“I wasn’t flexing or anything, I didn’t really think about it,” the 78-year-old said. “But it’s nice to be noticed.”
Ernie Hudson is proving that age really is just a number.
After walking the red carpet for the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire premiere, 78-year-old Quantum Leap star– or really his biceps — became a viral sensation.
“I was actually a little embarrassed with the T-shirt, but my jacket had a smudge on it,” he explained to Men’s Health.
“I wasn’t flexing or anything, I didn’t really think about it. But it’s nice to be noticed. It’s flattering in a lot of ways. But when the age thing comes up, it’s like, ‘Oh we’re surprised you’re still alive!’ It would be nice if they said I was sexy and then say I’m 78,” he said.
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Hudson walked the red carpet in March in jeans and a fitted black T-shirt, with his biceps very much on show, looking bigger than the majority of people’s grandfathers at 78-years-old.
Despite the sudden appreciation of Hudson from the masses, he insisted his biceps have always been there.
“It’s kinda strange, because this is the fifth Ghostbusters. I’ve been doing this for well over 50 years, and those same arms have been there all the time,” he told Men’s Health crediting his first job of shoveling dirt for his broad shoulders.
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The actor, also known for The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Miss Congeniality, said he has seen too many friends put restrictions on themselves when they get older.
“Their discipline changes,” he said. “They think they can say whatever they want and be a jerk, or that they don’t have to take as much responsibility. They think they have to do less physically, and so they do less. And you end up kind of diminishing yourself; you have no purpose. Whereas I think it has nothing to do with how old you are. There might come a time when I can’t do as much; we’re all getting older, these bodies aren’t built to last, but there’s no point in speeding that up, or using it as an excuse to be lazy or irresponsible.”
He said that while he didn’t see his body change in his fifties or sixties, he did notice a difference once he turned 70. He was “visited by Mr. Jiggles,” his name for sudden belly fat that appeared.
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“Fasting didn’t get rid of Mr. Jiggles. He just hung in there, you know, and he talks to you at night. He whispers, ‘We need to eat something’. And suddenly, I’m feeding Mr. Jiggles. So a couple of years ago, I thought, ‘I need to get to the gym.'”
However, the recent response over his physique is not distracting the veteran actor from his goals and mindset, referencing Dick Clark’s journey with getting older.
“He always looked amazing. It seemed to me he looked like a perpetual teenager, until one day he didn’t. And we don’t know what the future holds,” he said. “Maybe one day I’ll wake up and, well, who knows. So I’m not concerned with living as long as possible. I just want to live as full and complete a life as I can, to enjoy the time I have, to live a good life, and be an example of what God can do.”
