Ernie Hudson feels more freedom in the Ghostbusters franchise

The original Ghostbuster recalled feeling like he had to convince the studio he was the right guy for the job in 1984

Ernie Hudson feels more freedom in the Ghostbusters franchise
Ernie Hudson Photo: Santiago Felipe

It’s hard to imagine Ghostbusters without the prowess of Ernie Hudson, the talented actor who has played Winston Zeddemore since 1984. It’s a role he’s reprised in three additional films, including Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which releases in theaters this week. Still, he tells The A.V. Club he finds more freedom in the franchise now than ever before.

While promoting the latest entry into the franchise, Hudson reflected on his experience of being in the original. He knew then it would be life-changing to book the role because of how different, wild, and funny the script was. “I was excited about it. It took me a while to convince them I was the guy for the part. Eventually, it obviously worked out,” he said, adding: “I think they [the studio] knew I was the right guy but were somehow reluctant to do it.”

Hudson has spoken out before about feeling sidelined during the marketing of the original; he recalled in a 2023 Sirius XM interview how he wasn’t on the original poster and other promotional materials. He tells The A.V. Club now that it led to a lot of insecurity on his part. “A lot of that is my interpretation of things. I felt the studio’s intention was different than my own. I was a little bit cautious of what we were doing, why would they do that to me, why am I over here and they’re over there? When you’re in a situation where you’re not sure, you begin to question everything.”

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Thankfully, it seems that’s not the case for him anymore. Hudson clarifies that, over the years, the studio has made it clear to him that Winston is an integral part of Ghostbusters. “There’s a freedom now that I didn’t feel with the first movie. It’s nice to show up at work and not have insecurities and second-guessing. It’s been a blessing, and has a lot to do with Sony making it clear to me that if anything happens in the franchise, I’ll be a part of it.”

And part of it he is. He co-stars in Frozen Empire, which is a sequel to 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife, alongside Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Kumail Nanjiani, McKenna Grace, and Celeste O’Connor. The film finds the Spengler clan returning to the scene of the crime—a.k.a., New York City—to help the OG Ghostbusters with a top-secret project. That, of course, means Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Annie Potts, and William Atherton also return to the franchise.

Hudson teased his character’s Frozen Empire journey to The A.V. Club, along with the prospect of another movie: “Winston is a corporate guy, but he’s also a Ghostbuster. He’s built a facility to study the science, and what we uncover and unleash threatens civilization. We get a chance to see Ghostbusting happen in this film a little bit differently than in Afterlife. This one is all out. We’re moving in a different direction. Hopefully, if we get to do this further, we can bring more of the science in, so it’s not just a bunch of guys running around chasing spooky ghosts, but there’s a reason these ghosts are trapped. That’s what fascinates Winston.”

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is out on March 22.

 
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