Ernie Hudson, 78, Shares Secrets to Staying Fit, Reacts to Online Thirst: ‘Nice to Be Noticed’ (Exclusive)

Ernie Hudson didn’t ask for attention – but he got it anyway.

At a photo call for his new film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire in London on March 21, the 78-year-old veteran actor says he got his jacket dirty, so he took it off and posed on the red carpet in just jeans and a tight black T-shirt.

When pictures of Hudson surfaced online over the next few days, people took notice and weren’t shy about sharing their opinions.

“Sweet baby Jesus, I’m pining for someone’s grandpa,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter). Another called the actor “the epitome of tall, dark and handsome,” while another wrote that they were watching the actor’s movie Miss Cuteness in honor of the star who “is 78 and still hot.”

Ernie Hudson turned heads in his skin-tight T-shirt at the ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ event.

Joe Maher/Getty

Asked about the reaction, Hudson laughs and tells PEOPLE, “It’s nice to be noticed. It’s been a bit of a surprise in the last few days.”

For Hudson, it’s a surprise because he says he’s looked relatively the same for most of his adult life, it’s just that nobody noticed until now. “I’ve always been in, I think, pretty good shape,” says the father of four. “But normally, when I’m doing those press conferences, I’m usually in a suit or a sport coat.”

Original Ghost busters Stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson join Paul Rudd in the Frozen Empire Premiere

The Michigan native never exercised regularly until recently. “I’ve always tried to be healthy,” says this two-time cancer survivor. “My career was not focused on my physicality. The most important thing for me is just trying to maintain my health, just common sense things.”

“Seeing these guys who get really pumped up and have these huge arms and six-packs and all that, that’s not what my career has been,” adds Hudson, who, in addition to playing Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbuster franchise, also starred in the HBO series Or. “I’m usually the manager or the principal, or I’m usually the guy in the suit.”

Linda Kingsberg and her husband Ernie Hudson in February.

JC Olivera/Variety via Getty

After turning 70, Hudson—an NBC star A quantum leap and BET Family business (which she also executive produces)—says he noticed that “the fat started to accumulate in my lower abdomen and it wouldn’t go away.”

Now he goes to the gym three days a week for an hour. She also works with a personal trainer and pilates instructor.

“When I see this guy,” Hudson says of his trainer, “he’s going to put me through some things that will make me feel like I’m going to be sore for the next few days. As painful as it is, I actually kind of enjoy it.”

Sherri Shepherd has Ghost busters Ernie Hudson star signs chest on TV: ‘I’ve been waiting to ask for years’

Hudson says he and his wife of nearly 40 years, Linda Kingsberg, try to get at least 10,000 steps a day — which isn’t too hard since they have a dog.

She also attributes her mental health to her good looks. “I’ve always looked at physicality more from a spiritual perspective than a physical one,” he says. “The spiritual dictates the physical more than the other way around. So when I’m in a good space, I’m aware of how I’m living my life, other things fall into place.”

Ernie Hudson.

Russell Baer

In terms of diet, Hudson usually eats between noon and 7pm every day. “I’m not vegan or vegetarian, so I do eat meat, but again, I try not to do it too often,” says the star, who forces herself to drink several bottles of water a day to stay hydrated.

He is also adamant about skin care and uses sunscreen and moisturizer. “A lot of black men or men of color start to get dark under the eyes,” says Hudson.

To fix this, Hudson says he uses vitamin C “to keep the color even.”

Sexy at every age

Now, with all the care Hudson is putting into his health after gaining so much recognition – he jokes that his wife has noticed too.

“Now that I’m getting older and getting more attention, she now travels with me everywhere,” he says. “She has never used in the past. She said, ‘Okay, see you later.’ Now it’s like, ‘No, let’s go together!’ ”

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire it’s in theaters now.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education