‘Ghosts’ Star Rebecca Wisocky Breaks Down Hetty’s Halloween Curse & Accent Work

In the aptly titled installment, “Halloween 5: The Mummy,” Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) are hosting a haunted house event at their Woodstone mansion, and as they search among her ancestors’ antiques for decorations, they uncover a mummy’s sarcophagus. Using a phone translation app, Jay reads the translated hieroglyphics aloud, only to unlock the occupant from his confinement.

While Amunhotep is happy to meet some fellow spirits, he makes it quite clear that he intends to rain pestilence on any Woodstone after his remains were purchased by the wealthy American family, even revealing that Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) had eaten his mummified toe as a cure-all back in the day. Hearing this, Hetty quickly disguises her voice and changes her name, opting for Fargo‘s Marge Gunderson as inspiration, utilizing the character’s name and Midwest accent.

A miscommunication exposes Hetty, as well as Sam, who was able to hide her relationship to the Woodstones at first. As they faced an ancient curse and Amunhotep’s reanimated mummy corpse, they discovered that the answer to their problems might be reuniting the man with his wife, whom he’d been separated from in death.

The solution was enough to call off the locusts, mummy, and any other threats that may have loomed as Pete set out to accompany Amunhotep and his remains back to Egypt, where he could read the same incantation that freed the mummy from his tomb. While all ended well, below, star Wisocky breaks down Hetty’s harrowing experience, tackling those accents, including the Philly moment hinting at the ongoing Hetty-Trevor (Asher Grodman) dynamic, and much more in the full Q&A.

How did you react to learning Hetty had a mummy among her Woodstone collection of antiques?

Rebecca Wisocky: The Woodstone basement is literally filled with the skeletons of Hetty’s closet. So, I was not surprised. We actually met the mummy in a previous Halloween episode when Sam and Jay decided to have a big yard sale. They ask if it’s fake, and Hetty says “as far as the Egyptian Government is concerned…” with a little Cheshire Hetty grin. So, you knew the writers had to come back to that! All our Halloween episodes are so fun. Our Production Designer Zoe Sakellaropoulo and her team really go to town on this one.

How did you enjoy working with Farhang Ghajar, who plays Amunhotep?

Farhang was wonderful! He’s very funny and game and really understood the style of our show. We had a great time with him. I’d love to see him around Woodstone again. I’m not sure how that would look, given how he ends up finally reunited with his beloved at the end. But I’m sure our writers could find a way!

Hetty tries to hide her identity by transforming into Marge Gunderson. How was it putting on your best Midwestern accent? Do you think Hetty’s a fan of Fargo?

Oh, I think she loves Fargo! Originally, Hetty was going to have a Southern belle accent. But I thought it might be more exciting if she pulled out a character that is her antithesis. Something that she clearly stole from a TV show. So the audience can enjoy watching her fumble around and lie a bit. Mimicry is also just a fun new hobby to think about for Hetty. She spent so much of her life pretending to be something she was not. So, I like to think it might come naturally to her.

Amunhotep declares he will rain pestilence on the Woodstones. Does she deserve it?

Absolutely! Of course, she manages to learn a little lesson about the error of her ways. Her apology to Amunhotep is real. But a plague of locusts was definitely in order.

Hetty apparently ate Amunhotep’s mummy toe when she was alive. How did you feel about not having to film that?

Can you imagine!? I would love to do a proper and ridiculously lavish Gilded Age dinner party flashback at some point. I’ll be sure to suggest that Elias shave a little mummified toe truffle if we ever do that.

Amunhotep stops his curse when he’s given the opportunity to reunite with his wife. Why do you think he forgives Hetty and the Woodstones?

I think he’s ready to release his anger, return home to be with his beloved, and be at peace. And to get away from all these fools at Woodstone! It really does seem incredibly cruel to have robbed him of his rightful peaceful transition just to keep him around as a parlor trick. The more I think about it, he should have left a little extra curse around. Maybe he did?

Along with your Midwest accent, Hetty is asked to put on a Pennsylvania accent by Trevor. Was that a nod to your own roots, and does this mean Hetty and Trevor are still friends with benefits?

Yes! As you mentioned, I’m from Pennsylvania and spent a lot of time in Philly. So, it’s an accent that is dear to me. Apologies to my Philly friends that it is kind of more of a mash-up of Baltimore, South Central, Pennsylvania, and Philly sounds. But it’s done with love! I pitched that idea to Joe Port when we were talking about the Marge accent. I’m so happy he liked this idea of Hetty having this weird proclivity for mimicry. Asher was sitting close by and chimed in that Trevor would definitely think it’s hot [Laughs]. A Philly accent kink is kind of genius for Trevor.

Hetty and Trevor are once again perfect foils for one another. I don’t know if they’ll enjoy “friends with benefits” status this year. But those two will always be up to something. Either together or to spite one another!

Ghosts, Season 5, Thursdays, 8:30/7:30c, CBS

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