Hear
With more than five decades of experience in the film industry, Ernie Hudson He is excited to visit Argentina for the first time. In the VIP lounge of the Comic Con in Costa Salguerowhere he is the guest of honor of this new edition, the American actor receives THE NATION along with his wife Linda, from whom he is not separated for even a second. Cordial and smiling, he greets everyone present, thanks them for their praise, asks permission to sit down and begins to speak before the first question. His almost imperceptible wife watches him standing from the side. He talks about his origins, his career and his passion for philanthropic work, and having suffered from cancer twice. “I don’t know what will come next; I just want to be able to enjoy.”
With a vast career in Hollywood, the 78-year-old actor made his film debut with the film Leadbelly. In 1984 he played his most iconic role when he gave life to Winston Zeddemore in the saga of Ghostbusters. Yes ok He is not considered a superhero in the traditional sense of Marvel or DC comics, his character became a hero who transcended the big screen and continues with the latest sequel: Ghostbusters: ghost apocalypse (2024). Among his most notable performances are: The Crow (1994), the film whose protagonist Brandon Lee died fatefully during filming and Miss Congeniality (2000) where he accompanied Sandra Bullock, an FBI agent who enters a beauty pageant to investigate a crime. Her career also includes successful TV series, such as Oz, where he played prison director Warden Leo Glynn, and most recently played Lily Tomlin’s boyfriend Jacob in Grace and Frankie.
–You have been in the film industry for 50 years, what inspired you to become an actor?
–I was born and raised in a very poor city, on the outskirts of Detroit, and I had never met anyone from the entertainment world. But once I entered university I was able to discover theater. And once I found out, I knew that was my home and I was going to do everything in my power to make a living acting. Before that, I didn’t have any jobs that I was really good at.
-What did you study at University?
– I mainly studied writing and theater. First Wayne University in Detroit, and then at the Yale School of Drama. At both universities she obtained scholarships. Even if I kept good grades, not only did I get a full scholarship, but I got paid to do what I liked the most, and that’s what I did.. Once I discovered acting, that was all that mattered to me. At that time I was married to my first wife and we had two small children so I had to study, work and take care of my family. It wasn’t until 1966 that I managed to make a living acting. He did several things simultaneously: theater, local television and small films. That gave me enough money to pay the bills.
–When was your rise to fame?
– In 1973 I made a film Lead Belly, based on the blues singer Lead Belly, directed by Gordon Parks, the director of Shaft. It was the first time I felt ‘I’m an actor’. Before I made my living on stage doing plays. I love theater, but it doesn’t pay enough money: yes to pay the bills, but not enough to grow and get ahead. Movies opened the world to me nationally while theater was local, if you didn’t see the play you missed the performance.
–And then it came Ghostbusters that became a cultural phenomenon, how was your experience in the different films?
–It is as special for me as it is for all of us who participated. Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters, It unites families and crosses generations in a way that very few films achieve. For many people it is the first movie they saw with their parents in the 80s and now they watch it with their own children. It happens to me on a personal level, I was able to share it with my wife, my children, my grandchildren and now with my great-grandchildren. I have four children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. I am blessed to be able to share with them. On the other hand, I made other films that do not attract an audience of all ages. Ghostbusters it’s for everyone.
–Apart from acting, you do great philanthropic work…
–Not as much as I should or would like to do. But homelessness is a big problem in the United States. I am part of an association in Los Angeles, Union Rescue Mission, that helps families who are living on the streets. Have Boys and Girls Clubs, who tutors young children. Next month I’m going to be in my hometown, Benton Harbor, Michigan, because they’re going to change the name of the street where I grew up to Ernie Hudson Street. It is a very humble place and it makes me very proud. Not so much for me, but for all the people who walk down that street and can be inspired and see how they can get out of poverty, grow and educate themselves, by working.
–It is your first time in Argentina. These are complex times at a socioeconomic level. Do you know the current situation and President Milei?
–It’s my first time here and the truth is that I didn’t know this until I arrived. I was surprised at the dollar exchange rate. I had no idea and that’s my fault. I heard something about the president, but not to give an opinion. I just hope they can move forward and better times come. Everyone I’ve met since I arrived seems very friendly.
– Host Jennifer Hudson called you ‘the sexiest man in the world’ after seeing you in a T-shirt, how did you receive the compliment?
–It was very nice of you to say that. She also once told me that I am her father, funny because we share a last name. It’s very flattering for a man my age to say that. I’m approaching 80 years old, so you try to stay in shape, always within common sense. I exercise, although not as much, but enough I suppose. We have an ideal of what we would like to do, I always say ‘I do 100 push-ups a day’, but I don’t do it, I just plan to do it. I do everything I can and try to do a little better today than yesterday. I overcame cancer twice: prostate cancer in 1998 and colon cancer in 2011. That changed my awareness of how we live, and I understood that life is not a forever journey. Most of the people I grew up with are gone and I know my time will come too. That is the natural cycle of life. But while we’re here, we should try to make the world a better place, and that starts with making ourselves a little better.
–Speaking of the cycles of life, what are your plans for the future?
–At this moment I am a little retired. Whenever I’m not working, I like to go out into the world and have direct contact with people: knowing their interests, talking about movies, learning their stories and their opinions. Because sometimes Hollywood takes you away from what’s real. On the other hand, when you go out and listen, the experience is much more inspiring. I’m doing The Family Business On Netflix, we’ve had five seasons. But right now I’m looking for projects that make me feel good and are not just for work. I want to be able to say ‘this is wonderful.’ Because I’m an actor, and when a movie comes out, I have to promote it even if I’m not happy with the final result. Now I want to choose and be able to support the work I do. Fortunately I no longer need to work like I did when I was raising my children.
–At what moment do you feel that you were able to start choosing?
–During the pandemic I lost 11 friends. Until that moment I worked a lot and after that I had to sit down and evaluate everything. My wife and I were having a bad time as a couple and I thought: ‘I don’t know what will come next, I just want to be able to enjoy the time with my wife.’ We have been together for 48 years and have been married for 39 years, she is my second wife. Even though I vowed not to remarry after my first divorce, here I am. I think finding someone to spend your life with is phenomenal. My friend Harold Ramis taught me that. [del elenco de Ghostbusters]. His girlfriend wasn’t the Hollywood type, they got married and are happy. As life goes by you realize that there are people who are meant to be in your life and they don’t necessarily look how you think they should look. I chose and now it’s time to enjoy, because we are not eternal.
THE NATION
