The death of Brandon Lee on the set of The Crow will forever be regarded as one of the great tragedies in modern Hollywood. The young actor and son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee was on the precipice of becoming a major star when he was making the beloved 1994 film, but his life was cut when a firearm misfunction during production resulted in his death. It was a horrible thing to happen, but he still lives on in the memories of those with whom he grew close during his time in the industry.
Ernie Hudson got to spend some significant time with Brandon Lee prior to his death, and he recently discussed his relationship with his Crow co-star in an interview for the Power Up With Tony Horton YouTube channel. Hudson plays Sergeant Daryl Albrecht opposite Lee’s Eric Draven in the Alex Proyas film, and when asked to reflect on their relationship, he told the story of how they first had the opportunity to meet. Referencing the upcoming Crow remake starring Bill Skarsgård, he said,
As far as I’m concerned, Brandon Lee was the Crow. He was such a great guy. I met Brandon maybe about eight years before we did the movie. I was doing a series up in Vancouver with Miguel Ferrer. [Miguel and Brandon] were good friends, and Brandon had flown over from China where he’d been working and just kinda hung out maybe five or six days and I got to know him pretty well. So, when The Crow came up, he wanted me to be a part of this film. But Brandon was just one of those rare people. He just had a way of including everyone.
While the stereotypical Hollywood star goes back to his trailer between takes and doesn’t want to spend time with his co-stars or the crew, Ernie Hudson said that wasn’t the way that Brandon Lee would operate.
The Ghostbusters star also shared the story of the last time he had the chance to speak with Brandon Lee – which was at a time when his own family had suffered a loss and he was dealing with confidence issues regarding his career. Hudson told the interviewer that Lee was not just kind to him but offered special words of encouragement to him:
Probably one of the life lessons I learned… My wife’s brother passed away unexpectedly in his sleep, but we had to fly from North Carolina to Minneapolis. And she was upset, but we were having dinner with Brandon. At dinner, he was very, very nice to her, and then he and I got into a conversation. I’m like, ‘I’ve been doing this stuff for so long. I’ve done everything I know to do…’ I was just in one of those spaces. And he was saying, ‘Ernie, hang in.’ He said, ‘I’m not just starring in this. I just signed a three-picture deal. I’m getting married. We just bought a house. Life is good and I’m sure it’s gonna happen for you. Just hang in there, and you’ll be like me.’
Continuing, Ernie Hudson recalled how he first heard the devastating news that Brandon Lee was dead. He said that his initial instinct was to not finish the film without the lead, he is ultimately happy that the movie was finished because he believes that Lee would be proud of the work. Said Hudson,
We flew to Minnesota the next day, and as I was walking in the house, I got a phone call that he was dead. And I just went, ‘Wow.’ You know that old saying, ‘If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.’ It was hard to believe. I didn’t want to go back and finish the movie, but I’m so glad we did because I think he would have been very proud of the movie. His work is amazing and I have no doubt he would have been a major star had he lived.
A 1990s classic, The Crow is a must-watch if you have never seen it before – and it’s at the very least worth giving a watch before exploring your curiosity about the upcoming remake. In addition to being available for digital rental and purchase, physical media collectors can purchase the movie on 4K UHD, and it’s also currently available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription.