‘Ghosts’ & ‘The Other Two’ Star Brandon Scott Jones on Balancing Comedy in Two Very Different Roles
Emmys
When it comes to comedy, Brandon Scott Jones walks a fine line between the absurd reality of Ghosts and an absurd but closer to actual reality industry-based series The Other Two.
In his roles as Revolutionary War ghost Isaac and up-and-coming actor Curtis, Jones displays his knack for variation. With Season 2 of Ghosts showing Isaac come into himself a bit more — exploring a more serious relationship with his redcoat boyfriend Nigel (John Hartman) and revisiting his past through powerful flashbacks — viewers got a better understanding of the character they’ve enjoyed since the show’s debut. As for Curtis, he’s also coming into his own, booking gigs and pursuing life, refusing to let best bud Cary (Drew Tarver) drag him down in The Other Two Season 3.
Below, Jones opens up about balancing his roles and embracing his characters. Plus, he reveals dream guest stars, his status on Ghosts‘ cliffhanger finale ending, and much more.
(Credit: CBS)
When it comes to Ghosts, Isaac is always wearing the same costume and around the same people. How do you keep him fresh?
Brandon Scott Jones: It’s so funny. At the very beginning of the second season when we went back, even though you feel like you’re picking up right where you left off because you’re in the exact same costume, you’re in the exact same location, you’re talking to the exact same people, there was a little bit of like, “How do I do this? What does he sound like?” But then you get into this rhythm with him. I think the thing for me that’s really fun when it comes to exploring him is looking at his past and seeing the person he was. There were a couple of times when we had flashbacks this season where we got a chance to see him with some other contemporaries of his.
Obviously, our writers are brilliant and they gave this gift to explore something new with him. And so we came up with the idea to change his hairstyle because I was thinking this is the guy that has spent his entire life wanting to fit in. This is a guy who couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t break into the boys club when he was alive.
At the end of the season, Isaac chooses to commit to Nigel by proposing. Is that a sign of growth?
Not exactly. I think he thinks he’s growing, but it’s him still trying to figure things out. He almost goes too hard, you know? One of the things I imagined about his hesitation to commit to Nigel is “What if this goes south and then you and I are just heartbroken for eternity because we’re not going anywhere?” So that totally makes sense. This season kind of reconciled his relationship with his own wife when he was living. And I think he felt like he had some shortcomings in that. So I think he also was hesitant to get into that type of long-term relationship again. But I think he’s almost forcing growth.
(Credit: Bertrand Calmeau/CBS)
On that front, do you have hopes for an Isaac-Nigel wedding in Season 3?
Yeah, I think there are a lot of fun things that come to my mind when I think about that. Like, what does his bachelor party look like? What do Isaac’s vows sound like? I think a ghost wedding could be really fun. And I think it could be something really silly, too. It’s this big enormous ceremony that’s happening that no one can see except for one person, so I think that could be really fun. I could imagine Isaac becoming a little bit of a groomzilla.
Will he be putting Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) in charge of executing his vision? We got to see more of their dynamic in Season 2.
Yes, I could see that. I would think I would end up becoming her personal assistant. My thought about Hetty and Isaac is always Hetty has the most status in the house. She allows Isaac to think that he does and he believes it, but he always will find a way to defer to her. So I could see her totally taking over being the wedding planner. One thing that I felt is still there is that Hetty and Nigel have a little bit of a rivalry going on, and so I wonder if that would come to a head as well because they haven’t fully resolved everything that they’ve had to deal with, which is centered around Isaac, which I think he secretly loves.
Do you know anything about Isaac’s storyline going forward? I know the writers’ strike has delayed things.
I was left hanging and then right before the writers’ strike, I did get a little bit of information. I only got like a piece of it, so I don’t know exactly where the storyline is going, but I’m excited to see [what happens].
(Credit: Max)
On the other side of comedy, you’re playing into the industry scene with your role as Curtis in The Other Two. Is it nice to balance out the fantastical nature of Ghosts with this series that’s probably closer to the reality you recognize?
Yeah. I relate more to Curtis than I do a Revolutionary War ghost, obviously. The easiest way I describe it is Curtis is me drunk and Isaac is me hungover. And so where I think Curtis has fewer inhibitions than I do, Isaac has more inhibitions than I do. I’m sort of somewhere in the middle between those two. It’s nice to explore both of those sides. With Curtis, it’s fun to be somebody who maybe has healthier boundaries and foundations for relationships. Even if they’re not going well, I think he can handle it. Whereas I think Isaac is fun for me to sort of delve into my neuroses a little bit more and play the overthinker that maybe even if he is acting impulsively, it almost is never correct.
I definitely identify with both sides of those characters, but I think it is fun to play that variation. It was nice shooting both seasons at the same time. I would do a few weeks on at Ghosts, and then on my off weeks, I would fly down to New York and shoot The Other Two. So it was sort of like a nice little palette cleanser.
Drew Tarver guest starred on Ghosts. Is there any chance we could see any of your Ghosts costars on The Other Two? Has anyone put a bid in?
Oh my God, I would love it. Everybody’s been really sweet on both shows. Everyone has been so kind to the other one that they’re just very complimentary. I think anybody on Ghosts would totally be down to do an episode of The Other Two. And I think anybody on The Other Two would be down to do an episode of Ghosts. It would be a fun little crossover because it was so special having Drew up there. It was like maybe a month or two before we started on The Other Two, and it was just great to have my buddy up in Montreal, Canada. And wildly while that was happening, Josh Segarra was there filming Scream. And so there was one point, all three of us were in Montreal together.
Ghosts has had some great guest stars along with Drew. Is there anyone on your bucket list?
My idols are Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Laurie Metcalf and Whoopi Goldberg. I would die if any of them came to Woodstone Mansion for a stay playing themselves or not playing themselves. It would just be a dream. They’re my favorites. They’ve just inspired me in so many ways. To be honest with you, maybe they shouldn’t come. I would get so nervous, I just got nervous thinking about it. What would I do if I walked into the set or the makeup trailer and I saw Julia Louis-Dreyfus?
Ghosts, Season 3, TBA, CBS
The Other Two, Season 3, New Episodes, Thursdays, Max
