Hudson recording hopeful messages
MINNEAPOLIS — Sequestered in the Twin Cities after Hollywood shut down, charismatic actor Ernie Hudson sometimes dons his old “Ghostbusters” jumpsuit and records messages to cheer up fans. Or he may sing happy birthday to a kid stricken with cancer.
Hudson is doing his part to bring light and joy to the populace during the pandemic.
“I'm thankful that we're OK, but I really feel for people and what they're going through,” Hudson said. “If you do get the virus, are you going to be hit with a crazy bill? And if you're already in financial crisis, is the bill still going up? It's a rough time with everybody getting cabin fever or worrying about money.”
Hudson decamped from the West Coast in March just as California was about to shut down. He had been working on two shows that were brought to a halt — Carl Weber's “The Family Business,” a crime family series that started on BET and is now on its streaming service, and “L.A.'s Finest,” the “Bad Boys” spinoff headlined by Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba.
While Hudson has a house in Hollywood, Minnesota is his go-to retreat for respite. It's a place that's had special meaning for him, given his breakout role in “The Great White Hope” in 1975. It is also because of the play that he met his future wife, Minneapolitan Linda Kingsberg Hudson.
The messages that Hudson records for fans are through the Cameo app, where celebrities do such gestures for a nominal fee. Actor Marla Maples is on it for $72 a pop. Debra Messing of “Will and Grace” fame will set you back $300.
It costs $135 for a message from Hudson, with or without his Winston Zeddemore ghost-busting jumpsuit.
“Generally, it's people celebrating anniversaries, welcoming new babies and things like that,” said Hudson, who records about a dozen messages a week.
“You can do it from your home on the phone — it doesn't take a lot of time, and it feels very connected and positive,” he said. “If someone picks me out, it's personal. They're a fan of something I've done.”
The pandemic has heightened his introspection about his life and career, both ongoing. The release date for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” where he reunites with co-stars Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, has been pushed back from July to March 2021. And he acted in “Redemption Day,” a political action thriller that was shot in Morocco last year.
“I'd always wanted to go there, and this was a chance to see the country,” he said. “When you're younger, everything's about acquisition, about getting things. But we're about giving back now — to young people, shelters, everything we can. I guess that's a natural stage; you go from get-get-get to give-give-give.”
He does charity work for a number of causes, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton Harbor, Michigan, where he grew up. The club, located in a region hit hard by COVID-19, is providing meals to young people during the shutdown. It pains him that his hometown is hurting so.
His career has been a good one, but he's always been ambitious.
“I won't lie, I would love to have an Oscar on my mantel, but that's not the only measure of a life,” Hudson said. “For a kid who grew up in the projects of Benton Harbor, it's been nice.”