Ernie Hudson, the legend behind Ghostbusters and The Family Business, spoke exclusively to The Direct about his recent work and where he hopes to go moving forward.
Hudson has had a career rejuvenation thanks to his role as L.C. Duncan on The Family Business, which is prepping for its sixth season on BET. The series gives him the chance to play the patriarch and CEO of Duncan Motors, who works his way through legitimate and underworld business while taking care of his family.
Meanwhile, the last half-decade has also seen Hudson return to arguably his most iconic role, Winston Zeddmore, with two new Ghostbusters movies. These films have given Hudson a chance to work with old friends and newcomers to the franchise, all while Ghostbusters looks to continue into new stories as well.
While Hudson's current schedule is fairly open, he remains a major name in the industry as he continues to put his stamp on TV and movies.
The Direct's Richard Nebens had the incredible opportunity to speak with Hudson while aboard the inaugural San Diego Comic-Con: The Cruise, where they spoke about what still lies ahead for the pop culture icon.
Ernie Hudson on Family Business and What He Wants to See Next In the Show
"...At This Stage of My Career and My Life, It's a Real Blessing..."
- The Direct: "Now, obviously, you've got so much on your resume, but you're still going strong with 'The Family Business.'"
Ernie Hudson: "Yeah, I love 'Family Business.' It’s one of those shows...It started out as a little film, and then the producer and writer Carl Weber wanted, really wanted a series. They went to bat, and they decided to take the film and add to it and make it a series.
Now we're going into our sixth season, and fans have discovered on Netflix now, firstly, just BET, but now on Netflix, and I have a great cast that I'm getting a chance to work with, and at this stage of my career and my life, it's a real blessing. And then, of course, doing other things as well. I mean, so I'm probably working as much now as I ever have.
And actually, I've reached a point in my career where I can enjoy it because I'm not doing it to work, you know, I'm not doing it to get the kids out of college. I've been very fortunate. So, money worries aren't there anymore. Knock on wood. So just really, just enjoying, just life, just career-wise, it's been a blessing. And the fans...
They're the ones who sort of sustained me. You know, we did 'Ghostbusters' 40 years ago, and I'm sure everybody heard the stories how challenging those times were, but it's been the fans who just never fail. You know, we're on the cruise ship, and we just saw some guys in their 'Ghostbusters' jumpsuits. I’m just very thankful, if I may say, but I'm still probably believing pretty much everything, but trying to still be a believer."
"I Love the Character, and [It's] Been Very Good to Just Let Him Develop..."
- The Direct: "We know Season 6 is being written right now. Obviously, you can't tell us much, but is there anything that you want to see out of the Duncan clan moving forward if you had your say in the writer's room?"
Ernie Hudson: I'm one of the executive producers on it, but I learned very early he doesn't want my, you know…I can suggest all day long, but it's kind of Carl Weber's vision, and I step in if something never really has, you know…Season 4, he took me through a whole mental hospital/insane asylum. I'm like, 'where are we going with this?' Because I don't know.
And then anybody, he pulled it up. And I never know, you know, from script to groundwork this out, then we came out of that. And then I went to a real kind of, what am I say, killing a few people so, but I love the character, and [it's] been very good to just let him develop. One of the things, the reason I want to do that show is it has a family dynamic, and it's all about the family, but it was also important for me to not be too cordial or diplomatic, you know, you got to know that he can, at least.
And it's been sort of a fine line between being a nice guy and walking, but also being ruthless, if you have to be. And so I've enjoyed that part of it, and I have no idea what he's planning in this season."
Ernie Hudson Talks About His Ghostbusters Legacy
"Harold, For Me, Was Always the Glue That Sort of Held Things Together..."
- The Direct: "I gotta get to Ghostbusters because, as we've seen, the cosplays here are incredible. This thing's lasted for over 40 years. I wanted to ask you, on the last couple of movies, which both of them have been incredible, how was it for you coming back to that after so long away? We love the tribute to Harold Ramis in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. That was probably the best tribute I've ever seen to somebody who's no longer with us. What did that mean to you to be able to do that and keep going even in Harold's memory?"
Ernie Hudson: "Yeah, you know, the first two—Harold, for me, was always the glue that sort of held things together, because when you're working on a show with such dynamic personalities that don't always come together...But Harold was a guy that everyone respected enough to put aside their own stuff and get the job done. So, he was always a go-to guy when things were a little nuts.
And I'd look at him and go to Ernie, 'It's okay...' but we went through a period, I guess, 20 years old, when there was nothing, and I didn't think we'd ever do another 'Ghostbusters.' I kind of figured that was never going to happen. And then Jason Reitman, Ivan Reitman's son, they pulled it together.
And then I was concerned about I didn't want to do another just to do to make some money. I wanted to do something that was unique. And when first we read the script, and loved it. And I think when we got on set my first day, and I saw Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd in their jumpsuits, you know...this thing's been a part of my life, more than half of my life has been 'Ghostbusters.' In my 40 years, it was very, very emotional.
I mean, I these are people I consider friends, but I don't see on a regular basis. And see, it's just wonderful. And then the way they put together the tribute to Harold. I couldn't have imagined it, but it was just wonderful and very touching. And I really, I really appreciate it, because I know just how important Harold was to this, and he just had a way. I mean, Danny and Bill and everybody made their contribution.
And I'd like to think that I was there doing something, but Harold was truly special and...a very, very talented man. And even to this day, I mean, people still come up and, you know, just appreciated what he brought to the entertainment industry, film industry in general, a very, very talented, but a very generous human being. So amazing, yeah, and I loved 'Afterlife'. And then I thought, well, maybe we're done, and I don't want to do it unless it's something special, different, right?
And then they came up with Garraka. I thought, Okay, this is, this would be fun. I love Paul Rudd, the whole new family... So, it's nice to see it pass on to generations, because the thing for me is one of those films that transcends generations, as though I see grandparents in their 90s laughing at it. I went to a screening of the 30th anniversary in Chicago, and I saw the old people with those grandkids and the little kid tracking.
There's something about this film that kind of touches, and I see people will come in with their kids, and the kids got their jumpsuits on. So I've done a lot of movies, been fortunate enough. Some of them are successful, but there's something about 'Ghostbusters' that is a special part of my life too. And then, obviously, with the new ones, everybody wants to see more.
You know, any ideas on, if there's, you don't want to be a trilogy of these new ones, or, like the last guy, they will announce, oh, we're doing a movie. We have Ernie Hudson, when nobody's talking. I guess they know, if we have enough money, Ernie will be there. So if there's a steady paycheck in it, Ernie will show up.
So, I love the franchise. I love being a part of it. I love how they took the Winston character. And when it came to me about this election, and I was saying to Jason, I don't want Winston to...It's been 40 years. So he's letting him grow. I don't want him looking for a steady paycheck 40 years later. And so…
- The Direct: "He is the steady paycheck."
Ernie Hudson: "Yeah. So they gave me a chance to sort of grow in the character. And so I'd love to see more. And I think there will be, you know, the movie is because I think it is a kind of a family thing. It's not getting that Marvel dynamic. It's a billion dollars, right? But I think it's steady enough to where, hopefully, it's probably, I'm sure, it's profitable. They wouldn't be doing it if it weren't... So, I think they'll be, you know, but I always wanted to be creative in its own right, not trying to do what's already been done. And so I hope so. I think so. I heard there was an animated feature that was being planned. But like I said, I'm always game."
The Family Business' first five seasons are streaming on BET+ and Netflix. Hudson's most recent Ghostbusters movie, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, is now streaming on Netflix.
