That was only Chapter 1 of how Ernie Hudson and his character got screwed by the Ghostbusters franchise. Following the success of the first film, Columbia Pictures Television and DIC Enterprises decided to do the spin-off animation, The Real Ghostbusters. They told Hudson that he pretty much had the part and didn’t need to audition … but they still wanted him to come in and read the character. Which is, for all intents and purposes, an audition, but whatever. During the reading, the director at one point told Hudson that he didn’t sound like Winston “when Ernie Hudson did it in the movie,” which is such a bizarre and frankly insulting way of saying that something’s not working for you. That, or those people were really high at the time and didn’t know that it was actually Hudson with them in the room.
Following the “not-an-audition-but-also-most-definitely-an-audition” Hudson was told that the role was his (which he really wanted because the actor absolutely loves Winston), only to find out via the grapevine that they had cast someone else. It’s not the worst thing to cast a different actor for a part. It happens all the time. The way they did it, however, just leaves a bad taste in your mouth that no amount of jello could fix.
And, of course, Winston got squeezed out five years later in Ghostbusters II, again proving that Hollywood is just as slow as everyone else in getting things right. Luckily it seems like the new Ghostbusters: Afterlife might finally serve some justice for Winston, as Hudson says that director Jason Reitman made his character full and complete. Hey, if Ernie Hudson’s happy, we’re happy.
Zanandi is on Twitter and wrote a comic for Trailer Park Boys that you can order here.
Top Image: Columbia Pictures
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