*For more than five decades, Ernie Hudson has built one of Hollywood’s most respected and enduring careers. This fall, the beloved “Ghostbusters” icon begins a new chapter with the CBS drama “Boston Blue,” premiering Friday, Oct. 17. The series expands the “Blue Bloods” universe, following Donnie Wahlberg’s Detective Danny Reagan as he transfers to the Boston Police Department — and crosses paths with Reverend Edwin Peters, played by Hudson.
“I play a Baptist minister, community organizer,” Hudson says. “My daughter is the DA, and my granddaughters, one is a police captain, one is a police detective, and my grandson is a rookie. So just like ‘Blue Bloods,’ it’s a family that’s very entrenched in the Boston Police Department, but I’m not in that. I’m the dad, but thankfully, as Reverend Peters, he’s very much involved in the community.”
That community connection is what drew Hudson to the project. “There are a lot of police issues that he brings a whole different perspective because that voice hasn’t been heard in a lot of these cop shows,” he explains. “Also, my daughter is Jewish, I’m of course Baptist, Donnie Wahlberg is Catholic. So there’s a lot of interesting dynamics going on there.”
The veteran actor says the show’s focus on family struck a personal chord. “Most of the things that I’ve done in my last 20 years have been kind of family-focused,” he shares. “I do the BET, it’s on Netflix now, ‘Family Business,’ and it’s all about family, even though it’s a very unique and different family. It’s about family, and (Boston Blue) is about family, that whole connectedness that we seem to have lost certainly in my lifetime.”
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Hudson says the theme of connection resonates deeply. “I was born in the 40s, so coming through the 50s, and how we relied on each other to survive, and now it seems a lot of that is lost,” he reflects. “So I like the family dynamic and being a part of this very unique, and a lot of ways not so unique, because I think all of us, a lot of our families now, are very blended and…we intersect and connect, and that’s the way of the world.”
The chance to reunite with Wahlberg also made the decision an easy one. “We did a movie together 25 years ago,” Hudson recalls. “I think it was maybe the first movie ever did. It was called ‘Butter,’ and then I think they changed the name to ‘Never Too Big,’ and I had a great time working with him. I played the head of a music company, kind of like a Motown thing and and he came in to try and steal my company or whatever. I can’t remember the story, but I’ve known him for a while, and to work with him again, I knew it would be a lot of fun.”
Beyond “Boston Blue,” Hudson continues to keep his schedule packed. He’ll return to the small screen in the sixth season of “The Family Business,” a drama he also executive produces. “This sixth season really tests the dynamics of the family. I have a couple of children who are unraveling, and it’s the best season ever,” he says. “The story… just watch it.”
He also revisits his sci-fi roots with “Quantum Leap,” which recently dropped both seasons on Netflix following its NBC run. “I love that show. I love being a part of that, and I never really felt we had a chance to sort of get deeper into the concept of storyline,” Hudson says. “So the fact that it’s getting a chance to be seen by people who it makes me very happy.”
For Hudson, “Quantum Leap” embodies the kind of storytelling he believes audiences need more of. “I think that there’s something right now, I want to say the country, but maybe it’s the world, we’re in a really strange place,” he says. “Shows that can show our common humanity, I think it’s very good, but also kind of rare. ‘Quantum Leap’ is really about stepping into somebody else’s world and seeing that humanity from a different perspective.”
Next year, Hudson will head back to the big screen for “Toy Story 5,” joining Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. “Many years ago, back in the 80s, Tom Hanks had a show called ‘Bosom Buddies’ and I did an episode of that and we became friends and I’ve admired his career over all these years,” Hudson says. “So to be able to come into this franchise, it’s already well-established, but it gives me points with my great-grandkids, so I’m excited and happy to be a part of that.”
As he steps into yet another major role, Hudson’s outlook remains as grounded as ever — and he shows no signs of slowing down. To hear more from the veteran actor, including how he maintains his remarkable fitness, his plans to write a memoir, and his wish to play a leading man in a love story while finding a role that truly pushes his limits, watch the full interview below.
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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