Ernie Hudson Teases Marvel Talks After Missing Out on Pivotal Black Panther Role

He may be best known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters franchise, but veteran actor Ernie Hudson is ready for a turn in the ever-evolving Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though Hudson has done some superhero voiceover work in the past, and he appeared in one episode of Arrow on The CW, he has yet to land a role in one of the major live-action comic book franchises. That’s not for a lack of trying, though. As it turns out, Hudson has been campaigning for a part in the MCU for some time.

ComicBook.com recently sat down for a video chat with Hudson to talk about his career, and he explained that he’s reached out to the folks at Marvel Studios on more than one occasion. He especially wanted a shot at playing T’Challa’s father, King T’Chaka, in Black Panther.

“Louis D’Esposito, who’s co-president over at Marvel [Studios], I keep sending him texts and it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m here and I’m available.’ And I’m not very good at begging. You know what I mean? I don’t know how to do that well,” Hudson told us. “I’ve been a fan of the Marvel universe and DC [movies]. I love that stuff. I grew up with a lot of it, but it hasn’t been from a lack of desire on my part.”

Hudson asked D’Esposito about playing Chadwick Boseman’s father in the MCU, but he was told that the part wasn’t big enough, which makes it seem like Marvel may be hoping to save him for another role in the future. The part of T’Chaka ultimately went to John Kani.

“First it was the dad in Black Panther,” he continued. “So I kind of hinted [at it] — I went a little beyond hinting. The fans started to pick it up. So I called and I said, ‘Well, you know there’s the part of the dad.’ He said, ‘Well, that part is too small for you.’

“So that didn’t work out. So, something will come out and I’ll send him a text like, ‘I really loved it. Congratulations on that. Wow. It would’ve been really, really great to be in that one.’ And they’re amazing over there. Stan Lee was a friend. We at least knew each other, we’d spend time at different conventions talking. Kind of hinted to him. But I don’t know. You never know, short of going to somebody’s house and [asking].”

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to grow, there will plenty of new roles to be filled in the near future. Hopefully one of them has Ernie Hudson’s name written on it.

Who would you like to see Ernie Hudson play in the MCU? Let us know in the comments!

You can watch the full interview with Ernie Hudson in the video at the top of the page.