Transcript of Defying Expectations: Ernie Hudson’s Advice on Dreams and Challenges

You're listening to Mic Unplug, hosted by the one and only Mic Hunt. This is where purpose meets power and stories spark transformation. Mic takes you beyond the motivation and into meaning, helping you discover your because and becoming Unstoppable. I'm Rudy Rush, and trust me, you're in the right place. Let's get Unplug. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mic Unplug. And today we're talking to an icon, the man that I actually wanted to be when I grew up. And we're talking about from Ghostbusters to the Crow, from Oz to the family business. He is a Hollywood legend. He is a He is a legend of men. He is a legend of the culture. And he has spent five decades commanding the screen with grit, grace, and purpose. He's more than an actor. He's a storyteller, a mentor, and a survivor in an industry that rarely makes room for either. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor and pleasure to introduce the living icon, Mr. Ernie Hudson. Mr. Hudson, how are you doing today, sir?

I'm very good. Thank you for that introduction. I think that is the absolute warmest, nicest introduction I think I've ever had. So thank you so much.

I'm not going to take that. I want to, but I know you've had some. I know you've had some. But Ernie, man, I was telling you offline, 15, 20 years ago, when I was trying to say if I could be like someone because this is no secret to those that know me. My dad in my household wasn't the symbol of manhood that I should look to. I used to find that. I used to seek that. I would take pieces of people and say, This is who I'm going to be, or, This is how I want to model my life. Then I got to know not just Ernie Hudson, the actor, but the man, the father, the husband, the things you were doing in community, the way you were impacting people. I said, That is it. From a manhood perspective, I want to be Ernie Hudson. So I just wanted to thank you for being that role model that you did not even know that you were, brother.

Yeah, no, that's the amazing thing about life in general. We impact lives. We touch people. We have no idea, but it makes a difference. My grandmother who raised me said that Jesus was the light of the world, but we're all lights, and we all have a responsibility to show what is possible because you don't know who's watching.

Well, again, I appreciate you, brother, so much. Mr. Hudson, I love to start my show by asking my guests about their because. Not your why, but that thing that's deeper than your why. I call it your true purpose. If I were to ask someone, What's your why? They say, My kids or my family. But then when I say, But why? They usually say, Well, because blah, blah, blah. I care about the because. So if I were to say, Ernie Hudson, today, what's your because?

Well, that's just interesting. I think because the simplest way is, well, because I can, because I'm still able to, because for reasons, some of my own, some of just God given, I'm blessed to be able to do what I do at a level that I, I don't say I'm proud of, but I enjoy. But the real, I suppose, because is having family, having children. I talked about being an example, but just the possibilities. Because in our community, African-American community, we hear all the stories of what is expected. We want to be an example of what's possible. I'll turn 80 in less than a week.

On the 17th? Yes, sir.

On the 17th. I never Well, I shouldn't say I never expected, but that's a big number, even in my mind. But to be blessed to work and move around the way I am. I see friends. If God has given me this ability, then I want to honor that and certainly do the best that I can do with the gifts that God has given me.

You totally are doing that and then some. So again, you are living your because, and I see it every day. And you talk about turning 80 soon. And I know you hear this all the time. Ernie Hudson doesn't look 80, doesn't move 80. I don't want to know what the secret is. What I want to know is, can I be adopted, get the last name Hudson so that maybe through osmosis, that rubs off on me? Because I've seen the genetics. I've seen Ernie Jr. I've seen really, man, I'm trying to be a Hudson. How about that?

I've been very blessed. I have four sons, and they're all amazing, totally different in their own ways. Yeah, I feel very, very I was a single dad to the first two. Now, my wife and I, we've been together for close to 50 years. But yeah, I'm just so proud of all the kids. And none of them are quite living the lives that I expected. Then I had to let go and I just go, You know what? Do your thing, and I'm here for you. As I get older, parenting, looking at your children and realizing that it's their own journey and you have to support Yeah, absolutely.

I want to talk a little bit about your journey. I mean, again, for years, you've been that person I wanted to be, and so I feel like I know more about Ernie Hudson than most people, right? So starting out in theater and doing things at Wayne State University, when did you know that this was a path that you wanted to travel?

I think it was in '66. I had been trying jobs. I got married in '64. Right out of high school, my wife was just turning 16. So it was small town. This is what people did. My ex-wife, who eventually earned a PhD, was really brilliant. She introduced me to books and just start thinking out of the box. I went to the military. That didn't work out. Came back. And so I was trying all kinds of jobs. My grandmother, who raised me, said, I want you to be something. So trying different jobs. I finally found a job with the Michigan Bell Telephone Company as a communications consultant, where I got to wear a tie and I had a little secretary, and I hated it. So I just felt a little frustrated because I've been trying so hard to find something. We had moved to Detroit, and I had an argument with my then-wife, and I just had to get out of the house. I remember driving around, and I saw a line of people lined up to go into this building. It wasn't a movie theater. Out of curiosity, I just stopped and asked what was going on, and he said it was a play.

I'd never seen a professional play. I went in, took a seat, and it was a play called Papa's Daughter, It was about a father whose daughter got pregnant, and he disowned her. Then in the end, they come back together. When it was over, I was so moved. I was in tears. I thought, Oh, my God. That is like, If I could do something like that, but that's too big a prayer. I can't even ask God for that. That coming semester, I needed an elective, and I took a theater, an acting class. And literally, when I walked in the theater and walked on stage, it's like I knew I was home. I'd never been home before. I'm all my life, you're looking for this, you're looking for that. I felt I'm home. This is it. That's when you ask God, that prayer, If you bless me to do this, I will honor it. I will show up on time. I will do my best. From that time on, except for maybe a couple of odd things, I've never had to earn a living outside of. My profession. I was with a group of actors, Joy Montaña, Tim Daly, Joe Panliano.

We were all sitting around, and they were telling me about various jobs they had to work in between. I've been blessed, even raising a family to be able to earn a living acting in the business.

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And And then let's talk about from theater and plays to the big screen. And for those that are listening, those that are watching, that's not easy either. You may want to do the Hollywood route, but being selected, breaking into Hollywood, especially at the time, it's not easy now, but you could argue it's a little bit easier now than it was in the late '60s, early '70s when you broke in. Talk to us about that transition from theater to Hollywood.

Well, I mean, just the numbers. Now, you turn on TV and it's not at all an unusual to see multiple, a lot of shows having Black, even Black leads. That was unheard of. I mean, it might be Sydney Portier, but there will only be one Sydney Portier until Denzel comes along. Then they have to reject the roles.

They have to reject them for anybody to get them.

It was very clear. Then Roots came out. I remember Roots came out, and we thought it would open up, and it went the other way. It shut things down. So it was a delivered attempt to not include us. But I got into theater in probably the first 10 years, from '66 until maybe '73, I think. I was on stage. I did plays. I think that's where the confidence, where you love the craft. I tell people as a joke that the theater is where I found love, and movies and TV is like sex. It's great if you can get it, but don't think this is love because they'll move on very quickly. But in the theater, you rehearse for four weeks and you get to know the people and they're like your family and you support each other. It was very, very supportive. When I came out to Hollywood, my marriage ended and I really wanted to go to New York. But my ex-wife, who was then working on her PhD, did not want to take the kids, which was a shock to me because I never heard anybody, How do you not take the kids?

But she was serious. And so me and the kids came to Hollywood. And I came to Hollywood because I have a brother who was there, and I knew that no matter what happened, he would always be a backup. And I got a little one bedroom apartment, and I heard a number one in 10. So in my mind, if I can get one in 10 interviews, I'm going to be okay. So it was a lot of rejection, but I never got the one in 10. I never I talked to a lot of men about taking the responsibility. I was a little thrown off when I had to take the responsibility of my kids because I thought it would hold me back. But the truth is, it's the thing that really gave me a certain determination. I'd go into a meeting and they would say, No, thank you, and I would go, No, hold on. We're going to do this again because I need this job. I need to set an example for myself sentence of what's possible. I didn't want to say to them, Oh, this is America. You can do whatever. And yet, I can't live my dream.

So I was just determined. I think maybe the biggest thing, and I talk a lot about this, I didn't have a dad, never knew my father or never met him. My grandmother would say that God is my father. As a little kid, I embraced that because I was always embarrassed by that. My brother, I have a half brother. He knew his father. His father wasn't around, but at least he knew who he was. Hudson is my brother's name. My grandmother wanted to keep the same names. She would say that source, that is our creator, is aware of us and will aid us, and it speaks to us, and it will guide us. That's our birthright. It's not like you have to go and join somebody's, whatever. All my life, especially when When I came to acting, I realized that I didn't have the money or the connection, but that source would guide me, and it would open doors when I couldn't even imagine. There were times when it would be impossible, yet somehow or other, a way was made. I knew that it wasn't me doing the making. It was my job to show up and be prepared and give my best.

But that was pretty much all I could do because I didn't have friends who could manipulate things or knew anybody who... But I just had to... A story in the Bible about the brides who were waiting for the groom, and then several of them fell asleep and they weren't prepared, but the one who was ready. So my job was always to be ready for that opportunity. God is now on one hand, I think when I said that prayer about wanting to be an actor, maybe I should have thrown in there multimillions. You were not specific in that prayer, huh? Yeah, I should have been more specific. I wanted to be a working actor, and God has blessed me to do that, and I'm very thankful. But I've had friends who've come along and gone on to get a bigger name or whatever. But I look at my family, and I've been blessed to travel the world, and I have no regrets. But sometimes you got to go, Well, there's no Oscar on my shelf there. Yet. Yet. Yeah. Yet. That's true. I'm just very blessed. But I know that it's because of... A lot of people say, Well, they believe in God and all that, and I'm not pushing any religion.

But I do believe there's a source. I see a lot of people say they do, but they seem to be very afraid of a lot of things. I'm like, if that's true, then I don't really have to worry about it. I just have to show up. Long answer. I apologize. I can run on sometimes.

No, no, no. That's perfect. This is your time. And I'm just honored that you're here with me. And hearing you say those things makes me reflect back to the roles that you play. I look at you and the roles that you play seem to carry a moral weight to them, right? You're leaders or fathers, men of principle. Is that on purpose by the roles that you select? Walk us through how you select the roles that you will say yes to.

Well, to some extent, it's on I always say most actors don't know why they're not working, and they don't know why they are working, because nobody will tell you the truth in Hollywood. I shouldn't say nobody, but it's rarely where you get the truth. I think you bring a certain spirit to what you do, even though the characters, hopefully, are different. I believe the characters should serve the story, so I'm here to tell the story. If you don't believe that I am what I'm supposed to be, then if you still focus on me and how I look and all that, then that's the problem. But I've been asked to do things that I go, You know what? I don't want to do that. Other people have done those roles and did very well. I have nothing bad to say about that. It's just it wasn't right for me to do. I think there's a reason things didn't unfold in certain ways because sometimes there's a weightedness. If it was a great story and the character was something, but unless there's a reason for me to be a certain way. Sometimes I've done things where they wanted me to be less to underplay so much that it made somebody else, and I had to fight those.

Then also, a lot of the work is just the work that's offered. It's not like there's a pile of scripts on... There's never been a pile of scripts on my desk that I'm going to, what do I want to do next? It's like, whatever comes up, and then you have the choice to say yes or no. Like I said, there's a few times when I just... I did a a television show called Highcliffe Manor. This was one of the first shows I got back in the '70s. It was a character from South Africa who was a voodoo priest, and his name was Bambo, and he had gold teeth and earring. In it, it was a comedy. Him and his guy, his partner, who he called Buana, rode a canoe across the ocean to get to America. Some nonsense. But I wanted it. I needed the job. Me and the kids and the rent was due. I went in and I auditioned and did, and they laughed. But I always had the feeling of laughing at me. Then I got the job and we were having some friends were over, and Shirley Ralph was at this little gathering, and she was looking through the script, and she said, Oh, my God, and everything stopped.

I said, I know you're not going to do this. Now, I hadn't really wanted to think about this. But then this This character named Bambo, and it's like Sambo, and all these things that were there. And so we were in the middle of rehearsing, and I just finally had to say, I can't do this. I went to the producers and said, I know there are a lot of people out there who would love the job. It was more money than I ever made in my life, but I can't. Thank you very much. So I left. Two days later, they called me and said, We thought about what you said, and we We'd like to fix this, and we really want you. They changed the name from Bambo to Smite. He's a voodoo priest, so he understands that. But how about we make... He's a PhD. It's a PhD. You don't need the earring or the gold teeth. They bet a lot to make... We don't have to say Bwana. I think it taught me, it was early on that a lot of things you can just go, no. Sometimes they may not I agree, but at least you can make the changes because up until then, I'm from theater, and you try to do what's written there, but that's a different situation.

I did a television show with Ted Knight called Too Close for Comfort. There was a line where I come in and we're ex-convicts who come to repair this hole in the walls in the story. As I walk in, I see the hole, and I go, Holy my hell, yeah. And the archbishop makes no sense. I don't know what that means. I'm I got the job, and I said, I can't do this. And the cast agreed, Ted Knight, and they all came to my defense, said, Yeah, why does he have to say that? It makes no sense. It just looks But the producer said, No, I want him to say it. When he did the audition, he said it, and it was funny, and I wanted it. I go, But it's not funny. It doesn't make any sense. He said, Well, either you do it or I'll just have to get somebody else. Then I thought about the car payment and the rent.

I said, Oh, rent is due, right?

Reality. I said, Oh, man, I don't think anybody ever saw it anyway. But I think you do have to go Because you're going to live with it for a long time. Those shows we did in the '70s, they're still playing on air, and you have to own up to it. But I've tried to maintain a certain integrity in the work that I do.

Absolutely. And my favorite show that's out now is Ernie Hudson, and it's the family business. And again, as I'm becoming the patriarch of my family, It's like, I'm about to be that right there. But how you, again, the character that you have, the power that you play in building a family empire and portraying just that for our culture, How important has that role been to you personally?

Yeah, it's been great. I have to give a huge shout out to Carl Webber. He first got in touch with me about this project and said, I want to work with you. I respect your work. Because a lot of times in the past, especially, you had to I don't fight for rules much anymore, but you have to go through changes. It's the lead, which is usually I'm playing somebody else's something. It's about this family, but it's a mob family. I didn't see it. It's very clearly that's what it's about. But I know at the heart of it, it's about family, and it's about my children. In fact, this season, kids can be challenging. But it was a chance for me to play that, to be that father. Valerie Petaford, who plays my wife, I love her so much because... Yeah, so that's what it's about. I'm amazed at the amount of respect and appreciation that the fans have really come to it, because at first, I wasn't sure We started with very little money. Then we made a little movie, and then BT added some and made a first season, and then we... I think it's gotten a lot better.

The actors have really grown so much, and it's a great show. I'm bringing a lot of friends, people that I know work on the show. There's a guy named Patrick Duffy who plays the Southern Sheriff. The first movie, not the first movie I got, but the first movie I got when I I moved to Hollywood was a man from Atlanta. And I had a little partner. He was the big star. He was the star of the show. So that was, I don't know, 50 years ago or something. It's great for me to have him on the show and see that circle. But now I do a show called Boston Blue, where I'm the patriarch, but I'm a Baptist pastor. But what I wanted to say, my niece, she then works, it means, kaching.

That's good? Safe. Why?

Get your money back. Now, try it. Wow. Have you seen? That's the absolute crazy. Just perfect. Nice. Sometimes you immediately notice that it fits. Just like with the new Balancethes of Skoda, with up to 3,200 €, a price advantage, a lot of extras, and five years of guarantee. More infos and weitere attractive offers at the Skoda Buffet on January 24th. With all the participating Skoda partners, on scoda. De. But it's also family. And family has been the most fascinating thing for me. And I love being able to explore it in these different roles. Like I said, growing up without a dad and not knowing my mom. She died when I was three months old, but I had my grandmother. People don't tell you much about. I had my brother. I would see families, and I think the thing I wanted more than anything, I didn't think about a profession, as much as I wanted to be a dad. I wanted to have a chance to do for someone what nobody ever did to me. Nobody introduced me to sports. Nobody took the time to do. Families and how we connect, I have grandkids, great grandkids, and it's challenging because it's...

But I love the family business and being able to be that patriarch. Also, if I'm going to have to do this illegal thing, which we don't focus on a lot or as much. But like I said, it's more about family, but at least be reasonable. If I have to do something, you will know why I had to do it, not just me, because I'm the boss and whatever. Anyway.

Definitely my favorite show. First season, I binge watched it in a day and a half, literally the whole first season, and I've been hooked. It's literally, like I said, my favorite show that's out there now, so kudos to you for that. You talked about Boston Blue. So before I get you out of here with my quick five, what else is Ernie Hudson working on?

Well, between those two shows, and I'm up here and we shoot it, Boston Blue Toronto. I never worked in Toronto. At my age now, I'm like, I'm not at home, so we're going to have to have a conversation as we move. We got picked up for a second season. But it's fun. But also Toy Story, and I'm doing a lot in it, Carl Withers. I've known Carl for 40 years. But he originated the thing, the role in GI Joe or something. So When I took the role, I had no idea this was true. The fans informed me that it had to happen, which is fine. But I'm going to be doing that. I think it comes out next year, the new Toy Story. There's another project involving Ghost Busters that I can't talk about. I'm like, really?

We won't say anything about it.

Yeah. They call me, Ernie, you know you can't. Anyway, fans tell me everything I know about Ghost Busters. They know about it, things before I even hear of it. But yeah, I know. So I've been blessed to say, busy. And I just did a a layout for men's fitness. I did this thing called Gem to Fridge, which has been, I guess, on YouTube. But so I'm trying to convince them that I'll be a great cover for men over a certain age and men in general.

I was going to say, men over 30, that's Ernie Hudson right there. You are the model.

So hopefully, I would love to... But I just stay busy. I'm blessed to. But I just stayed busy. And blessed to the fall still rings. People say, When will you retire? In my business, thankfully, you don't have to retire. You retire when they stop calling you, I guess. But also, I think there's a point when I've worked with some fellow actors, some younger than me, but they struggle with lines and memorizing. Sometimes even physically, I was working with a friend who was on a walker, just physically not capable. I think at the time comes when I'm no longer capable of bringing my best. I think that's one of the things I hope I'm aware enough to, to just step aside as opposed to someone telling me that. I need to.

Yeah, absolutely. Well, again, honored to have you on. I'm going to get you out of here. Rapid fire, five questions.

Okay.

You ready?

Sure.

All right. What's your favorite line that you've delivered on screen?

What comes to mind, right off the top of my head, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say. I don't know if that is, but that's what came in my mind.

There you go. What's one movie you wish you would have started?

One movie? Maybe the Rocky stuff, the Rocky movies. I love what Carl did. I'm not taking anything away, but I think I could have brought up. I wish I could have starting that.

There you go. Good stuff. I think I know the answer to this, but I'm going to ask it anyway. What's one hidden talent that you have that most people don't know about?

A hidden talent. I think I have a comedic talent that I... I've done some comedies, but I've never been able to just take some material and have fun with.

That's exactly what I would have said.

Oh, okay. Yeah. No, I think most people think I'm very serious, and I'm going, I don't know. I think maybe the voice. Yeah. I always feel like I've never had a job. You know what I mean? Yeah. I have not, but people do. Raising kids, I know how to turn my voice and maybe an expression to just make it when I'm on the set and people get a little too goofy friendly, I know how to make them back up.

Yes, sir. Or talking about fitness, how often are you in the gym now?

I'll be really honest with this because a lot of people think I'm very inconsistent. I'll get in a mold and I get to the gym three times a week, sometimes four, and then I'll do that for two and a half months, and then I don't do anything for six months. You know what I mean? If I get caught up with stuff. But when I say I don't do anything, I don't get in the gym. I've never been a gym rat I've never been a bodybuilder. Whatever I am, it's God given. But I will, now as I've gotten older, probably from my... Definitely in my 70s, I'll stretch out, do a light stretching because you want to be flexible, because the One of the biggest dangers as you get older is falling down and breaking something. So I'll try to stretch. And there are five things I do. I do push-ups. I'll try to get to a... I'll try to. I do about 100 push-ups, but with three sets. So maybe I'll do 40 at first and then whatever. But as long as it's over 100. Some stomach crunches, the crunches or sit-ups or leg raises, something that focuses on the abdominal muscle.

Squats that just gets the blood going in my legs and It's a bit just because for me, the fountain, not the fountain of use, but the look of you is in the midsection. No matter what's happening, if you can keep that midsection, so that's the area that I focus on. If I lay flat on my back and I don't get the full extent of my rib cage. I know that I probably should. Also, I think as I get older, it hasn't been so much exercise as much as dieting and sometimes fasting. If I really feel, if I start to get starting to get out of stream, I'll just stop eating. So just being aware of what we're taking in, because you can exercise all you want, but if you're not eating right. So just being aware of the common sense stuff that, like I said, the universe will guide you. We know. My grandmother said, Don't worry about doing something brilliant. Don't worry about... Just don't do the stupid stuff. And we all know what the stupid stuff is, and we do it anyway. It has a price to pay for it. So just use your common sense.

Absolutely. Last question, Mr. Hudson. Today, if you could describe your life in one word, what would that one word be?

Blessed. I'm blessed. The last thing I do before I go to bed is get on my knees and pray. The first thing in the morning is just give thanks. My prayer is just thank you. They dedicated the street I grew up on. They changed the name to my name. I went back for the ceremony morning. I had a lot of state representatives and city officials and all that. But there were hundreds of little kids who lived in the projects who came out. I thought, they all reminded me so much of me. I realized that there was I wasn't an athlete that could jump higher than. I was just a kid, but I had a faith in something that allowed me to dream outside the box and not be limited by because society tries to limit dreams. I know that there's greater things, and that's that belief in God. I know a lot of people are in trouble with the word God. I don't think it matters. The universe or whatever. Or whatever that got us here has carried me through my life of something.

Man, this has been my favorite interview. I finally got to talk to the person that I was shaping my fatherhood around. I can't thank you enough, Mr. Hudson. And I know you're going to say call you Ernie, but you are Mr. Hudson right now because I owe you that, because you mean that much to me. So thank you so much.

Thank you. And you honor me by just saying that. I mean, honestly, you're the next generation coming up. So I admire and appreciate you. Thank you. Just be your best.

Thank you so much. And to all the viewers and listeners, remember, your because is your superpower. Go unleash it. That's another powerful conversation on Mic Unplug. If this episode moved you, and I'm sure it did, follow the show wherever you listen. Share it with someone who needs that spark, and leave a review so more people can find there because. I'm Rudy Rush, and until next time, stay driven, stay focused, and stay Unplug.