People can’t believe how old Ernie Hudson is after he shows up on red carpet looking half his age

People have been left quite frankly gobsmacked after realizing how old Ernie Hudson is.

The actor is currently doing the media rounds ahead of the release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, one of the most anticipated films of this year.

His character, Winston Zeddemore, returns as a philanthropist masterminding the next generation in the paranormal universe.

It comes forty years after Hudson shot to fame as the fourth member of the iconic group, alongside Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis in the original Ghostbusters.

"It’s been 40 years. Over half my life has been Ghostbusters on some level or other," he told the Independent. "I’ve been acting close to 60 years and there are some films I’ve made that I hope they never even think about making again."

Well, ahead of the release of the new Ghostbusters movie, Hudson has been on red carpets promoting his latest flick.

And fans who have seen snaps of the actor on the red carpet can't quite believe the age he actually is.

Joe Maher/Getty Images

The veteran film star is, in fact, 78-years-old, with many even suggesting he looks half his age.

Captioning a photo of Hudson, one X user penned: "Seventy f**king Eight??"

"I thought he looks 45!" another commented.

"This man had found the fountain of youth... he looks good for his age!" a third remarked.

While many just associate Hudson with Ghostbusters, he has also featured in a lot of other projects, including The Crow and Miss Congeniality.

"Most things come and go," he told the Independent. "Not a lot of people noticed that I was in three films last year. But it’s just a job.

"It doesn’t give you special status. I haven’t been so successful, like some friends who can barely walk down the street or made so much money that they can’t count it. I’m still a working guy."

Columbia Pictures

While Hudson now returns to the Ghostbusters universe, it wasn't all happy times for him with the franchise in the past.

Speaking on The Howard Stern Wrap Up Show, Hudson spoke about Columbia Pictures, the studio previously behind Ghostbusters.

"I was the guy who was brought in, and so finding my place in the middle of that… they were all welcoming and inclusive," he said.

"The studio wasn’t, and the studio continued not to be.

"So it made it very, very difficult because I was a part of it but then I very selectively was pushed aside."

UNILAD has previously reached out to Columbia Pictures for comment.