Dan Aykroyd Reveals the Comedians He Originally Wanted in 'Ghostbusters' (Exclusive)

Can you believe a flight attendant fell 30,000 feet without a parachute when her plane was ripped apart by a bomb ... and survived? Or that a marathoner lost in the Sahara lasted days without food or water ... but lived?

While these may seem like fictitious urban legends, they're just a few of the strange occurrences uncovered each week on the History Channel's The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd. In the middle of its second season, The UnBelievable spotlights history's "WAIT, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" moments, with the Saturday Night Live alum at the helm.

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So far this season, the show has told the stories of a mother and son flown half a mile by a tornado inside a bathtub, and a day it literally rained fish from the sky. And while there have been scientific explanations, many of the occurrences still leave experts flummoxed.

Although actor and comedian Dan Akyroyd may seem like an odd choice to host the program, he's actually got a long history with the otherworldly. At his family's farmhouse in Eastern Ontario, Canada, Aykroyd’s great-grandfather and grandfather put together a psychic research library. They held seances. And Aykroyd says that being part of UnBelievable has only heightened his belief in divine intervention.

“In the case of the woman who survived the three shipwrecks or the guy who was hit by lightning 11 times, they had to be protected for that to occur, in some way or another," Aykroyd says in an exclusive interview with Parade. "Perhaps there is a cosmic engineer behind everything. What that is, we can only surmise."

Aykroyd, who is a true believer of these wild occurrences, says he signed on immediately when the History Channel presented the idea to him. He was particularly impressed by the quality of their research and wanted to bring them to the attention of the scientific community.

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“Everybody loves imagination and fantasy-defying events,” says the Ghostbusters star. “I knew that these stories, although unbelievable, would gain credibility as the team and I presented them. What is going on? What is the biochemical molecular breakdown? I just want to know the answers.”

Ahead of Season 2, Aykroyd sat down with Parade to discuss his belief in the supernatural, but he also told us about growing up in Canada, his storied career, and who almost starred alongside him in Ghostbusters.

Jeryl Brunner: Is it true your family's research library, which included books on the paranormal, helped inspire you to co-write Ghostbusters?  

Dan Aykroyd: I was reading from my great-grandfather’s journals. They were people who were really seriously researching ghosts and the paranormal. I thought, let's marry that commitment and belief system with the concept of a ghost comedy in the vein of Abbott and Costello, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope. They all did ghost comedies. It was me and John Belushi. And I had Eddie Murphy in mind, too. I said, "Let's have the three of us be serious paranormal researchers using the vernacular and science of today, but playing it all for comedy."

And in the end it was Bill Murray magnificently portraying Peter Venkman, and then the other cast lined up. Belushi died. And with Eddie, I don't know what happened. I guess he was offered the part, and we couldn't pay him enough. He was worth so much as a performer. We just didn't have the dollars.

How do you decide which stories to highlight on Unbelievable?

I leave that to my excellent History Channel staff. I've suggested a few this year that we're going to produce. I'm always looking for events and experiences that would fit into our format. But primarily, the staff and our producer, John Brimhall, come up with the concepts.

What do you hope viewers come away with after seeing the series? 

I hope people have a sense of being superbly entertained and are given a special, shared experience with their families and friends. UnBelievable is one of the History Channel’s top rated shows. I believe that families are tuning in because they want to share some of the great stories with one another. Because of the research, history and science, the audience is superbly infotained.

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In addition to acting, you're a director, screenwriter, producer, entrepreneur and Crystal Head Vodka co-founder. Why is it important for you to stretch yourself in so many ways?

My entire career and various pursuits are due to the fact I've met the best people in every industry. They're mostly smarter than I am. I have superb people running my vodka company. I follow opportunities as they present themselves and collaborate with the best, like when I was asked to host and narrate this show.

I directed once [the film, Nothing But Trouble]. I enjoyed it and had a superb crew, which included people from Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis’ crew. I always work with the best people.

Do you remember your earliest times performing?  

I was recruited to sing "McNamara's Band" when I was in grade three. I don't know why they picked me. But I sang with this choir behind me. People were cheering and applauding. I thought, "Wow, that’s an experience I might want to have again." Then nothing presented itself until much later. I always wondered why they picked me to do that? I guess they knew I could pull it off. The teachers were counting on me.

When did you know wanted to be an actor?

I didn't really take it seriously until I got to [improvisational comedy group] Second City in Toronto. I enjoyed doing plays in high school. But then I went to university and was off to do a different career. When I got to Second City, I realized this a profession, and you have to show up and be professional. It's not larking around on an amateur level.

Do you still spend a lot of time in Kingston, Ontario, where you grew up? 

I don't do winters anymore. I spend summers in Ontario when the lakes are warm, just to swim in the lake. The season is really May into October. So I try to be here when it's warm in June, July, August. It gives me an opportunity to live part-time where my ancestors settled. I can meet cousins walking down the street. I also have a spectacular home in Martha's Vineyard where John [Belushi] and I were for many years. I'm also on the road quite a bit.

Donna, my wife, lives in Los Angeles. We don't live together full-time anymore. But I get to visit her magnificent home and be with our three daughters: Danielle, Belle and Stella. So I'm kind of a nomad. I also have a home in the Virgin Islands for complete winter escape.

Is there a role you're still aching to play? 

I would love to do the Coneheads again with Jane [Curtin] and Laraine [Newman]. So maybe I'll go to Paramount and pitch a straight-to-streaming Conehead movie with Lorne [Michaels]. No feature release. We just get it right out there so people see it right away. I love that character. I would do that again.

Watch The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd on the History Channel on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET. 

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