Ernie Hudson Says the Late Harold Ramis Is the 'Reason You HaveGhostbusters': ‘Everybody Trusted Harold’

Mar. 15, 2025

The cast of ‘Ghostbusters.’ From left: Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson in 1984.Photo:Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures

There was a lot of magic on the set of 1984’sGhostbusters, but star Ernie Hudson thinks one person was responsible for much of it: Harold Ramis.

“I think the reason you haveGhostbustersis because of Harold Ramis,” he said. He praiseddirector Ivan Reitmanand his “just brilliant” costarBill Murray, but explained, “Harold was the guy who everyone respected enough to look past their own stuff.”

From left: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Harold Ramis in ‘Ghostbusters’ in 1984.Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett

When there were disagreements on set, Hudson said Ramis “was always the voice of reason.” He continued, “You know, he said something, everybody trusted Harold, and so whenever things would happen and people would sort of scatter, Harold was the one that sort of got everybody back to the table.”

Ramis,who died in 2014 at age 69, played Egon Spengler in bothGhostbustersand 1989’sGhostbusters II. He also co-wrote the script with Dan Aykroyd, who played Ray Stantz.

“I think what I learned from Harold and what I’ve taken with me throughout my career is just how do you conduct yourself, how do you deal with people,” Hudson reflected. It was not just about staying calm, he said, but about figuring out how to “sustain” and “live for another day.”

“I’ve been doing this now for 60 years — acting on some level, theater or whatever — but how do you maintain a career with people who aren’t necessarily balanced, who are probably high, and I don’t know, because they’re just weird,” he said. “But, how do I keep my sanity? How do I keep myself from going off the deep? I think Harold was as perfect an example of that as you could find.”

From left: Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson in ‘Ghostbusters’ in 1984.Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett

Ghostbustersalso starredSigourney Weaveras Dana Barrett,Rick Moranisas Louis Tully, Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz and William Atherton as Walter Peck.

Hudson reprised his role as Winston inGhostbusters IIas well as 2021’sGhostbusters: Afterlifeand2024’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.Murray and Aykroyd also returned for the new films, and Potts and Weaver had cameos as well. Hudson and some of the cast also appeared in2016’sGhostbusters, the all-female reboot.

When the 2024 installment was released,Hudson went viral thanks to his fit appearance on the red carpet, while wearingjeans and a tee shirt. “It’s nice to be noticed. It’s been a little bit of a surprise in the last couple of days,” he told PEOPLE in March.

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“I’ve always tried to be healthy,” he said. “My career hasn’t been about focusing on my physicality. The most important thing for me is just to try to maintain your health, just common-sense stuff.”

source: people.com