Dan Aykroyd felt like he "owned New York" after he starred in ‘Ghostbusters’.
The 63-year-old actor, who found success in ‘The Blues Brothers’, co-wrote the 1981 hit movie set in The Big Apple and admitted walking the streets of the city with his co-stars Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson made him feel like a king.
Speaking about the iconic scene where the ghoul-fighting gang of scientists defeat the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man who attacks New York City – he said: "The biggest joy was taking over New York, just watching the people in the city react when we were driving about in the Ecto-1 and walking about with the packs, coming out of public places… There we were, the four of us, Harold, Ernie and me and Billy going to work. It was a great time. I owned Chicago once, with ‘The Blues Brothers’, and on the ‘Ghostbusters’ I owned New York."
The actor is currently producing the female led reboot which is currently under production and stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones as the ghost busting gang, with Chris Hemsworth as their side-kick secretary.
And he is delighted to continue the legacy of the franchise – which also included a sequel in 1989 – because ‘Ghostbusters’ is his "life" and he
loves the fandom that surrounds it.
Speaking of the reboot directed by Paul Feig and due out next year, he said: "Ghostbusters has never left my life…. I’m so happy it’s worked out and that suddenly there are all kinds of new ideas for ‘Ghostbusters’ movies bubbling up. It took sometime to reinvigorate it, and we thank Paul Feig for doing that."
He added: "What I love is pulling up to liquor stores for signings for my new Crystal Head vodka, and seeing an Ectomobile or two. Or sometimes as many as 30 people kitted out as Ghostbusters, wearing everything from the slime pack to the dark jumpsuits."
Dan Aykroyd: I owned New York on set of Ghostbusters
