Ernie Hudson

But then, you know, this character named Bambo, and it's like Sambo, and, you know, all these things that were there.

And so we were in the middle of rehearsing, and I just finally had to say, you know, I can't do this.

I just went to the producers and said, I know there are a lot of people out there who would love to job.

There's more money than I ever made in my life, but I can't.

And thank you very much.

So I left.

And two days later, they called me and said, you know, we thought about what you said, and we'd like to fix this, and we really want you.

And so they changed the name from Bambo to Smite.

And he's a voodoo priest, so he understands that.

But how about we make him a Ph.D.?

So it's a Ph.D.

You don't need the earring or the gold teeth.

And so they bet a lot to make—we don't have to say Buona, you know—

And I think it taught me, it was early on that, you know, a lot of things you can just go, no, sometimes they may, they may not agree, but at least, you know, you can make the changes because up until then, you know, I'm from theater and you try to do what's written there.

But,

That's a different situation.

I did a television show with Ted Knight called Too Close for Comfort.

And there was a line where I come in and we're ex-convicts who come to repair this hole in the wall.

It's in the story.

And as I walk in, I see the hole and I go, holy mahalia.