Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Has A Live-Action First For One Original Cast Member
Even though she's been a supporting member of the crew since the first "Ghostbusters" movie in 1984, Annie Potts' Janine Melnitz never once got the chance to gear up in the official GB uniform, at least not in live-action. But now that's about to change with the release of "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," which will see the team's first hire donning the iconic jumpsuit. This revelation, which wasn't in the original script, was a shock even to the actor.
"It came as a real surprise," Potts told Empire. "We were weeks into shooting and [director Gil Kenan] came up to me and said, 'We think it's time... We're gonna have you suit up.'" A promotional image shows Janine wearing the classic tan coveralls alongside surviving original Ghostbusters Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Akroyd), and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson). She's not wearing the traditional proton pack, but the actor wasn't complaining about that. "Thank God I didn't have to put a pack on, because they're murderously heavy, and us OGs are getting on a bit," she said.
While the animated version of Janine sported the uniform in both "The Real Ghostbusters" and "Extreme Ghostbusters" cartoons, this will be the first time Potts gets to actually wear the costume herself. Her suit is even complete with a "Melnitz" name tag to match her colleagues.
Why Janine deserves to be on the team
Considering Annie Potts has appeared as Janine in every single "Ghostbusters" movie to date — as well as voicing the character in the 2009 video game — she's proven to be an integral part of the team's support system, even before they even brought on Winston. As Rick Moranis' bumbling Louis Tully was worthy of gearing up in "Ghostbusters 2" way back in 1989, Janine deserves to have her time to shine. Potts seems to agree. "Janine has served long and well, and I felt she's really been the keeper of the flame at the Firehouse ... The Ghostbusters are kind of superheroes, so it's very nice to finally be seen in that way, too," she said.
Janine has been part of the Ghostbusters organization before the core team was fully formed and she's stuck by them ever since. A post-credits scene in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" that sees her reminiscing with Winston about the good old days proves how much they still mean to her. Janine may have started as the Ghostbusters' secretary, but given how long she's been dedicated to the cause, it's about time she gets a turn at saving the day.