Ernie Hudson Praises Bill Murray and His GHOSTBUSTERS Co-Stars for Standing Up for Him Against the Studios
Ernie Hudson is best known for his role of Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters franchise. He is an important member of the team, arguably the coolest guy in the group, with a Zen attitude and a perfectly timed joke to make the scene.
Hudson explained to fans during a solo panel at Rhode Island Comic Con last Saturday that his co-stars had a lot to do with all that. He specifically remembered Bill Murray standing up for him during their early Ghostbusting days.
"Bill Murray is the only actor I think I've ever worked with who when they tried to get him to do another [Ghostbusters] — remember it was about 20 years before we came back with another movie after the second movie.
“But Bill just basically said, 'If Ernie Hudson's not in it, I'm not doing it.’ There are not many people who sort of stand up for you. And that was just very, very special. So I love all the guys. They're very, very supportive."
Hudson continued to rave about costars Murray, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd's "willingness to be inclusive" toward him on set, "because the studio was not."
"I had been acting for, I don't know, a lot of years before I even did Ghostbusters. The studio was really not as welcoming, but the guys were.
“When we do a scene, the guys would say, 'Wait a minute, Ernie's not saying anything. So let's make sure he's included.' So a lot of those lines probably could have gone to somebody else, but they were kind enough to make sure that I was always included."
He added: "The studio sort of went out of its way to make sure that I wasn't included. It came to the poster. It came to the PR stuff. But the guys were really [inclusive], and that's why I really considered them really all very, very special people in my life."
You can tell the core actors in these movies all have a great chemistry and friendship with one another, and it has carried over to the new cast as well.
There’s no news about another film in the Ghostbusters franchise as of right now, but if one shakes out, it would be cool to see Hudson back in the role of Winston. If not, he has left an amazing legacy.
via: People