Ghostbusters' Success Put Ernie Hudson's Career In An Unfortunate Stand-Still
Hudson revealed that the role wasn't the immediate big break he thought it might beshare
Ernie Hudson, who rose to fame playing Winston Zeddemore in the classic film "Ghostbusters," told Coming Soon, "I was working non-stop and then 'Ghostbusters' came out and I couldn't get a film. I was shut down for about three years, even though I was doing all the different TV shows, sitcoms, and whatever."
Following 1984's "Ghostbusters" Hudson only appeared in a series of TV movies such as "California Girls" and "Love on the Run" and on some guest spots in shows like "St. Elsewhere" and "Gimme a Break!" He did not act in another feature film until the Nick Nolte-led "Weeds" in 1987.
He talked about what happened next for his film career and it was eerily similar to what happened between 1984 and 1987. Hudson said, "After 'Weeds,' I did seven movies back-to-back and then we did the second 'Ghostbusters' and the same thing happened and everything just shut down." It seemed as if Hudson's big role was also a detriment to the actor. The actor noted that he'd been typically offered roles that reflected Zeddemore's personality, saying, "Since 'Ghostbusters,' most of the roles people see me as is the best friend/nice guy/everybody's dad type"
After "Ghostbusters II," Ernie Hudson had another three year break from acting in films until he starred in the psycho-thriller "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" in 1992. He got another big break in 1994's comic adaptation "The Crow," and his stock skyrocketed. Hudson hasn't slowed at all in the nearly 30 years that followed, acting in blockbuster films, TV, and video games, racking up those IMDb credits.