“Ghostbusters: Most Challenging Movie of Career”

• Ernie Hudson said “Ghostbusters” was the most “difficult” movie experience of his career.
• Although he was welcomed by the rest of the cast, he said the studio wasn’t inclusive.
• Hudson said it was another 2½ years before he landed his next movie.

“Ghostbusters” is one of the most beloved comedies of the 1980s, with Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson starring as a squad of scientists who deal with supernatural threats across New York City, before ultimately fighting a god from another dimension.

But Hudson recently appeared on “The Howard Stern Show” to talk about his career and his experiences on the Ivan Reitman movie when he called it the “most difficult” film he’s ever worked on. He explained that he was the last person to join the team after Murray, Akroyd, and Ramis.

“I was the guy who was brought in, and so finding my place in the middle of that — and they were all welcoming and inclusive — the studio wasn’t, and the studio continued not to be,” Hudson, who played Winston Zeddemore, recalled.

The movie was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures, which was owned by The Coca-Cola Company at the time, and is now owned by Sony.

The “Leviathan,” “Congo,” and “Miss Congeniality” star said the studio pushed him out of the spotlight, and didn’t include him on the poster for the film.

Hudson said: “So it made it very, very difficult because I was a part of [‘Ghostbusters’], but then very selectively, I was sort of pushed aside. You know — when the posters came out, I’m not on the posters. It took a long time.” 

The 77-year-old star then pointed out that he’s still fighting for recognition now, as he’s negotiating to appear in a new “Ghostbusters” sequel.

Hudson said: “Even now, we’re negotiating a new movie that’s gearing up to start shooting in March, and I’m like, ‘Guys, there’s a place that I… I’m not an add-on. So if I’m going to do it, it has to make sense.'”

The actor said that “Ghostbusters” should’ve provided a huge boost to his career, but it was years before he got another role after the movie’s 1984 release.

Hudson explained: “When you start out in the business, I was always told it’s almost impossible to succeed. But if you get in a major movie from a major studio and it comes out and it opens number one, it’ll change your career…” 

He went on to say: “Well, ‘Ghostbusters’ didn’t do any of that for me. I was working pretty nonstop, I did ‘Ghostbusters,’ and it was 2½ years before I got another movie.”

After “Ghostbusters” arrived in 1984, Hudson’s next role came in 1987’s “Weeds” opposite Nick Nolte. The actor also pointed out that Winston’s role was heavily changed in the script after he came on board.

He recalled: “It was probably the most difficult movie I ever did just from the psychological perspective. The original script, Winston was in the very beginning of the movie. By the time we got ready to shoot the movie, Winston came in halfway through the movie. All those things… It definitely felt deliberate.”