Ernie Hudson was a recent guest on The Howard Stern Wrap Up Show, and while there, Ghostbusters was, of course, brought up, with highlights including talks of the upcoming sequel, Hudson’s admiration for the late Ivan Reitman, and why he considers the first film “the most difficult movie” he has ever done.
Host Rashaan Rogers asked if Ghostbusters was the biggest role of Hudson’s life, with the actor quickly answering, “No, none of that,” going on to point out how he felt as if the studio was anything but inclusive, often casting him aside.
“They were doing Ghostbusters, and the movie was being made by a lot of people really successful; Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, you know. They had already made a number of movies, and I was the guy who was brought in. So finding my place in the middle of that, and they were all welcoming and inclusive, the studio wasn’t, and the studio continued not to be. So, it made it very, very difficult because I was a part of, but then, very selectively, I was sort of pushed aside.”
Hudson would continue, saying:
“You know, when the posters came out, I was not on the poster. I went to the 30th-anniversary release of the movie, and I was invited to a theater in Chicago to introduce the movie, and I get there, and all the posters are three guys.”
Speaking on how the role of Winston Zeddemore was minimized as filming neared, with script changes introducing him halfway through the movie instead of at the beginning like initially intended, Hudson said that “It definitely felt deliberate,” but not wanting to blame it on the color of his skin, adding, “You don’t want to go there.”
“When you start out in the business, I was always told it’s almost impossible to succeed, but if you get in a major movie from a major studio and it comes out, and it opens up number one, it’ll change your career. Well, Ghostbusters didn’t do any of that for me. I was working pretty non-stop, I did Ghostbusters, then it was two and a half years before I got another movie,” continuing, “Ghostbusters I would say is probably the most difficult movie I ever did, just from the psychological perspective,” adding, “I got nothing bad to say about anybody, but it was hard, and it was hard for a long time, it probably took me ten, twenty, well, ten years anyways, to finally get past that and just embrace the movie and enjoy the movie. It was very hard. Ghostbusters was very hard to make peace with.”
Hudson sees the fans as the reason for Winston’s increased involvement within the franchise, being thankful for identifying with the character, saying, “I know the fans see it differently,” adding, “I don’t want to say minority kids, but a lot of kids.”
When discussing this year’s Ghostbusters sequel, which is set to begin filming next month in the United Kingdom, Hudson did mention some displeasure when negotiating his return, wanting to be considered as more than just an afterthought.
“It took a long time for the studio, and even now, we’re negotiating a new movie that’s gearing up to start shooting in March, and I’m like, “Guys, you know, there’s a place that I, I’m not an add-on,” so, if I’m going to do it, it has to make sense.”
Hudson would also talk about the late Ivan Reitman, who unexpectedly passed away in February of last year.
“Ivan was a really, really brilliant man, and I have so much love and appreciation for him.”
Special thanks to Ghostbusters News reader Douglas Kerr for the heads-up regarding the interview.
