‘Ghosts’ Guest Star Rose Abdoo on Getting Gaslit to Save Sam’s Holiday Rom-Com Script

Ghosts has finally given Sam (Rose McIver) and Woodstone a bit of a break as TV producer, Paula (Rose Abdoo) returned to the estate for the latest episode, “Polar Opposites.” As fans may recall, Paula was last on site in Season 2 when filming an episode of Dumb Deaths, which chronicled the events of Pete’s (Richie Moriarty) demise via arrow. Warning: Spoilers for Ghosts Season 5 Episode 20 ahead!

Back for a new project, Paula’s presence offered some inspiration for Sam, who wanted to show her a script she’d written, but not before running it by ghost producer Joan (Taylor Ortega). Ultimately, Joan didn’t like the ending Sam chose for her holiday rom-com, Polar Opposites, and suggested changing it. As a way of being a peacekeeper and aiming for the best result, Sasappis (Román Zaragoza) enters Paula’s dreams to test which ending would be best, but the effort yields the wrong results.

Paula ends up thinking she came up with the idea of Polar Opposites, and brings it up on the phone to a colleague, forcing everyone to think quickly by having them gaslight Paula into forgetting she read the script, even though she never had. The scheme worked, and Sam’s potentially on her way to Hollywood stardom with her script.

Below, Abdoo, who is set to star in Eternally Yours, the forthcoming vampire comedy from Ghosts‘ showrunners, Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, breaks down her return as Paula and getting gaslit for the rom-com Polar Opposites.

Philippe Bossé / CBS

How was it getting called up to reprise your role as Paula all these years later?

Rose Abdoo: I was so pleased to be asked back because it was the summer of 2022, and I just love that character. It was just so much fun to get that surprise to begin with, and then to be asked back four years later was just thrilling to me. It’s just such a fun idea that I was just thrilled to have her back in the fold.

Did your return as Paula lead to your casting in Eternally Yours, or was that done before? 

I got asked to do Ghosts, and I had so much fun. And then, when I got home, I got the news that I was going to have a callback for Eternally Yours. So I kind of fit that network test in between the two Ghosts appearances [I have this season]. So I was back and forth from LA to Montreal three times at the beginning of the year. It was a whirlwind, and it was really a great time because I love the people involved in Ghosts. The Joes are fantastic. While I was there, I was watching that ensemble thinking, “Wow, what would it be like to be part of something like this?” And then, it came true because we have just an incredible group of talented people for Eternally Yours.

Did you base Paula on anyone you know from the industry?

Paula is loosely based on a producer of mine from Chicago who was the producer of Second City. Not exactly her voice, but it’s definitely her attitude. “Do you have a problem with that?” You know how people ask that question when they sure don’t want the answer?  You just have to do it and get it over with, and at the same time, she’s sweet, but she also gets her needs met. I just related to her, and I love playing it. But yeah, [she’s] loosely based on a producer of mine from the theater in Chicago.

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Was it fun playing into Rose McIver’s holiday rom-com history by collaborating with Sam on Polar Opposites? 

She’s so incredible, and the name Polar Opposites is just such a funny idea for a movie. I love that while Paula was there, she was looking for her next project cause she’s not only there for the reality show, but she’s looking ahead to the Hallmark movie, and the idea that a character like Paula would really be into Hallmark movies, I think it’s mostly because she knows that they’re always moneymakers.  And Rose is just so wonderful to work with, the biggest challenge for me [with] Ghosts is that they’re all so captivating and I’m not supposed to be able to see them.

Is there a particular cast member you have the most difficult time ignoring when you’re supposed to ignore the ghosts?

Well, all of them, but I’m always wanting to laugh with Danielle [Pinnock, who plays] Alberta, and Asher [Grodman], and just everybody, Richie [Moriarty], who plays Pete… They’re just darling, and so much fun to work with, and the crew is just such a well-oiled machine.

The ghosts help Sam gaslight Paula to help save the script by leaning into the fact that she’s a known sleep shopper. Was it fun being the butt of the joke on that end?

Instead of sleepwalking, she just sort of sleep shops. She orders things, and [that’s] another parallel with Eternally Yours because my character can forget things. She will think of something, and then they have a way of making her just not remember. I think sometimes playing characters like that is so much fun because you have to be in the moment and not think of the past.

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

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