Dan Aykroyd doesn’t see any need to offend people.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the “Ghostbusters” star shares his thoughts on the state of comedy amid so-called “cancel culture.”
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“There is enough range in humour where you don’t have to go scatological and you don’t have to go pulling any divisive cards to get a laugh,” the 69-year-old says. “There is so much in the world to comment on that is outside the realm of offensiveness.”
He continues, “As a writer, you can go to other areas and have successful creative endeavors. Scatological humor is fun. It’s easy laughs. But there is more intelligent writing that can happen if you stay away from the offensive material that should be rightly canceled for its hurtfulness. Who can be the subject of an impression today? That’s an area of discussion.
Using about his own comedy, Aykroyd says, “Can I do my James Brown imitation? He was one of my best friends. I do his voice pretty good. But maybe I shouldn’t anymore.”
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Also in the interview, the Canadian icon is asked about this summer’s U.S. intelligence report on phenomena witnessed by Navy pilot that did not rule out the existence of aliens.
“These pilots are professionals, and they know what they saw. And their cameras and equipment picked it up,” Aykroyd says. “That’s a reality. You can have all kinds of opinions, but the reality is these objects are coming and going and are now captured on more sophisticated equipment. They have been coming and going like taxies for years.”
Meanwhile, in the same interview Aykroyd reveals he’s involved in developing a sequel to the 1988 comedy “The Great Outdoors”, in which he starred with the late John Candy.
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“Howie Deutch was a really fun director on the picture. He loved handling Candy and me. Howie and I are working on the sequel, called ‘The Great Outlaws’,” he explained.
“I am looking for the Candy figure. There are some really interesting names, but I can’t say who,” he teased, revealing his sleazy character in the film, Roman Craig, has become even slimier over the decades. “Howie and I are tickled to bring back Roman as a Ponzi scheme guy who victimizes a federal agent,” Aykroyd adds. “Who knows? If I find the right partner…”