Chilean American actress Sheila Carrasco laughs when she finds out that when the word “ghosts” is Googled, the first link that pops up isn’t the definition of an actual ghost – an apparition that can appear to the living. Instead, information about her hit CBS fantasy-comedy series Ghosts fills the computer screen.
“All the ghosts are going to want a cameo by season eight!” Carrasco, 34, jokes with Remezcla during a recent interview. “Let’s get all the ghosts in there!”
In Ghosts, which is adapted from a British series of the same name, Carrasco plays Susan “Flower” Montero, a sweet-natured and naïve hippie ghost who used to live in a commune and be part of a cult in the 1960s. Flower meets her demise when she gets mauled to death by a bear after trying to give it a hug while under the influence of drugs.
Now, Flower and a variety of other ghosts find themselves stuck in an afterlife where they all inhabit a country house that was just inherited by a married couple. Only the wife, Sam (Rose McIver), can see and hear the ghosts.
The CBS series is nearing the end of its fourth season. It has been doing so well that the network has already ordered a fifth and sixth season.
Carrasco is very happy with the way the latest season is wrapping up. She said it has spent plenty of time allowing for some of the ghosts to find closure and for the dynamic between Sam and the ghosts to evolve.
“A lot of this season has been about tying up some questions and starting some new ones,” she said. “Another thing is Sam’s dynamic with the ghosts. We keep messing with her life. She loves us so much, and she’s so good to us, so it’s been a real test of her patience.”
Carrasco thinks a show like Ghosts has become so popular because death is something everyone can relate to and gives viewers a more amusing way of looking at the afterlife.
“Everyone has lost someone dear to them that they wish they could still see and speak to,” she said. “Death is such a serious subject, but all good comedy [is] wrapped up in a whole lot of drama. [Ghosts] gives you a lighter way of looking at the afterlife, as opposed to the much darker path. It’s a nice, fun glimpse of that possibility.”
After four seasons, Carrasco feels lucky that she’s been a part of such a successful series. On a deeper level, Ghosts has tapped into her feelings about her own mortality and what is important in her life.
“It’s definitely made me want to take a look at the time I have with the people that are closest to me,” she said. “For me, [Ghosts] is a feel-good show that explores togetherness and connection. It lets me come from a place of love, light and positivity.”
Watch Sheila Carrasco in the last two episodes of Ghosts season 4 on Thursday, May 1 and Thursday, May 8 at 8:30 p.m. EST on CBS.
