When I saw the original Ghostbusters in theaters for the first time as a little kid, it was kind of shocking there was a fourth Ghostbuster. Because there was nothing in the film’s marketing at the time to suggest the team wasn’t just three dudes. Of course, Winston Zeddemore is very much a Ghostbuster in the first film, quickly becoming a fan favorite (including mine) since his approach to the team is just from that of a regular guy who needed a job. And the Ghostbusters happened to be hiring.
Ernie Hudson has talked about this over the years, how the marketing for the original film seemed to actively go out of its way not to include Hudson. Which, to Hudson was pretty hurtful. Which is interesting to compare with today, where not only Hudson is very much in the marketing for the film, in the film his Winston Zeddemore owns the team now. (And these days it’s quite a large team.)
The Ghostbusters have expanded in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. The three Spengler descendants (Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard), along with Gary (Paul Rudd), live at the old firehouse. Across the East River, there’s a whole other Ghostbusters tech team doing research on spirits and ghouls, which includes an ancient artifact sold to Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd), by a sneaker and video game enthusiast named Nadeem, that could spell doom for the world.
Ahead, Hudson breaks down his experience being a Ghostbuster back in the ’80s to being one today. And along the way we go through a few other of his notable roles.
Ernie Hudson: Everything good?
No complaints. How are you doing?
Yeah, things are going well. We’re sort of in the middle of trying to do as much press to get the word out for the new film. That can be a little bit stressful sometimes, depending on how they set it up. But it’s all good. I’ve got no complaints. Everything’s good.
My parents took me to see the original Ghostbusters in theaters. But I realized the first movie I saw you in, in theaters, was the John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John comedy, Two of A Kind.
Oh, Two of a Kind. Really? Wow. Yeah, John Travolta is in that film
I re-watched it because I was going to talk to you, you play Detective Skaggs.
Well, yeah. I didn’t do a whole lot in it, if I remember. But it was fun to get to work with John and Olivia. So yeah, it was a while back.
Re-watching the original Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and now this one. You and Dan Aykroyd have a pretty amazing rapport. You have another great scene with him in the new movie.
Yeah. I wish we had done some other things. The years go by…
Yeah, I do too.
And we talked about that. But Danny, he’s really very, very good. But he’s almost … he creates in a different way. I don’t know if he’s – I don’t want to say ADD because I don’t mean that in a negative way – but he just, it’s like tons of things. He looks like he’s considered… there’s nothing you can talk about that he hasn’t spent time thinking about and has stories for. And it’s just great to see him sort of focus in. And I just love working with him. He’s just very different creative than, say, Bill Murray. But he’s just pretty incredible if you’ve had chance to have a conversation with him. But my God, he has stories and he believes in all this stuff, which gives him a whole other level of a passion and interest. He’s loaded with tons of stories about the paranormal. But he is great, and it’s great working with him. I really like him a lot.
Winston is my favorite Ghostbuster. And I’ve seen you talk about the frustration with the original movie, how you weren’t on the poster or in the marketing. And it’s infuriating that happened. I’m pretty sure you know this now, but at the time, did you have any inkling how much your character would resonate with dorky white kids like me?
Well, no, I had no idea. I knew the movie would do well. But no, I had no idea, because I felt like the studio… And I have to really take my hat off to Sony because I think they’ve sort of gone above and beyond to try and assure me that I’m part of the Ghostbusters and that I’m included. Because on the first movie, especially, it felt like everything they could do to make sure that I got the message that I wasn’t. And I think when I was doing that interview, I’m not sure if it’s the one you’re thinking about, but I was responding to how I felt. Because who knows what’s happening in this business, but those are my impressions. But I really do feel that it was a learning experience and it forced me to look at things from a different perspective. And I think those lessons I’ve sort of carried with me through my whole career, so I don’t regret anything. But it was difficult. And it is great to be able to now be a part of this. And now know that Winston is definitely a part of this. And that makes me very happy.
Winston resonated with me because Peter, Ray and Egon are scientists. For Winston it’s just a job and he’s saying things I’d be saying. And as a kid that resonated with me.
Right, right. Yeah, you don’t think about that. But I think a little bit of that is how I maybe felt with the group. Because Danny is so creative, all over the place. And Harold was really kind of, I always consider him the magnet because everybody would sort of go off in different directions sometimes. And Harold was the one that sort of pulled everybody back together. I felt like the cousin that visits the family. And the family’s been together, and they have their little infighting, and I’m trying to be the polite one. But I’m happy to be here, but I don’t really know what’s going on. And I think that kind came through in the character as well.
You mentioned Winston now being firmly a part of things. I mean, Winston is financing the whole operation. He’s the boss.
Right, yeah, I did. Well, we did a video game…
Oh, I played that game.
Yeah, back a few years ago.
Yeah it was PlayStation 3 I believe.
And they were saying, “Okay, let’s say he went to school, now he’s a doctor.” I’m like, “Well, he doesn’t really need to be a doctor.” So I was glad that they figured a way to just let Winston be a part. Even though Bill was saying, “Well, you’re the boss and you should be hard ass.” I’m like, “Yeah, well, that’s kind of not Winston.”
No. It’s not.
I don’t want to run everything. And I mean, you’re running things, but that’s not my way of how I would run it. Yeah. But it’s been sort of interesting. It’ll be interesting to see how they move forward, because talking with Sony, it was kind of like Winston would somehow, in time, would be… What’s the character that Sam plays in the Marvel movies? The guy who runs things?
Nick Fury.
Yeah, the Nick Fury character. We hint at it in the new movie. When I’m saying to Danny that it’s time to step back and let the young people run with it. But we need to do something in a different way. But when it’s time to step up and step in there, we do it. And because it’s time to bring in some new people and I’d love to see that happen even more. But no matter where they go with them, I’m hoping that Winston will always be a part of it and care about it and be involved in some level.
I think your instincts were correct not to make Winston a tyrant. As a huge fan of that character, if he’s screaming at people in this movie that would be disconcerting.
Yeah. I think as an actor, a lot of times people will look at it and they kind of go, “Well, he should be, because he’s…” You know what? I think in life, I think we have to stay true to who we are and how we do things, but everybody has an opinion. I think Winston cares about people. And also I think I like the idea of him thinking of it on a deeper level than we’re just running around and capturing these paranormal phantoms. That he wants to look into what’s really causing it and the science behind it. And ultimately, how does all that affect our lives as human beings who are running around? I mean, we’re there. These are so pronounced, we begin to see them, but truth of the matter is they’re all around us all the time. So I’m glad they’re kind of opening that door to maybe taking a little bit more of a scientific approach and with just the whole mystery of it all.
I’d be remiss if I did not tell you that me and a good friend of mine, to this day, when something good happens while watching sports, we still say, “We had the tools, we had the talent!”
That’s right! It’s so funny, that first one, there’s so many iconic lines. “That’s a big Twinkie.” Or fans will yell out all these lines from that first movie. The second movie, I think a lot of kids were introduced to it and I think it’s a little bit more accessible. It’s not quite as scary. But I don’t remember any lines from that movie.
Well, there’s you and Dan looking at each other and saying, “He-Man” after the kids wanted to see He-Man instead of the Ghostbusters.
That is right! Yeah. Actually, Jason Reitman was in that scene with us.
Speaking of movies I’ve seen of yours in theaters, I even saw The Cowboy Way in theaters.
Oh, no?
I have a 20-second The Cowboy Way story. Do you want to hear this?
Yeah, take your time.
I saw The Cowboy Way in a suburb of Kansas City — it’s the last suburb before it becomes very rural. So a lot of people from that area come to this theater. There were two guys in front of us in full cowboy gear waiting in line to buy a ticket. My friend leans over to me, “I bet I know what they’re going to see.” And then one guy goes up to the counter, in a very thick country accent, “Two for The Cowboy Way.” That’s the story.
Yeah?
I don’t know if that’s enjoyable or not, but we saw The Cowboy Way with them.
It wasn’t one of the… I don’t want to say it wasn’t a good movie. But Kix Brooks, the country-western songwriter from Brooks and Dunn, we shot this movie in Tombstone [Ambush at Dark Canyon], and all the cowboys were huge fans of that movie. I don’t really see a lot of people who mention that movie. But it’s very, very popular in Western United States. And I think… Oh, God, I’m blanking on his name, but Woody Harrelson and…
Kiefer Sutherland.
Kiefer, yeah.
They play Pepper and Sonny. I don’t know how I remember that.
Yeah, Kiefer got into rodeoing and was doing that for a few years after. So he was really committed. It was a fun film to be a part of here in New York.
I mean, it makes sense that they like it because it’s about two guys from New Mexico who drive to New York City and solve a murder. I mean, I understand the appeal there.
Right. God, I’d forgotten about it. Yeah, to look back on some of the films has really been a lot of fun.
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