Ernie Hudson spoke with People.com after he went viral at a “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” movie premiere in London on March 21.
The 78-year-old character actor showed off his rippling muscles in a tight black T-shirt.
“Sweet baby Jesus I’m lusting after someone’s Grandpappy,” one X/twitter user wrote. Another person called the actor “the epitome of tall, dark and handsome.”
Hudson tells People.com he’s surprised by all the attention he’s getting at age 78.
“It’s nice to be noticed. It’s been a little bit of a surprise in the last couple of days.”
“I’ve always been in what I consider fairly good shape,” he says. “But normally, when I do those press conferences, I’m usually in a suit or a sport coat.”
The father-of-4 tells People he never worked out regularly until recently.
After turning 70, Hudson says he noticed that “fat began to gather on the lower stomach, and it wasn’t going away.”
“I’ve always tried to be healthy,” says the two-time cancer survivor. “My career hasn’t been about focusing on my physicality. The most important thing for me is just to try to maintain your health, just common-sense stuff.”
“I see these guys who really pump up and they got these massive arms and six-packs and all that, that’s not what my career has been about. I’m usually the warden or the principal, or I’m usually the guy in the suit,” he added.
Hudson says he and his wife of nearly 40 years, Linda Kingsberg, try to walk at least 10,000 steps a day.
He said his wife is beginning to notice all the attention he’s getting.
“As I get older now and I get more attention, she travels with me now everywhere,” he laughed. “She never used to in the past. She was like, ‘Okay, I’ll see you later.’ Now it’s like, ‘No, we’re going together!'”
As for his diet, Hudson says he skips breakfast and eats between noon and 7 p.m. each day. “I’m not a vegan or vegetarian, so I do eat meat, but then again, I try not to do it too often.”
The “L.A.’s Finest” actor forces himself to drink a few bottles of water a day to keep his skin hydrated. He also uses sunscreen, a moisturizer, and a vitamin C cream to fade dark circles under his eyes.
“With a lot of Black men or men of color, there’s a darkness that starts to set in under the eyes,” says Hudson.
