Prisoner’s Daughter is a gritty, turbulent drama that follows Max (Brian Cox, Succession) who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and granted a compassionate release after 12 years in prison with the condition he resides with his estranged daughter, Maxine (Kate Beckinsale, Underworld).
As a single mom desperate for income to raise her only son, Ezra (Christopher Convery), she reluctantly agrees but has no interest in reconciliation or allowing Max to have a relationship with her son.
To make matters worse, Maxine also has to contend with Ezra’s father, Tyler (Tyson Ritter), an abusive addict who wants more control of his son's life. As Max seeks one last chance to redeem himself in her eyes, they must contend with his dark, violent past as it comes back to haunt them all.
Screen legend and Ghostbusters icon Ernie Hudson also stars in Prisoner's Daughter, and we recently had the privilege of speaking with him about his role as Hank.
In our interview, the actor reflects on working with Brian Cox, breaks down a couple of key scenes in the movie, and talks about exploring a new side of Las Vegas in the midst of breathing life into this character.
We also hear from Hudson on his role in the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel, including how it felt to suit up as Winston again and what fans can expect from the OG Ghostbuster now he's funding the team.
Check out our full conversation in the player below.
There’s clearly a storied history between your character and Brian Cox’s Max, so did the two of you discuss that or did you, personally, give some thought to who Hank was before we meet him here?
Yeah, I was really attracted to it because of the relationship and history between guys who were certain young people at one point in their lives and now they’ve changed. I’m personally dealing with the idea this is what old age looks and feels like, and how you see the world. A lot of that experience is through friendships and not just seeing what happens to you, but also seeing how it unfolds in other people. This guy definitely had a history and is one of those characters who believes, ‘I’m doing this and can live with it.’ Then you reach a point in life where you go, ‘No, I can’t live with it. I’ve got to make peace.’
Also, I’ve always had a thing about family. I have four sons and I don’t have a history I think I have to go back and apologise for [Laughs] but this story was…yeah. Brian had actually directed several episodes of Oz, so I met him there. I was a fan of his work and then this whole Succession thing was incredible, so to get the chance to work with him [was great]. Kate Beckinsale, we didn’t have a lot to do together, but it was a fun project, especially coming out of COVID. I like the character and thought it would be fun. It wasn’t anything really heavy and the film wasn’t on my shoulders [Laughs]. I would always kid Brian that he’s younger than me, but I get to be the boxing guy while he struggles with all of his health issues. That’s a long-winded answer, but you know.
I have to talk about your scenes with Christopher [Convery]; for such a young actor, he’s a real talent and those scenes involve some boxing training where young Ezra ends up landing a punch on Hank. That must have been a fun day on set for the two of you?
I really liked him a lot. I didn’t know his work, but I liked his energy. There are some people and it’s like they’re meant to be here in this business. There’s a certain confidence and he takes it seriously. When we got in the boxing ring, a lot of it was ad-libbed, but it was fun and it kind of reminded me of my sons. When I was a kid, about his age, I had an uncle who told me that to keep people from constantly picking on you and bullying you, he said, ‘You have to fight. You can’t avoid fighting, but when you fight, you have to make them believe you’re crazy. If they believe you’re crazy, they’ll leave you alone.’ They can’t deal with a crazy person! So, every time I’d get into a little fight, I’d get nuts, and everyone would go, ‘Whoa!’ [Laughs]
That wasn’t in the scene, but it reminded me of that and we threw it in. He was just great to play with. He’s really talented and it’s always inspiring for me, now that I’ve been doing it for so long. I’ve worked with a lot of young people who are there for different reasons…maybe parents or who knows, but when you see someone who really wants to be there and takes it seriously and is open to receiving, then that’s great.
I thought it was really interesting to see Las Vegas explored in such a different way with these characters who are almost on the periphery of the glitz and glamour the city is known for. Was that something you enjoyed delving into?
Vegas has always been…I did a play we did in a couple of cities and then they wanted to take it to Vegas. I didn’t go as I wasn’t there to consider it. It was outside the strip in one of other those areas of Vegas as there’s a side of the city we don’t see. It’s the whole thing of, ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but you don’t think about the people who actually stay there!’ [Laughs] It was really interesting to see that side of it and to see them on the outside doing the hustle, but not legitimately in. There’s a life that goes on. Kate, I know they toned her down, but she’s so beautiful. I was like, ‘Really?’ [Laughs] As an actor, she pulls it off, and I realise that there are so many beautiful people where it’s almost self-imposed. If they would just think about it a little differently, they’d have a great life, but they see things a certain way and so they struggle. I loved the cast and to get the chance to be part of that was really special.
The scene in the car when Hank tells this guy, Max, who is his friend just how bad he was…what was going through your mind in that scene, particularly when it comes to how it informs what comes next?
I think that, to me, spoke a lot too. The friendship. Or not even the friendship, but the sense of shared ugliness that once upon a time, ‘We did some shit and I’d like to pretend it didn’t happen and I’d like to go on and pretend we didn’t,’ but you have to own that. With some people, we let them off the hook and would say, ‘Yeah, it wasn’t that bad,’ but sometimes if you’re really honest, you’d say, ‘Yeah…you were pretty f***ed up.’ [Laughs] It speaks a lot to friendship when you know you have to be honest, even though it’s not what makes them feel better, especially with someone facing death and all that. You want to say nice, soothing words, but I can’t excuse some of the stuff we did. And that you did. I didn’t do all of it, but I did some of it, and I don’t feel good about it.
Prisoner's Daughter arrives in theaters on June 30.