'Ghostbusters' star denies racism contributed to his reduced role in first film: 'Not quite that simple'
"Ghostbusters" star Ernie Hudson recently claimed he believed racism wasn’t the reason that his role in the franchise’s first film was reduced.
In an interview with British outlet "The Independent" that was published this weekend, Hudson acknowledged that it’s "very tempting" to say that these limits were due to racism in the industry, but admitted that wouldn’t be an accurate representation of what happened to him in the '80s.
The actor played Winston Zeddemore in the beloved 80s action/adventure film, and though he is seen as one of the four classic Ghostbusters – alongside Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis – his role in the first film was reduced before filming began.
Hudson’s character didn’t appear until the film’s second act, and he wasn’t featured in the original theatrical poster for the film, but he told the outlet he didn’t believe the decision was due to racism.
"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. 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," he said. "It’s not quite that simple."
Hudson was also paid less than his famous co-stars, though again he said it probably wasn’t due to racism, considering that if African American actor Eddie Murphy took on the role – as he was the rumored first choice – he would have been paid a lot more.
"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," the actor said.
He provided his real theory as to why he got paid less, stating, "I think studios are in the business of making money, and they pay what they feel they have to."
In a 2020 interview, Hudson weighed in on his smaller role, noting at the time he didn’t know why it was cut down.
"I never did [get a reason]. I think they said for the story, you know, we got three guys who are really established in the industry, and I was really just getting started. But I have no idea, honestly," he said.
During that interview, Hudson also downplayed race having much to do with it, saying, "What I realized and what became really important to me to do early on is just to not attribute it to things outside of myself, because I can't control that. And so I'm gonna give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that they were trying to sell a movie and this was how they felt they should sell it."
"For years they said you couldn't sell a movie if it was starring an African-American actor. But you can't be a victim in this stuff. Obviously, had it been Eddie Murphy, who's Black, that wouldn't have been the case," he added.