the cast and crew were in Los Angeles in March 2020, ready to film the pilot when the pandemic shut the production down.
“We were in limbo,” Grodman recalls. “We didn’t know if the pilot would ever be filmed or if it would be picked up for a series.”
Fortunately, the pilot was filmed and CBS premiered the series in October 2021.
Photo by Cliff Lipson/CBS
Grodman doesn’t take his newfound success for granted. He remembers many years of endless auditions and how he translated his love of acting into teaching others the craft. One job found him instructing inmates in acting at Riker’s Island in the Bronx.
“Teaching in the jail at Riker’s Island was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but the moments when I experienced a breakthrough with students were also extremely rewarding,” Grodman says. “The experience also helped crystalize how I wanted to teach and to help students understand all the aspects of performing.”
Today, Grodman serves on the faculty in the theatre department at Hunter College (CUNY) in New York City, where he also lives.
“I love teaching different acting techniques and sparking my students’ imaginations,” he says. “I also enjoy helping my students and colleagues prepare for upcoming auditions and I think doing so also helps me to become a better actor.”
When he’s not working on “Ghosts,” or teaching at Hunter College, Grodman enjoys both watching and playing football. He meets up with friends for a weekly pickup football game and admits he’s a die-hard Jacksonville Jaguars fan.
“My dad is a huge Detroit Lions fan, but as they went through a losing streak, my mom told my dad that he couldn’t put my brother and I through the angst,” Grodman says with a laugh. “I’ve been a fan of the Jaguars since their infancy and have seen them play at home and also in Seattle a few years ago.”
Fans will next see Grodman in the movie, “Out of Order,” with Brooke Shields.
“I portray a big pharma guy who stole some research,” Grodman says. “It was amazing to work with Brooke and it’s mind-boggling how much she’s accomplished. On the last night of filming, she invited us all back to her home for a cast party, even though we’d just put in a 15-hour day. She’s amazing.”
With “Ghosts” renewed for a second season, Grodman is also looking forward to unraveling the many layers of his character, Trevor. In the first season, fans saw Trevor put together a dating profile, featuring his dog. It turns out the white Labrador featured in the photo was Grodman’s own dog, Zazie.
“I really lobbied for Trevor having a dog in his dating profile, and then it became my dog,” Grodman says. “Zazie has handled fame really well and hasn’t let it go to her head.”
When asked about the future, Grodman says he’d love to do more television and even theater in New York. For now, he’s content to be part of a cast that’s become a second family and to be filming a show that’s received such a wonderful response from viewers.
“I love hearing how viewers love the show and that it makes them laugh as much as we do filming it,” he says.
One superfan of the show is actor Mark Hamill who tweeted his delight in January that the show was renewed for a second season.
“This is a wonderful surprise,” Hamill tweeted. “‘Ghosts’ is a delight: smart, witty whimsical, with a brilliant cast that’s beyond perfection.”
The cast thanked Hamill in response with Grodman tweeting, “This is so kind and such a thrill, especially coming from someone who has brought so much joy into our lives. Pete and Trevor will have an epic lightsaber battle to celebrate (though explaining lightsabers to the other ghosts will be … [difficult]).”