Though Ernie Hudson has a long, distinguished career and is currently thrilling audiences in NBCโs Quantum Leap, his most famous role remains Ghostbustersโ Winston. The 1984 film is considered a comedy classic and still has a very loyal fan base. However, for Hudson, it wasnโt the life-changing experience everyone thinks it was. While speaking with SiriusXMโs Gary DellโAbate and Rahsaan Rogers on The Howard Stern Wrap Up Show, the actor explained โfrom the psychological perspectiveโ the project was โthe most difficult movieโ heโs ever done.
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Hudson has nothing but admiration for Ghostbustersโ producer/director Ivan Reitman, saying he โwas really, really a brilliant man and I have just so much love and appreciation for him.โ He also praised his co-stars, noting that his issues are with how the studio treated him.
โI was the guy who was brought in, and so finding my place in the middle of thatโand they were all welcoming and inclusive,โ he said. โThe studio wasnโt, and the studio continued not to be. So it made it very, very difficult because I was a part of it but then I very selectively was pushed aside.โ
As an โ80s kid, I can attest that we didnโt always have the best Black representation in comedy movies. We usually had to make due with the funny Black friend whoโs only there to add snarky one-liners and ridiculous slang. Winston was different, he was just as smart as his colleagues, and felt more relatable because he seemed to properly understand the absurdity of their job. Of course, as I got older, I began to notice how Winston was definitely treated as โthe other Ghostbuster.โ
โWhen the posters came out, Iโm not on the poster. It took a long time. I went to the 30th-anniversary release of the movieโฆand all the posters are three guys,โ Hudson said. โNow I know the fans see it differently, and Iโm so thankful for the fans because the fans basically identified with Winston, especially young, I donโt want to say minority kids, but a lot of kids.โ
Hudson and Rogers went on to discuss how the actor felt like he was not being treated the same as his co-stars. Racism isnโt always overt, thatโs what microaggressions are. The Family Business star also dropped the bombshell that heโs in negotiations for a new film in the franchiseโpresumably the follow up to 2021โs Ghostbusters: Afterlife. This time around he wants to make sure heโs โnot an add-on.โ
โThe original script, Winston was in the very beginning of the movie. By the time we got ready to shoot the movie, Winston came in halfway through the movie,โ he said. โAll those thingsโฆIt definitely felt deliberate. And Iโm still not trying to take it personally. Anything bad, if youโre African-American in this country, anything bad happens to you, you can always blame it on because Iโm Black. You donโt want to go there. Thatโs the last thing I want to doโฆI got nothing bad to say about anybody but it was hard. It took me 10 years to get past that and enjoy the movie and just embrace the movie. Ghostbusters was really hard to make peace with it.โ
While itโs not surprising to find out that a studio in the โ80s was disrespectful to the one Black star of its major franchise, itโs still hard to hear. Hudson is a bonafide legend who inspired a whole generation of young Black kids as Winston. If weโre really committed to the idea that things are different now, then perhaps the next Ghostbusters movie will finally give Hudson and Winston a chance to highlight the characterโs importance and impact on the franchise and fans.
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