Ghostbusters’ Ernie Hudson on ‘Full-Circle’ Boston Blue Role, Throwing Punches, & More

News Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Boston Blue star Ernie Hudson about his role on the hit CBS show, and specifically the latest episode, episode 13, titled “Beautiful Broken Things.” Hudson discussed how his role on the show is a full-circle moment from his childhood, if the show could last for 14 seasons as Blue Bloods did, and more.

“A drive-by shooting at the church pulls Lena and Danny into the complicated past of one of Reverend Peters’ associates. Meanwhile, Mae faces painful revelations about her family, the team manages internal friction, and grandfather Henry (Len Cariou) comes to visit,” a description of the episode reads.

Boston Blue is available to stream on Paramount+.

Brandon Schreur: I want to start just by asking how you got involved with this show. I mean, Blue Bloods was such a huge thing that went on for like 14 years. Then you hear they’re making this spin-off, Boston Blue. What’s the story of how you got cast in here, and what was it that really made you want to be part of this project?

Ernie Hudson: Well, it was a couple of things. I did an episode of Blue Bloods a few years back, and I loved working on the show. Donnie Wahlberg and I, we worked four times — we did a movie called Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School a long time ago. We did a movie called Butter, and then it changed its name to Never Too Big. And then we did something else. But we’ve worked together over the years.

But the two Brandons — Brandon Sonnier and Brandon [Margolis] — they’re the two showrunners. We did a television series called LA’s Finest with Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba a few years back. We did two seasons, and I worked with them on that. So I knew them, and so I guess they had me in mind for the Reverend. And they invited me to come and be a part of it, and I was excited and so thankful that I did.

Yeah, definitely. And, I mean, your character — I love him so much in here. And your performance, too. The Reverend is such an interesting guy; every episode, there are new components that come out about him, and the more it goes along, the more we learn.

Well, thanks, yeah. You know, the Reverend is — for me, it’s so much fun because, as a kid growing up, my grandmother wanted me to be a minister. Which I thought, never. It’s never going to happen. Well, in a way, it’s kind of happening. This is, I think, the Reverend that she would have been proud of, so I was excited for no other reason than that. I just wanted to play this character.

Throughout the course of filming this whole season, was there an aspect of the Reverend that was the most exciting for you, as an actor, to really dive into and explore when you’re kind of getting to know him through your performance?

Yeah, you know, now that we’ve spent some time getting to know the Reverend, I just didn’t want to be the guy sitting at the dinner table. When you play a character, you want him to be a well-rounded, full human being. I was very excited in the beginning, because I knew he was a community leader; he was very involved in the church and in the community.

And this episode coming up, where there’s a lot going on. I was really excited because they showed me that they had more in mind for the character. We see him in the community. We also see the relationship, or the [fragility] of the relationship with the family. We see them at dinner, and we think, well, they’re all together, and there are no issues. But, like all families, there are always issues. And to see all that play out, it makes it very exciting for me, and it makes me, you know, want to keep showing up and keep playing this role.

Yeah, totally. That jumps into what I want to ask you next, too, because we have this new episode coming out. I was watching a screener for it yesterday, and you get a lot to do in this episode. There’s a lot that happens in the beginning, and then there’s everything in the hospital. There’s that huge confrontation with your character’s daughter, and then that final punch at the end was pretty awesome to see. So you’re doing a lot in here. Was there a moment in this episode that you were especially excited to film that turned out to be a lot of fun to dive into?

Yeah, there were a couple things. Like I said, the temptation was to have a character that just shows up for dinner, and he says a lot of grandpa things to say, and then he disappears. Seeing the [fragility] of the relationship with his daughter and the family, and suddenly, the secrets that have been hidden for years. All of that, coming out.

But, also for me, to see his community outreach and the consequences of that. That was exciting to play. And then to have his faith challenged. What happens in the church and how that unfolds, and then to see him get physical, that was really kind of cool. For me, the character is a guy, you know? He’s a minister, he’s trying to do his best, and his family — they’re Jewish, and so they’re not quite what he had in mind for his daughter. But, you know, he’s just trying to be a good guy. And it’s nice in this episode to see him challenged. I love how he sort of works through it.

Definitely. And, again, that punch in the church, that was awesome. It had me hooting and hollering; I thought it was great.

Oh, thanks, thanks. Yeah, they brought a stunt guy in. I go, wait a minute, so why is he here? They said, well, because you have to throw a punch. I go, you know, guys, I’m 80 years old, but I think I can throw a punch. I mean, we don’t really need to hire somebody for that.

Oh, wow.

But, yeah, it was fun.

That’s awesome. I love to hear it. This episode also features a special guest appearance from Len Cariou. I think a lot of Blue Bloods fans have been waiting for that to happen because, I mean, we all know and love his character from the original show. You guys get to share a couple of scenes together here in this new episode. So can you tell me a little about what it was like working with him and collaborating with him in this space, and getting to see him come back and reprise this role?

Yeah, Len is so cool. And, you know, he’s been around a long time. We did a pilot for a series back in, like, 1980 — or it was the mid-80s. He was a judge, and I was a bailiff. The pilot didn’t turn into a series, but I’ve known him ever since then. I’m a fan of his work. I’m just a fan of him as a human being.

I loved him on Blue Bloods, too, and the fact that he came and sort of graced us on the show — it gave it a certain validity, because it’s a spin-off. But, you know, as much as we can crossover the shows and the fact that he came on our show and I got to see him and work with him again, it was a joy for me.

We’ll hopefully see more of it. I’d love for Tom Selleck, but I have no say in any of that. But Bridget Moynahan, she has not only come and played a role on our show, but she’s also directed a couple of episodes. So there’s crossover. I hope to see more of it. Of course, Donnie Wahlberg is just an amazing guy, and it’s just a real pleasure.

Sure, totally. So we’ve got this new episode coming out, as we’ve said. I watched that last night, but I haven’t seen anything that comes after that. Is there anything you can tease or tell us about what’s coming for the second half of this season?

Yeah, you know, for the Reverend, once this secret is out, that has repercussions. And that doesn’t go away very easily. It challenges him and his daughter, Mae. And so there’s, you know, just how the family being involved in law enforcement. They’re not just ticket writers; there are some real difficulties that the family has to face. Yeah, it’s just great. But the relationships are what I’m really, very excited about.

And, of course, they are young people, so they’re dating and doing whatever. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get a girlfriend and how that works with ministers, but we’ll find out in time. But there’s a lot of fun stuff coming up.

I can’t wait to see it. And just one last question for you. Blue Bloods, as we’ve said, went on for a really long time, 14 years. I know that nobody approaches a show going, ‘We’re going to get 14 seasons out of this one, too.’ But has some form of that idea crossed your mind? Do you think Boston Blue is a show that could go on for many years, and is it something you’d want to keep being a part of?

Well, I think, yeah, it has potential to go for a long time, but not because of the show. It’s just that television is changing so much. I mean, now with all the streaming. It’s not the old television like back ten or fifteen years ago, where we do 23 episodes a season and it was mostly network TV. Now, it’s different, and people are watching different kinds of content. So, whether it will last, and whether TV will last — and be what we recognize as TV in the future — I have no idea. So, however long it lasts.

And when somebody says we want to go 14 [seasons]I go, ‘You know, I’d be almost 100 years old.’ So I’m not sure if — I don’t know if I’ll be throwing punches at 100. But as long as it’s fun and I’m able to do it, I’m happy to be a part of it.

Thanks to Ernie Hudson for taking the time to discuss Boston Blue.