Annie Potts Talks About Her Character Janine Melnitz Getting to Suit Up in GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE

Last week, it was revealed that the Ghostbusters character Janine Melnitz, played by the wonderful Annie Potts, was finally going to suit up in this next film and help bust some ghosts alongside her old friends, Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd’s Ray Stantz, and Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore. Janine always played the receptionist who kept everything on track and delivered that important command to kick things into action: “We got one!” But now she’ll see a bit more of the action.

In an interview in the most recent edition of Empire magazine, Potts talked about this new development for Janine, saying that she’s been included because of the dire situation we will find our characters in in the sequel:

“It’s a desperate situation, so it’s all hands on deck. It turns out Janine is quite capable – as most women tend to be when given the chance. It came as a real surprise. We were weeks into shooting and Gil [Kenan, director] came up to me and said, ‘We think it’s time… We’re gonna have you suit up.’”

Once she got the suit on, it felt just right.

“I have to say I did [get a kick out of it]. Janine has served long and well, and I felt like she was finally getting her stripes, you know? She’s clearly stayed in touch with the guys [between Ghostbusters II and Frozen Empire], and she’s really been the keeper of the flame at the Firehouse. The Ghostbusters are kind of superheroes, so it’s very nice to finally be seen in that way, too.”

Janine even gets a fresh bit of ghostbusting kit – though what exactly she’s equipped with, Potts is keeping quiet for now. “It’s… not a proton pack,” she teases. “Thank God I didn’t have to put a pack on, because they’re murderously heavy, and us OGs are getting on a bit.”

I think it’s so awesome that Janine is going to be ghostbusting with the best of them! She’s an awesome character, and I love that she’s getting her time to shine.