GHOSTS Post-Mortem: Asher Grodman on Trevor’s Closure with His Parents and That Unconventional Bar Mitzvah Theme

[Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Thursday, February 9 episode of GHOSTS, “Trevor’s Body.”]

Trevor (Asher Grodman) reunited with his parents on the Thursday, February 9 episode of GHOSTS—but he was horrified to discover the duo had split in the years since his death.

Unwilling to accept their breakup, Trevor worked hard to get Lenny (Chip Zien) and Esther (Laraine Newman) back together while they were at the Woodstone B&B to pick up their son’s newly-discovered remains. And while he was successful in getting them to, um, physically rekindle their relationship, it was short-lived…but Trevor did get a bit of closure in that he was reassured his death wasn’t the reason his parents ended their marriage.

After the emotional roller coaster, knowing his parents are okay “means the world [to Trevor],” Grodman tells Give Me My Remote. “There are a few things that are the North Star for each character—Trevor is the most social of all the ghosts. Like, the worst thing that happened to him was when he realized that the guys who he felt were his friends weren’t really capable of being friends to that level. So at his core, Trevor’s a guy who just wants everyone to be together partying and having a good time; he just [wants to] get everyone together and have everyone be happy. So the idea that the two people he probably loves most in the world—his parents—they’re not together and that he may have had something to do with that is devastating. And then [he can] see them together again, and at least relinquish himself of the guilt that it was his fault.”

“I think there is a little bit of a growing up that happens there: your parents are people, too,” he continues. “They find their own way, just like you find your own way. And when we’re younger, everything feels chaotic; the stability of our parents feels really important. Then there’s suddenly chaos in your parents and it’s like the world’s overwhelming. So I think there is a little bit of a journey that he goes on. But at the end of it, even though his parents are apart, I think there’s this sense of togetherness that Trevor gets, because he’s the glue.”

One element of Trevor’s family that’s still out there, though, is Trevor’s brother.

“I think it’s such a great little breadcrumb that they’ve left; I certainly fantasize about who could play his brother,” Grodman admits. “There’s a lot of good candidates out there. I hope we get to revisit it. I always want our show to do things that no other show can do…And I hope we get to play with that, because it’s such a fun, fun idea. And then to see how the brothers are similar, but also very different.”

As for his dream guest stars to play the role, Grodman cited Zach Braff or Dan Levy, but acknowledges there are a lot of good candidates. Something that would be important? “I would love it to be someone who’s Jewish, because it’s so part of Trevor’s identity,” he says.

Speaking of Trevor’s Jewish roots, GHOSTS revealed his Bar Mitzvah theme: Mel Gibson. (And, yes, Trevor was then filled in on what Gibson has been up to since the poor ghost died.)

In Trevor’s memorial, the show featured a “wonderful photoshop job” of a young Trevor with a Gibson cardboard cutout. “They should get a lot of credit, the props department,” Grodman gushes. “That was amazing.” (Grodman’s Bar Mitzvah theme, for the record, was African animals.)

In finding old photos for the memorial, “I know our [co-]showrunner Joe Port was very disappointed with me that I didn’t have any pictures of me playing basketball,” Grodman jokes. “I was more of a football kid, and then I was a fencer for a long time. So he [jokingly] expressed his frustration and disappointment that there weren’t any basketball photos. A lot of judgment there from Joe! But it’s fun. I had to call my parents…and we did a deep dive into old family photos to try to get a little collection for them for that memorial scene.”

“That Mel Gibson thing I think it’s so funny, because it speaks to [the time],” he continues. “I just rewatched CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR; I love that movie. And Phil Hoffman tells the story of the Buddhist monk who’s like, ‘Something good happened,’ and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, that’s so great.’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, we’ll see.’ And then like something bad happens to the guy and they’re like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s so sad. ‘He goes, ‘Yeah, we’ll see.’ And so the Mel Gibson thing is—at the time and place, it looks great. Now, it doesn’t look so great. That’s the kind of time travel that our show can do, which is so exciting.”

And the reveal was actually a long time coming. “That was originally supposed to be in episode one of this season—it was supposed to be a runner and got cut for time,” Grodman shares. “So I’m really glad that it had a chance to come back because I thought it was so funny. Don’t you kind of want to go to that Bar Mitzvah? Because I do.”

GHOSTS, Thursdays, 8:30/7:30c, CBS

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