Brandon Scott Jones on CBS' ‘Ghosts': ‘I enjoy playing characters that are desperate'
Surprise! CBS' Ghosts is quite a revolutionary endeavor, especially for a sitcom on a broadcast network. A big part of that is thanks to costar Brandon Scott Jones, who plays the ephemeral, late Isaac Higgintoot — a soldier who fought on the side of the American Continental Congress in the Revolutionary War.
Now, Isaac wasn't a big fan of war — he preferred surrendering post-battle — and actually met his end not by a barrage of buckshot, but due to dysentery. Still, Isaac isn't only revolutionary thanks to his character: He's possibly one of the first American military men to adhere to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy of being gay in the U.S. armed forces.
More from GoldDerby
Critics hail Celine Song's 'Materialists' as an 'exquisitely made' modern love story - not a 'glossy romantic comedy'
Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro reunite, tease 'Meet the Parents 4'
'Heartwarming' yet 'bloated': Film critics are mixed on 'How to Train Your Dragon' live-action remake
"In his brain he was so jazzed to be at the beginning of America, and he's not even realizing that some of the stuff he's doing is working against who he is as a person," Jones tells Gold Derby (watch the full interview above). "There's something subversive about that."
Like the other ghosts who populate the New York manor in the series (which was recently renewed for a fifth and sixth season) Isaac has some issues to work through before he can finish the death process. But he has a habit of getting in his own way — like when at the end of Season 3 he left the dear, departed redcoat he loved, Nigel (John Hartman), at the altar.
"I enjoy playing characters that are desperate, and he is a desperate man who wants to be liked, he wants to be remembered, he wants all these things, and he's trapped in this world where he has to live with his legacy," says Jones. But, he adds, "I think there's something fun about him wanting to be a better person. He's a very slow learner, but he's realizing that he has to make some adjustments and changes."
That meant in Season 4 that he literally was in his lowest place – dragged under the dirt by ghostly Puritan Patience (Mary Holland). "He's slowly finding little moments and opportunities to be a good person," explains Jones. "And then he has all these trials and tribulations where he, like, freaks out because the stripper he's in love with dies on the property."
The stripper, for context, is not Nigel!
SEEDanielle Pinnock on playing Alberta in CBS' 'Ghosts,' representation, and what's next for the hit comedy
There are other ways Ghosts pushes the envelope in revolutionary ways, particularly with some of its out there colloquialisms. Ghosts who complete their duties on earth and are taken away are said to be "sucked off," something that might not have made it onto broadcast TV in previous decades.
The wording gets Jones chuckling. "Can you believe it?" he says. "We get 'jerked off,' we get 'sucked off,' we get 'go down on us,' like, that's the stuff. It's wild what they can get away with! How lucky are we that we get to do it?"
But perhaps the thing that Jones finds most original about the series is that thanks to his character and Nigel's, there's finally a bit of American history being shared in a broadly-watched TV series.
"What do we as a collective people recognize to be true about that time period?" Jones asks. "Where does the Revolutionary War stand in pop culture and the Zeitgeist? As I've been playing the part, I've slowly been learning more and more [about history], which has been really fun."
While Isaac may be Jones' longest-played character, he's far from the Maryland-born actor's first role. Jones performed with the Upright Citizens Brigade and co-wrote and starred in the 2022 film Senior Year. Audiences may also recognize him from his roles in The Good Place and The Other Two, and he's often cast as snooty, snarky, sassy — or all three.
"I'm always interested in playing more that side of things," he says. "It's a fun way to access that part of me that … exists. We all have a little clap-back in ourselves, right? You get to have catharsis on camera and get paid for it."
Meanwhile, Jones is working on several non-Ghosts projects that he can't talk about just yet — but he does have one new major element of his life he's happy to discuss: He's now a homeowner. And he's stressed out about it.
"Oh, my God, I'm so nervous to become an adult," he says. "I still feel like Kevin McAllister [from Home Alone] every time I go to the grocery store? I'm like, 'What am I doing?' … 'God, these plants!'"
Just wait until he finds out whether his new home has any ghosts.
Best of GoldDerby
'She's got tunnel vision': Wendi McLendon-Covey reveals what she loves most about her character Joyce on 'St. Denis Medical'
Marlon Wayans on laughing through tragedy in 'Good Grief' and why social media has made comedy 'toxic'
Minha Kim 'confronted all new emotions that I had never anticipated' in Season 2 of 'Pachinko'
Click here to read the full article.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tony Talk: Our extremely early 2026 awards predictions for ‘Ragtime,' ‘Waiting for Godot,' Kristin Chenoweth, and all the buzzy new shows
Welcome to Tony Talk, a column in which Gold Derby contributors Sam Eckmann and David Buchanan offer Tony Awards analysis. Two weeks after the 2025 Tonys, we discuss the upcoming Broadway season and forecast likely 2026 Tony contenders. David Buchanan: Last June, you and I offered our earliest predictions for what could contend and even win at the Tonys a whole 12 months in the future! Looking back at our extremely early 2025 predictions, we hit some nails on the head, including the Best Musical Revival and Best Actress in a Musical showdowns between Gypsy and Sunset Boulevard and stars Audra McDonald and Nicole Scherzinger, respectively. For the 2025-26 Broadway season — which has already kicked off with Jean Smart in the solo play Call Me Izzy — it looks like the revivals are once again front and center. We have remountings of musicals Ragtime, Chess, and The Rocky Horror Show forthcoming, as well as plays Art, Waiting for Godot, and Fallen Angels, among others. Do you think we have any potential winners in those lists? More from GoldDerby 'Rosemead,' starring Lucy Liu, takes top prize at Bentonville Film Festival 'The Last of Us': How the 'Lord of the Rings' VFX team (and marshmallows) made the Battle of Jackson 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman Begins' share an anniversary week - and a surprising Oscar connection Sam Eckmann: To your list of musical revivals, I would add Cats: The Jellicle Ball. This reimagining of the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ditches the feline body suits and sets the story in the world of ballroom. The show was a sold-out hit off-Broadway and though a Broadway run isn't official, a cheeky new social media account for the show has been teasing a transfer for months. Should it transfer, it will be an immediate frontrunner in the Best Musical Revival category. That said, Ragtime, Chess, and The Rocky Horror Show (which will be directed by newly minted Tony winner Sam Pinkleton) are rarely seen but beloved musicals. So this category promises to be an epic showdown yet again! The race for Best Musical is harder to predict since so many new tuners have yet to officially announce their runs. But we do know that director Michael Arden (now a two-time Tony winner thanks to Parade and Maybe Happy Ending) will helm a pair of new musicals: The Queen of Versailles, starring Kristin Chenoweth, and a stage adaptation of The Lost Boys. Do you think Arden could add a third trophy to his mantle next year? Steve Eichner/Variety via Getty Images Buchanan: Next year, either Pinkleton or Arden could join the list of only eight directors in the history of the Tonys to win back-to-back trophies, like Danya Taymor tried to do this year with John Proctor Is the Villain, so that should make for a very exciting race! With his two Tony-winning projects plus Once on This Island and Deaf West's Spring Awakening, I know never to underestimate Arden. Queen of Versailles is a huge creative swing, and though I didn't see the Boston try-out, word of mouth suggests it needs some judicious tightening of its runtime and of its tone. Based on critics' reviews, it sounds like the show may be more of an awards contender for Chenoweth and composer Stephen Schwartz than for directing, despite the humongous scope and set of the musical, which centers on real-life billionaire Jackie Siegel and her dream to construct the largest private residence in America. The Lost Boys is the bigger question mark in my mind. Vampire musicals have an infamous track record on Broadway — Dance of the Vampires, Elton John's Lestat, to name just two — but the song officially released by the Rescues, who composed the score, is strong, as is Arden's creative team, so this could be a contender, sight unseen. But before we pivot to the play categories, let's stick with Chenoweth and dive into Best Actress in a Musical. Folks have called her performance as Siegel the best of her career, but she'll be potentially contending against Caissie Levy in Ragtime as Mother, a two-time Tony-nominated role for Marin Mazzie and Christiane Noll, plus Lea Michele in Chess as Florence, a Tony-nominated role for Judy Kuhn. Do you think we'll have as cutthroat a Best Actress race in 2026 as we did this year? SEE Tony Talk: Dissecting those shocking wins for 'Purpose,' Nicole Scherzinger, Darren Criss, and full show analysis Eckmann: You've already highlighted three formidable contenders who could make the lead actress race just as competitive as this year's. While we don't have a full picture of all the eligible contenders yet, it's hard to imagine a lineup without any of these women. That would mean that Levy and Michele score the first Tony nominations of their career. I believe Levy came close to a nomination with Hair and Frozen, and she is the type of Broadway mainstay that voters are eager to reward once the right part comes along. Michele is still riding high on a renewed sense of goodwill after rescuing the recent revival of Funny Girl, and the score to Chess is perfectly suited to her high belting capabilities. Speaking of Chess, Michele's costars should also find themselves hotly competitive. Most Broadway fans are already familiar with Tony winner Aaron Tveit, but I suspect the über-talented Nicholas Christopher to finally cement himself as a Broadway superstar with this revival. If you're a theater nerd whose never heard him sing before, prepare yourself for your new obsession. While there are far too many question marks with the musicals at this early stage — I desperately need to know who Pinkleton is going to cast as Frank 'N' Furter in Rocky Horror — we know much more about the plays since the fall is front-loaded with them. I attended Call Me Izzy, the first production of the 2025-26 season, the day before this year's Tony Awards. While the script itself may not be remembered a full year from now in the Best Play race, star Jean Smart is at the height of her powers, delivering a solo performance so devastating that voters will surely be able to remember it next spring. Other contenders for lead actress in a play will surely include whichever mystery actress is cast in Second Stage's revival of Marjorie Prime, which won accolades for star Lois Smith in the off-Broadway run — though at 94, I'm not expecting her to sign up for the Broadway staging. An audition notice has also spoiled that the play Little Bear Ridge is also aiming for Broadway this season. Laurie Metcalf starred in this Samuel D. Hunter play at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. This could be Hunter's first play to transfer to Broadway, and Metcalf is a seemingly guaranteed Tony nominee should she reprise her role. Hunter's The Whale earned Shuler Hensley a Lucille Lortel Award, and the film adaptation scored an Oscar for Brendan Fraser. Perhaps he's written Metcalf a role worthy of Tony No. 3. What plays are you looking forward to next season? SEE 'Every beat is meticulously crafted': An oral history of the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning play 'Purpose' Buchanan: It would be so wonderful to have Metcalf back on Broadway after her Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? shuttered prematurely due to COVID in March 2020. Yes, there are a lot of very exciting plays already announced for the season, from Marjorie Prime to fellow Pulitzer finalist Becky Shaw and Tony winner David Lindsay-Abaire's upper-crust satire The Balusters. I'm particularly interested in the U.K. transfers of Oedipus starring the absolutely fabulous Mark Strong and Lesley Manville in a modern, election night retelling of the classic Greek tragedy, as well as the true-story, chilling Punch. The announcement of Pulitzer winner Stephen Adly Guirgis's stage adaptation of Dog Day Afternoon caught me by surprise but seems like a brilliant work to adapt to the stage, especially with its two The Bear stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal. Speaking of those performers, the Best Actor in a Play race already sounds competitive. We'll soon see Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in Waiting for Godot, and I'll be especially curious to know what director Jamie Lloyd does with the play. He's been in a musical mode lately with this year's Tony winner Sunset Boulevard and now the London revival of Evita with Rachel Zegler, but I have been most taken with his staging of plays including Betrayal in 2019, and it'll be interesting to see how his minimalism matches this classic drama. Yasmina Reza's ART brings a trio of Tony-winning heavyweights back to Broadway with Bobby Cannavale, Neil Patrick Harris, and James Corden. Sight unseen, I'm already rooting for Strong to take home his first Tony, but I'm excited for surprises this Broadway season, too! SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby 'Maybe Happy Ending' star Darren Criss on his Tony nomination for playing a robot: 'Getting to do this is the true win' Who Needs a Tony to Reach EGOT? Sadie Sink on her character's 'emotional rage' in 'John Proctor Is the Villain' and her reaction to 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' Click here to read the full article.
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
Daniel Ricciardo Slammed by Fans Over Controversial Social Media Post
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo is under fire from fans after making a controversial social media post. Since leaving the F1 grid, Ricciardo has remained silent. He stepped away from the sport and the spotlight in totality. He broke his silence on June 18, opting to release a controversial advertisement on his X (formerly Twitter) account. Ricciardo partnered with the Australian sports betting company Dabble. Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills and Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo pose for a photo before a game against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on November 3, 2024 in Orchard Park, New... Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills and Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo pose for a photo before a game against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on November 3, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. More Photo by TimothyHe announced a competition that will have a winner and a guest who will travel from an English airport to the United States for an American football weekend extravaganza. The prize offers flights, a three-night stay, VIP tickets to the tailgate party, and a meet-and-greet with the driver. The contest is named The Ultimate Texas Tailgate with Daniel Ricciardo. To enroll, people have to create an account on the Dabble app. I've given retirement a crack, but It's not for me. So, I've teamed up with the legends at Dabble to start a Tailgate business... Check it out at What are you really gambling with? For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit… — Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) June 18, 2025 All over the world, sports gambling is growing as more areas continue to legalize it. In the United States, sports betting is everywhere, essentially inescapable for a sports fan. As the industry grows, people are becoming more and more aware of gambling addictions and the risks of making them more accessible. The aftermath of Ricciardo's announcement was a wave of negative comments under the post, many of which were disappointed by his promotion of a gambling company. "Would have supported the tailgate business idea without the direct link to a betting company, man. Disappointed," a user commented. "What a shame. You're shilling for a gambling company. JFC. Surely you don't need the money that badly," another said. "Seriously mate? Money that tight is it? Of all the things you choose to put your name and face on you chose gambling? So bloody disappointing," a third added. "Yikes! Considering Aussies gamblers have the highest losses per capita in the world and a high rate of teenagers on gambling sites, this isn't it DR," a person posted. "Come on mate I'm a massive fan but this isn't at all something good to put your name to. Gambling destroys lives, surely there's better things to work with," a fifth person said. Ricciardo is far from the only athlete to take money from a gambling company, but his set of fans have shared their disappointment over his willingness to promote the vice. The Australian racer left F1 back in 2024 after being replaced during the season by Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls. Red Bull Racing gave him another opportunity with the team in 2023, hoping he would beat out teammate Yuki Tsunoda and rebuild his confidence, but it never clicked. After several races, the higher-ups at Red Bull decided to give Lawson a look, leaving Ricciardo on the outside looking in. Since leaving, Ricciardo has promoted his wine company and clothing brand while staying away from the limelight until now. Given the negative reaction, it will be interesting to see if he continues to advertise Dabble or calls an end to the tailgate party.
Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Korean American artist reflects on her parents' immigrant experience in Tustin gallery exhibit
When Korean American artist Wendy Park was growing up in Southern California in the 1980s and '90s, the Compton Fashion Center swap meet was her playground. 'I grew up with immigrant parents from Korea and we worked in the swap meets all over L.A. We did Norwalk, Palmdale, Paramount and Compton was a place that I remember vividly,' said Park. 'I remember it being such a beautiful, colorful place.' Park's early life at the swap meet and her parents' immigrant experience are at the center of her third solo exhibition at Various Small Fires OC gallery in Tustin. Titled 'Of Our Own,' Park's paintings explore artifacts and rituals of daily life as an immigrant and the objects that can connect a current home to one left behind. In the exhibition, the large doubled paneled work, ''90s Compton Swap Meet' captures an uncharacteristically quiet moment at the swap meet, void of both customers and vendors. A carousel of sunglasses for sale with hand mirrors tied to the display sits along side a jungle of plants, some hanging and others potted in plastic pink swans. A broom, trash bag and metal hand truck lean against the brick wall, evidence of the work being done, next to a stall that sells baby strollers and battery-operated toy puppies that bark and flip. 'My mom was telling me how this really was a place of community,' said Park. 'It used to be a Sears building and a Korean man bought it and made all these little stalls and inside there were more kiosks and stalls. It was a place where Korean immigrants who don't have access to starting a business could come and work.' Swap meets themselves tend to be place of community for immigrant populations. They are places where they hear their own language spoken and purchase products and ingredients specific to their needs. 'This is painted from a woman's perspective of that era,' Park said of the work. 'It was a place of opportunity for Korean immigrants.' The subject matter is an incredibly timely one, given the countless raids made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement across the nation in recent weeks with immigrant marketplaces and hubs like Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet, MacArthur Park and downtown Santa Ana targeted locally. 'Immigrants are the most hardworking people. They leave their families, they leave everything they know to come and start a new life. It is tragic that they finally get here, overcome their struggles and maybe live a good life and then get taken away,' Park said about the current climate. 'It is heartbreaking to see. It is an unfair situation and done poorly.' Park received a BFA from Otis College of Art & Design and spent 13 years in Disney animation. The bright colors that inform her work draw on that experience while also reflecting her point of view as a child, how colorful and alive the world seemed to her then. She references both American pop and Korean folk art in her work and makes newspaper kiosks, coin laundry carts and pots of Tiger Balm worthy of investigation. In 'Charms Cash' wads of dollar bills are tightly rubber-banded and stored in a can used to hold hard candy. 'It's really difficult for immigrants to trust the banking systems,' said Park. 'They are afraid of how much information they have to give or what might happen. My parents would hide money in the house or store it at the swap meet in candy containers like this.' Park's father sold plants at the swap meet and she got in the habit of hiding things in the plastic swan pots popular in the era, which are present in 'Go Swan' alongside an open can of beer and lit cigarette over a Korean board game. Some pieces are also historic documentation of sites that might otherwise be lost to fleeting memory. 'Western and 5th' depicts Korean market signage that no longer exists, but Park recalled visiting the center as child with her grandmother and aunts. The memory was unearthed with the help of an old photo of the 1992 L.A. riots. The concept for the '90's Compton Swap Meet' piece is an idea Park said she has carried in her mind for a while and its completion was made possible partly by oral history shared by her mother. When the two of them couldn't agree on the coloring of the building facade of the Compton swap meet, Park used a hip hop music video for reference. 'My mom members it as a brick-colored storefront but I was telling her I remember it like a rainbow,' said Park. 'I was watching a Tupac music video and it showed it with these colors in it.' Her memories helped Park piece together a more accurate representation of the place she and her family spent long days. Hours at the swap meet were so demanding in fact, that the family often couldn't get to church on Sundays. 'There was actually a room inside the Compton swap meet where they would all have fellowship and pray and have Bible study on Sunday,' said Park. The religious community found at the Compton Fashion Center is depicted in the wooden crucifix featured in the work. While Park remembers the swap meet fondly, she admits her mother has expressed a desire for her talented daughter to choose a more pleasing subject to paint. 'She is like, 'you can paint anything in the world, why are you painting the swap meet?'' said Park. But while her mother sees the family's tenure at the swap meet as a time she would just as soon forget, Park said the memories give her a sense of pride and reminds her how hard her parents worked to create a better life. 'For me, it is so admirable,' said Park. Mostly, Park hopes her art will encourage people to keep an open mind about others who might be living with fear for themselves or their loved ones as ICE raids continue. Park said now is the time immigrant families like need their community more than ever. 'The biggest thing is empathy; have an open heart and protect those who need it right now,' said Park. 'A lot of people are afraid to go out and get groceries, or do simple things.' Wendy Park's solo exhibition 'Of Our Own' is on view through July 19 at VSF OC, 119 N. Prospect Ave., Tustin. The gallery is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
