One of the stars of the original Ghostbusters film has said he wanted both men and women to feature in the lead roles of the new movie rather than an all-female line-up.
Ernie Hudson, who played Winston Zeddemore in the 1984 comedy and its 1989 sequel, said the makers of the rebooted version did not ask for his advice on casting, but he would have suggested having both genders play the main characters.
Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones star in the new Ghostbusters, replacing the original quartet of Ernie, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis.
The new all-female Ghostbusters line-up (Chris Pizzello/AP)
Speaking at the world premiere in Los Angeles, Ernie told the Press Association: “I was just pleased to see they were doing something. I don’t know why it had to be all-female. It could have been male and female. They didn’t ask my advice.
“I don’t think it has to do with gender but that’s just me. But they’re funny. If they’re going to have four people, they picked four very, very funny people.
“Working on the set, they bonded in a really nice way. We’ve got our chemistry and they’ve got theirs.
True originals… @dan_aykroyd and I head down the packed @Ghostbusters world premiere red carpet #WhoYaGonnaCall pic.twitter.com/6MdNWJncjX
— Ernie Hudson (@Ernie_Hudson) July 10, 2016
“I hope the fans like it. I think they will. I know there’s been a lot of odd reaction but I think it’s the idea, as opposed to seeing the movie. I think when people see the movie, that will go away.”
Ernie, 70, has a cameo in the new Ghostbusters film, despite reportedly saying in 2014 that he believed an all-female line-up was a “bad idea”.
Speaking on the red carpet, Ernie said his first thought on hearing the film was being made was “Is there a job in it for me?”
With @Ernie_Hudson at the #Ghostbusters World Premiere! pic.twitter.com/xTnzPPfalT
— Ghostbusters (@Ghostbusters) July 10, 2016
“That’s the real reaction,” he said. “But after I got over me, I was really excited.
“I saw who the cast was. They’re all really, really funny ladies. The script was really good. I wanted to be part of it to really show my support to them.
“I’m glad they’re moving forward with the franchise because the fans have been wanting something for a long time.”
Ghostbusters is released in UK cinemas on Monday.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here