There are certain entertainers I would watch in anything, and Ernie Hudson is one of them. As I suspect is true for many of you, too, Hudson will always hold a special place in my heart as Winston Zeddemore from Ghostbusters — a character we’re getting to fall in love with all over again, thanks to Jason Reitman’s 2020s revival of the iconic ‘80s franchise. But wielding a proton pack isn’t the only thing keeping Hudson busy these days. Fortunately for us diehard fans, the veteran actor is popping up onscreen in other places, and parents will get a kick out of his latest project.
Based on Rovio’s Angry Birds game, Angry Birds Mystery Island introduces three new Hatchling characters to the popular universe, Mia, Rosie, and Buddy, along with a foreign-exchange piglet named Hamylton. The group mistakenly gets catapulted onto an uncharted island, where the ragtag bunch quickly learns they must unlock the island’s mysteries to make it back home. Prime Video recently released the third and final batch of episodes, making all of Season 1 now available to stream. Hudson finds his way into the mix as a new Hatchling character named Marlon, an older, endearing curmudgeon who lives deep in the heart of the jungle.
When we caught up via Zoom, Hudson filled me in on his Angry Birds debut, how his kids keep him humble, and what his wife of 40+ years thinks of the internet dubbing him a thirst trap.
Scary Mommy: What inspired you to take the role of Marlon?
EH: I was sent this script, and I love the character. And because I work a lot in television and film, voice work is sort of like the icing on the cake. It’s a fun excursion to go over here, and all you have is your voice and the sounds … When I was first asked, I thought, ‘Oh, this is different. This’ll be fun.’ I’m looking for fun. At my age now, I’m like, ‘You know what? I worked really hard; now I want to do fun.’
SM: Another big role for you has been returning to Ghostbusters. It’s wild that it’s been 40 years really since this franchise started.
EH: I never had any idea that it would reach the level that it has, where there are Ghostbusters chapters in every major city all over the world. It’s pretty phenomenal. It’s nice to look at the work that I’ve done and to have one or two or three things that people connect to in a very, very special way.
SM: Kids can really keep you humble. What do yours think of your career?
EH: They don’t even watch the stuff I do. I’m like, ‘Well, have you seen Frozen Empire because it’s out now?’ It’s, ‘Oh, I’ll watch it.’ So the grandkids will because they have no choice when they come to visit, and I say, ‘Hey, we’re going to watch my movie.’ But the adult kids, I’m sure most of the stuff I’ve done, they’ve never seen. Or if they have, they’ve never come to me and talked about it.
SM: Classic. It’s obvious family is very important to you. What’s your favorite thing about being a parent and grandparent in this season of life?
EH: Honestly, so many values we all hold dearly — the basic stuff, the stuff you learn in kindergarten, like sharing — are being put to a test … So, I guess my favorite thing about being a parent at this time is just that you hope that you set an example. When I was a little kid, my grandmother raised me, and she would say that our biggest responsibility is to be an example of what’s possible and to live your life in a way that people who you don’t know will find some inspiration in how you live as opposed to being an example of what is not good.
I remember when I was a single dad to my first two sons, I was doing something, and they checked me on it. I went off. Then they were saying, ‘Well, you wouldn’t want us doing it.’ And you go, ‘Yeah, that’s true.’ So, I think that’s what we try to do with our lives or with our families — set an example.
SM: It’s tough.
EH: It is tough because there are examples of people doing things and they seem to gain advantage from it. I tell my kids, there’s a certain path you don’t want to go down because it’s hard to find your way back once you’ve gone there. And I have friends now who have made choices that, now that I’m close to 80 years old, I see those choices and the consequences. But as a parent, and just in your life in general, you at least want to be a great example of something positive.
SM: It probably helps when you have a really great partner you’ve been married to for a very long time, which is just a rarity in Hollywood.
EH: Well, I think the good news for me is I never feel like I came to Hollywood. I mean, I came looking for Hollywood, but somehow I missed a turn-off … I hear about what goes on at parties that I never got invited to. Not that I wanted to go; I just wanted to be invited. But having the responsibility of family, especially as a single dad, there are places that you don’t go. I never really relied on compromising myself to get a job because I really truly believe that there is a universal spirit that will guide you, and that’s what I’ve always trusted. So, I’m an actor, but I’ve never felt a part of Hollywood.
Having a partner you enjoy that you share your life with and who can hold you accountable, it has been everything to me. But I also don’t sit and say, ‘You should live like I live.’ I don’t really mean it that way. I just feel very blessed.
SM: I’m sure she does, too. Which brings me to a recent moment when you were photographed out and about — and clocked on the internet as a thirst trap. What was Linda’s response to that?
EH: She always laughs, but I don’t know what she’s thinking. I do know she travels with me more now than she ever has. She says, ‘Well, the kids are all grown up now.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but you don’t have to go everywhere.’ But she’s right there, which I appreciate because I always hated traveling alone anyway.
But yeah … if I go to the gym and come back home pumped, she ignores all that. To me, it’s always been funny because I always say, ‘Well, nothing’s changed.’ I mean, that’s the same physicality I’ve always had. And someone says, ‘Yeah, that’s the point. You’re 80 years old. It’s the same physicality.’ But I think it’s just not something she thinks about.
I also learned early on that I don’t want to live in a way that gives her reason to be concerned. You know what I mean? When I was much younger, I had a lot of close women friends because I always thought women talk about things that guys don’t like to talk about. And being a single dad, I wanted to talk about kids and family. But I also realize that those relationships may not be easily understood by my mate, so they’re not good for our relationship. I think it’s being aware — you can justify things and say, ‘I can do what I want to do.’ But on the other hand, for a good relationship and to have peace, there are certain things you don’t really need to do.
SM: You’re a smart man, Ernie. It’s very cool that you were at Yale at the same time as Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver. Is there anyone you’d love to do a project with or any type of role you’re interested in doing in the future?
EH: I’ve worked with Sigourney, but Meryl Streep, I’d love to do something with [her]. I just think she’s phenomenal and has been forever.
I’d love to do a real romantic comedy where I’m the guy, now that I’ve shown my T-shirt. I want to be like, ‘Hey, can I do that finally before I get too old?’ Or a real good action thing. Because if people go, ‘You’re really in shape,’ and then they put me in a suit and everybody else gets to have the action, I kind of go, ‘But you know, really, I can do that.’
So yeah, I want to be an action guy and I want to get the girl.
