How ‘Ghosts’ Star Danielle Pinnock Brought a Dead Jazz Singer to Life

It wasn’t a prerequisite that the cast of Ghosts believe in the existence of spirits in order to be cast on the comedy series. Although, if it were, then Danielle Pinnock, who plays Prohibition-era diva Alberta Haynes, would be set. “I absolutely do believe in ghosts, without question,” Pinnock tells The Daily Beast’s Obsessed. “Haven’t seen any yet, but maybe I’ll see some this year.”

One place you are guaranteed to catch an array of ghosts trying to live their best life—okay, death—is Thursday night on CBS, where the U.S. version of the BBC series has been a ratings smash). The second season of the show dives deeper into the back stories of the incorporeal beings, who died within the grounds of the Woodstone Manor and are killing time until they are “sucked off” (the term for being transported to the afterlife). For Pinnock, it means exploring the myriad unanswered questions about Alberta’s death, and offering a chance to confront the barriers that were holding the singer back when she was alive.

“I'm obsessed with any kind of murder mystery,” Pinnock says, after I mention that I would listen to a podcast about the mysterious circumstances that led to Alberta’s untimely end. Woodstone owner Sam (Rose McIver) uses her unique position of being able to convene with the dead to pitch this as a true-crime story to her editor at the local newspaper.

Of all the ghosts, Alberta’s seductive and dangerous Jazz Age experiences make this character ripe for revived public attention. “This is the big whodunnit of the season,” says Pinnock, referring to the evidence stacking up to suggest it was poisoned moonshine and not a heart attack that ruined her chance of fame. If there was a way to arrange a Ghosts crossover with Only Murders in the Building—I mean, this suspicious death did occur in a building—sign me up!

Revisiting the circumstances surrounding Alberta’s demise is one example of how creators Joe Port and Joe Wiseman infuse rich stories amid the weekly laughs. For Alberta, that means shedding some of the brassy diva armor. “We start to peel back the layers of her and get to share in her vulnerability some more,” Pinnock says.

That idea ties to a dissertation project that Pinnock worked on while completing a Masters degree at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in the U.K. “I created this documentary play called The Body Image Project. I interviewed five women about how they felt about their body image,” she explains. Pinnock then took the play to the Strawberry Theatre Festival in New York, off-Broadway, and Chicago, where it became Body/Courage (also Pinnock’s social media handles). “In those five years, Second City found me, and I had a kaleidoscope of characters that I was doing at that point,” she adds.

The showrunners asked if she was okay with incorporating the body positivity aspect of her work into Alberta’s storyline. “Absolutely,” was her response. “For most plus-sized performers and artists, it’s tough. As a Black woman in the industry, I’ve been given these occupationally driven roles my whole career, where it’s like ‘the sassy Black this’ or the ‘sassy Black that,’” she explains. “Alberta is the first character that has had so many dimensions that I’ve played in my TV career.”

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Confidence is a shield, and some of the embellishments this character has made directly relate to the obstacles she tried to overcome. Alberta is ashamed of certain choices, but it was out of necessity: “Things weren’t easy for a woman my size back then. Sure, we had Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, but that doesn’t mean that is what the club owners were looking for, and I was tired of being overlooked.”

Pinnock reflects on what it means to play a singer who didn’t reach the height of fame to match her talent during the Harlem Renaissance. “I feel honored that, as Alberta, I'm paying homage to all of the incredible Black artists that came before me, such as women like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, and those we may not even know about,” she says. Alberta’s struggle to get noticed as a plus-size Black woman is not unique to the 1920s, and the contemporary parallels regarding the entertainment industry’s slow progress are recognizable.

“So many people have come up to me on the street saying, ‘Thank you so much. To have this representation means the world to me,’” she says.

Pinnock says that she’s “not even thinking about my size half the time,” adding, “I just want to do good work, but it’s the representation I wanted to see when I was younger on television.” The Season 2 episode focusing on this, “Alberta’s Podcast,” navigates body-shaming while never having this character lose her innate belief in her talent and beauty. It is a tricky line to walk, and Pinnock’s voice shines through.

Another area that shows attention to detail is the specificity of how the actress approaches the historical context of her character. The speakeasy past of the Woodstone Manor is a thread running through this season, and when Pinnock booked the role, she did a deep dive into the 1920s. “I wanted to be as prepared as possible and maybe even over prepared in the sense that I went and did dance lessons and singing lessons,” she admits (that is Pinnock singing in “Alberta’s Podcast”). “I was researching how much Black people were making during that time period; what clubs were segregated, what weren’t.”

Alberta has a rivalry that potentially led to her death. Still, Pinnock highlights the overwhelming camaraderie she discovered when reading up on legendary figures like Langston Hughes, Bessie Smith, and Ma Rainey. “Who knows if Clara murdered Alberta or not? We’ll find out,” she says. “But it was also a scary time because it was Prohibition. People were hiding booze, getting murdered, going blind because of booze.”

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Her death and decades-long status as a ghost hasn’t dampened Alberta’s spirit, and she takes joy where she can find it, whether hitting on an arborist called Ted (who can’t see her), watching Jason Momoa scenes in slow-mo, or spying on annoying guests. “Even in the midst of the hardships, there was still a celebration of Black joy and Black artistry,” Pinnock says. “That's the thing that's most exciting for me in this character is knowing she came from such a delicious and rich time period.”

From Ted Lasso to Abbott Elementary, audiences are craving comedy with a heart. Ghosts fits into this category, and the reaction to the fledgling series panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con was an eye-opener for Pinnock. “I think it became very real for the entire cast. We took that to heart. It’s such a bubble here in Montreal; we can’t gauge who was watching and who was not,” she says.

One place Pinnock can see precisely how many people are watching is the hilarious Hashtag Booked series she created with her best friend, LaNisa Frederick, that unpacks their experiences as actors of color. The duo met in the Chicago theater scene in 2013 and later moved to Los Angeles at the same time. “When we first got to LA, we were ‘hashtag not booked’ and struggling,” she explains. At 2 a.m. in Pinnock’s kitchen, they turned these experiences into comedy shorts like: “What is it like auditioning for the one Black Handmaid role?”

Hashtag Booked has since received over 20 million views, and the duo is developing a pilot that will draw on their 17-plus years of experience in this industry. “Some of these experiences, I’m telling you, they are wild.” she teases. “The things that happened for Black women when it comes to hair and makeup on set. Not having people that adequately can do our hair and makeup and then coming out looking like Casper or things like that.”

Pinnock is also developing an adult animated project with Punam Patel called Unmentionables “about a ragtag group of undergarments that live in the millennial’s dresser drawer.” Taraji P. Henson is executive producing the series: “I’ve looked up to Taraji for so long, so to be able to be working on this feels like a dream come true.”

Another person she is excited to work with is Academy Award winner Matthew A. Cherry, who is directing two Ghosts episodes this season. “He’s our first Black director that we’ve had on the show. It felt so good coming to work and seeing somebody that looks like you,” Pinnock says, before noting that she has only worked with a total of four Black directors in her career.

Despite fierce competition from streaming, network comedy has had a resurgence, and Pinnock is highly interested in a guest role on another broadcast hit. “I love Abbott Elementary. I’m ready to come on there and guest star as the drama teacher,” she says. Pinnock went to the same college as Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson (narrowly missing being there at the same time). “It’s so cool that two Temple Owls are on network TV, on the biggest shows on network TV.”

The actress watched the Emmys in September and is spot on when she says Sheryl Lee Ralph’s speech should win its own Emmy. “I’ve been watching Sheryl Lee Ralph for so long. I’m Jamaican, she’s also Jamaican, and to see that representation on that stage that night—for her to win the highest award for TV—was so inspiring. And it just made me feel like I’m up next,” she laughs. “She’s an inspiration.”

Pinnock is also hoping the network comedy accolades spread: “I am manifesting that our cast next year is up in the Emmys as well. I’m manifesting that and hoping for the best—but it’s been an amazing journey and ride.”

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