Ghostbusters star Ernie Hudson is opening up about the beloved franchise, the female-led reboot and the inequitable treatment he received during the ’80s on the original films.
Hudson has appeared in five Ghostbusters films, starting with 1984’s original, the 1989 sequel, 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which hit theaters on Friday. The actor also appeared in the female-led Ghostbusters reboot in 2016, albeit playing a different character.
His role as Winston Zeddemore was first offered to Eddie Murphy before Hudson came on board. Reportedly, the role was reduced significantly before filming began (Winston doesn’t even show up until about halfway through the film). The character also wasn’t featured on the theatrical poster. But Hudson says it’s more complicated than chalking it up to racism alone.
“You know, being a person of African descent anywhere in the world, we’re all just learning how to live together and get along together and realize that we’re all connected,” he said in an interview with U.K. newspaper The Independent. “And it’s very tempting, sometimes, to blame anything that doesn’t work in your life on racism. But there are a lot of things that play into it. It’s not quite that simple.”
Hudson says he was paid less than his co-stars, but Murphy likely would have made more had he taken the role, given his higher profile.
“We can say it’s a racial thing, but I think if Eddie Murphy had played the role I played, he would have been paid very well,” Hudson said. “I think studios are in the business of making money, and they pay what they feel they have to.”
In addition to Hudson, original stars Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray reprised their roles for Frozen Empire (the fourth original Ghostbuster, Harold Ramis, died in 2014). Hudson said Murray was a huge supporter of Hudson, fighting for a bigger role for his co-star during…
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