Ernie Hudson appreciates Ghostbusters fans for embracing Winston despite the character’s consistent omission from the original movie’s marketing. While any big Ghostbusters fan thinks of the original team as a foursome, most of the promotional material for the first film depicts the Ghostbusters as a group of three scientists: Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, and Ray Stantz. All too often, Winston was nowhere to be seen on Ghostbusters 1 & 2 posters and home video releases, and this is something that has always seemed quite peculiar to many fans.
Speaking about the situation on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, Hudson explains how the anti-Winston sentiment goes much deeper than leaving Mr. Zeddemore out of the marketing. The actor details how Winston was even originally written to be a much bigger character before the bulk of his storyline was then written out after he had signed on to play the part.
From the podcast:
In the beginning, there was a backstory. Winston came in in the very beginning; you know, when they first leave the university. Remember they get kicked out of the university? He comes in, and he’s an ex-air force colonel who was a demolitions expert, and he kind of ran the Ghostbusters. Then just before we started shooting, they wrote him out. I mean, basically, instead of coming out on page 8, he came in on page 68. All the backstory where I come in, and we talk about who I am and I’m auditioning, and I’m explaining what I do, he just says, you know, ‘If there’s a steady paycheck in it, I’ll believe anything you say.’ I find that’s a funny line, but you don’t get to know who this guy is.
Appreciating how the fans have stood by Winston even when the studio was seemingly ignoring him, Ernie Hudson adds:
I think the studio probably worked overtime to try and make sure the Ghostbusters were always thought of as three guys, and I think it’s the fans, and I really appreciate the fans who really embraced the character. At one point, Winston was one of the best-selling dolls they had, and they were surprised. I think that’s because the fans really loved the character.
Ernie Hudson will be seen in the role of Winston Zeddemore once again when Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits theaters on Nov. 11, 2021.
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