1 week Ago By Brandon Schreur
Interview: Ernie Hudson Discusses Angry Birds Mystery Island, Animation, & Ghostbusters By ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to about the Angry Birds Mystery Island. Hudson discussed what drew him to the project, the importance of animation, his work in the franchise, and more. “Based on Rovio’s popular game Angry Birds, Angry Birds Mystery Island introduces three new Hatchling characters—’Mia,’ ‘Rosie,’ and ‘Buddy’—and a foreign-exchange piglet named ‘Hamylton’ who are mistakenly catapulted onto an uncharted island.
The ragtag bunch quickly learns that, in order to survive and make it back home, they will need to unlock the mysteries of the island together.” Both Part 1 and Part 2 of Angry Birds Mystery Island Season are now streaming on Amazon Kids+ and Prime Video. Well, thank you.
I’m so honored to have been a part of it. It was a lot of fun to do. At this stage of my career and in my life, I’m always happy when someone says to me, ‘We’d like to work with you’ and invite me to work.
I don’t audition for parts anymore. But I’m always looking for something a little bit different, something that’s kind of special that I haven’t necessarily done. I never did an angry bird before.
So when they called and offered me the part, I read the script. It was really the character that drew me to want to do this. I think Marlon is so unusual, so kind of over-the-top, and so all over the place with his emotions.
I just thought that this would be — I never played a character quite like this and it’d be fun to do, even though it’s voice-over. I think, for me, now, in my career, I’m not necessarily looking for the next job as I am looking for something that’ll be fun to do, something I’m going to enjoy, and something that’s going to push me a little bit. Marlon definitely did that.
Honestly, no. I’d like to say yeah but, no, I really wasn’t. I’d heard about it because everyone has heard about Angry Birds, but I’m a little leary about getting caught into games because I can become obsessive with it.
Tetris was enough for me to go, ‘This may not be a good thing for me.’ It wasn’t until I read the script. Since then, I’ve gone back and I’ve watched all the shows, the episodes that we did.
When I met the production team, they were so excited, and that enthusiasm was just contagious. I thought, ‘Yeah, I want to be a part of this.’ Oh, absolutely.
Absolutely. And for all those other animated producers, I’m always available. To me, animation and the work that I do is almost like the dessert.
I mean, film and television, theater, that’s a different part of me. Animation, it’s really just fun. It’s sort of a different exploration.
I’m always open. I haven’t done a lot because I really haven’t been asked to do as much as I’d like, but I’ve never pursued it. I’ve never sort of gone out.
For a lot of this, you need to audition and I’m just not feeling that. I’m a little too old for that. But I’m here, I’m ready, I’m ready to go to work.
Well, first off, they used to have cartoon shows and they were supposedly made for kids, but then they were kind of interesting. So when there’s a project that has some sort of — I don’t want to say some sort of moral story, but some sort of theme that addresses life, in general, I think that’s important. And I think Angry Birds is one of those shows that teaches.
There are lessons in there. There are cartoon shows for adults, now. I’ve done a few of those Adult Swim things.
I do feel that we’re sort of in this thing together and those of us who have lived as long as I have, we’re sort of wanting to make sure we stay connected to the younger generation and to be a part of that. These shows, Angry Birds and those that are directed towards youth, it’s an important way of staying connected to having some influence. So much has changed in my lifetime that’s a little bit different than what I imagined.
But it’s no less viable and important, so it’s important that we continue to participate, be a part, and have some influence without forcing ourselves. For me to have a chance to do a show like this, I think it’s really, really important. I try to do that with my work in general; the Ghostbusters stuff or I did a show called Quantum Leap that I think brings families together so they can at least have a discussion together.
Shows where the parent can watch without feeling tortured to have to sit through it. I think this is very, very important, I think it’s an important show and I think it’s important for me to do this and be a part of it. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
I, honestly, had reached a point where after the second movie, we didn’t think there’d be any more. I’d sort of given up on it. But it was such an important part to fans.
During that whole time, people were still putting on their jumpsuits and their backpacks. When we finally came back together, it was almost a spiritual moment. I see Bill Murray and Danny in their jumpsuits, I see Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts and it was very, very special.
I realized that’s been a part of my life for over half of my life. At any time that I’m on the street, somebody will refer to it. You know, ’Ernie, who you gonna call?’ It’s important for me now that there are chapters in every major city around the world.
They do a lot of charity work, so a lot of good has come out of that and I’m very, very proud of that. Overall, what I’ve tried to do in my career — obviously, I don’t just do certain kinds of roles, but I am conscious of trying to do shows that cross generations and that touch people in a way where they can get something out of it or something to contemplate. I told Jason, ‘Don’t ever let anybody do Winston’s voice unless I’m gone.
Like, gone for real.’ Yeah, I don’t know what happened with the original [Real Ghostbusters] thing, there are a lot of stories or whatever. I believe the director wanted Arsenio [Hall], he was a friend of his.
Maybe, I’m not sure, but the studio felt that none of us original Ghostbusters would even think of doing an animated [show.] That might be true for the other guys who made a lot more money than I did, but I love doing voice-over work and I’d be very heartbroken if anyone voiced Winston from this point moving forward. I think it’s all the same.
When I decided to be an actor as a career path, I knew that I had to prepare for and be ready to do — I think it’s all valid. Whether it’s theater, television, film, or animation. They all sort of offer a different muscle, you know what I mean? I’ve been able to do a little bit of all of it, but I love animation.
It’s different. I always want to be a part of that but, like I said, I don’t always go out and openly pursue the roles. But I’d like to do a lot more and I’m always open.
I’ve worked very hard to sort of build a career where the bills are paid, the mortgage is paid, and the kids are out of college. At this stage of my life, it’s more about the fun. When I got the script for Angry Birds, I thought, ‘This will be a fun character.
’ I knew about the Angry Birds world, but this Marlon character was fun. I’m open to doing a lot more, but I’m only interested in working with people who want to work with me. I’m not begging for a job.
It’s very hard for me to express anger. I think the way I grew up, you always have to wait until it builds up and then you just let it all out. I think I feel disappointed more.
You kind of go, ‘Really?’ I don’t know, there are things I kind of disagree with. As I’ve lived long enough, I sort of allow — obviously, there must be a space for that, even though I don’t understand. I have four sons and one has a view of the world that is uniquely his own.
I don’t know where it comes from, but I kind of go, ‘You know what? The fact that he holds it...
’ I just want to allow people space to feel what they feel, even though, I will say, so much of it I don’t understand. But it’s not all given to me to understand. I’ve been very, very blessed and fortunate, so I realize that there are some experiences that I haven’t had.
I don’t know if that answers the question, but for me to lose it, it means I really doubled down on something. And then I have to question myself, ‘Why am I so..
.?’ I think all of this life thing, it takes trusting the greater good will evolve. It’s hard sometimes to do that, but that’s the journey, that’s what I’m reaching for.
There are some amazing people who do some incredible work. I went to college at Yale, I was only there for a year, I didn’t stay to finish. But Meryl Streep was there when I was there, I’d love to work with her, I think she’s amazing.
Not just Meryl, there are some wonderful actors out there I’d love to work with. I’d love to do a rom-com. I keep telling my manager that and he keeps saying, ‘Oh no no, you don’t need to do that.
’ And I’m like, ‘But I want to! I want to get the girl!’ Yeah, that’d be fun to do. I’m just throwing that out there. Also, action.
I’ve always been in great shape. Just recently, they discovered me on a t-shirt and suddenly became aware of that, but I’m like, ‘I want to do the action stuff!’ It’s always been, ‘We’re doing this action show and Ernie is in a suit.’ And I’m like, ‘But I can do that.
’ I want to have a chance to do a real, fun action movie. That’d be really cool. Brandon Schreur has been writing about comics, movies, television shows, and all things pop culture for roughly five years.
He's a lifelong cinephile who spends way, way too much money buying Blu-rays and trade paperbacks. You can find him on twitter at @brandonschreur. Share article.
