Why Ernie Hudson, 80, Says He Refused a Stunt Double for Punch Scene in “Boston Blue ”(Exclusive)

Brenton BlanchetSat, April 4, 2026 at 3:00 AM UTC

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Ernie Hudson as Rev. Peters in 'Boston Blue'Credit: Brendan Adam-Zwelling/CBS

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Friday, April 3 episode of Boston Blue.

Ernie Hudson serves a knuckle sandwich in the latest episode of Boston Blue

The veteran actor, 80, tells PEOPLE that he insisted on throwing his own punch in the show's April 3 episode instead of using a stuntman

"Sometimes people assume that maybe you can't do something, but I've always tried to stay ready, so to speak," he says

Ernie Hudson has built a screen career chasing ghosts, solving crime and taking part in dozens of other professions. He can do his own stunts too.

In the latest episode of CBS' Boston Blue, Hudson's character of the Silver family patriarch, Rev. Edwin Peters, gets a little more physical than usual.

Released on Friday, April 3, "Beautiful Broken Things" finds Rev. Peters shot at during a community event, later revealing the truth about his wife's death (which he never told his daughter, DA Mae Silver), and eventually coming face-to-face with a life-or-death situation right inside his own church.

But with a little help from Boston Police Department detective Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) and fellow BPD standout Lena Silver (his granddaughter, played by Sonequa Martin-Green), Hudson's Rev. Peters wastes no time throwing a situation-diffusing punch and marking a first for the actor in the crime drama.

"It was funny," Hudson, 80, tells PEOPLE of filming the scene. "When they brought a stuntman in to throw the punch and I go, 'Really, guys? I mean, I think I can throw a punch.'"

Ernie Hudson as Rev. Peters in 'Boston Blue'Credit: Christos Kalohoridis/CBS

"We weren't sure," Hudson recalls of the response he got. "I'm like, 'Really?' I turned 80, but something about that number, it's big. And it's even big for me. Sometimes people assume that maybe you can't do something, but I've always tried to stay ready, so to speak."

Known for his decades onscreen in Ghostbusters, Quantum Leap, The Crow and beyond, the actor tells PEOPLE he "always hoped for the role to come along" where he "really got a chance to show" what he can do.

"I was always afraid of not being prepared and not being in shape to do it. So I've never allowed myself to get too far out of shape or too heavy," Hudson says of keeping fit. "And I've never been lost. I've never been too heavy. I've maintained my weight for all these years because I think it is my responsibility as an actor to bring.... This is my instrument, so to speak."

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He adds, "Part of that is I just learned to maintain a little bit throughout the day as opposed to getting the chance to go to the gym. Most people want to save up and think that they're going to do it all at once or they'll put on a lot of weight and then have to fight to take it off."

Before boarding Boston Blue, Hudson says he wasn't quite sure what to expect from his character's physical scenes. His latest episode was a welcome surprise.

"To see the Reverend sort of dig down and get physical, I didn't expect that. So it was a lot going on and it was a chance for me to ... I was worried in the beginning. I didn't want to be stuck just at the dinner table and to say something old and wise and that was it," he says. "So it was nice to get out of the house and be active. I was really excited about it."

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The star, like Rev. Peters, is a grandfather himself. He's also a great-grandfather. As he now plays the head of a family, with a newly revealed secret at play, Hudson tells PEOPLE that families are "never quite as simple."

"They look like they're so together, but when you look inside, there's a lot going on," Hudson adds. "I was happy that they brought in some issues on the show, didn't make it just simple. We're all just a happy family and we have Shabbat dinners and there's no.... But there are issues and there are disagreements and there are hurt feelings. I'm glad that they want to show the roundedness of the character and the family in the show."

While time will tell if Hudson gets to throw another punch or two in Boston Blue, the actor is hopeful for more of a spotlight on "the community that he serves, that he loves, that he protects" in Rev. Peters' future.

Boston Blue airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

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