by MATTHEW HAYS

Lou Ferrigno sounds occasionally grumpy on the other end of the line. Perhaps it’s understandable, seeing as he’s associated with one of the grumpiest cultural icons in the history of humanity. Ferrigno played the Hulk, David Banner’s alter-ego, in The Incredible Hulk TV series (1978–82), now a cult phenomenon.

Originally a pro body builder, Ferrigno won the role of the Hulk after Richard Kiel (Jaws from the James Bond movies) was considered but rejected for not being muscular enough. Ferrigno, who suffered an extremely strict upbringing at the hands of his father, has said he drew on the rage from his childhood to fill the Hulk’s shoes. Since the series ended, Ferrigno has continued his body building, as well as acting in a variety of projects and appearing on the sci-fi convention circuit. The Mirror caught up with the original Hulk at his L.A. home.

Mirror: I’d like to rewind a bit, to when you first learned you would be playing the Hulk. What was your initial reaction?

Lou Ferrigno: I was pretty ecstatic about it because I knew no one could play the Hulk except me. After the audition I was hired and had to play the Hulk the very next day. I was happy to be filming. I had no idea it was going to be a series that would last five years, at that point it was simply a pilot. I didn’t know too much about the film business. I was training for competition [in body building], I was 25 years old and had just moved to L.A.

M: It was quite a furious performance you’d give every week. Was there anything in particular that you drew on when you were having one of your tantrums as the Hulk?

LF: I drew on my inner rage inside of me. Basically, my whole life I had a lot of inner rage. I drew on that to create those scenes.

M: What was the toughest thing about playing the Hulk?

LF: The makeup. Hours and hours of retouching. The acting really came naturally, because I enjoyed playing the character, but it was just, the makeup was very tedious. Sitting in the same chair for hours every day. That makeup was really a long haul.

M: You do the convention circuit now, where you have legions of fans. What’s the strangest thing a fan’s ever requested of you?

LF: I would say when they want to know if I can still lift cars like I did on TV. I can’t convince them I can’t. I guess the show was just very believable.

Keeping it real

M: Can you tell me about your role in the new film?

LF: I play the head of security in the picture. I have a cameo. The Hulk is computer generated, but I’m still proud of the film. I haven’t seen it yet. I’m going to see it at the premiere tonight.

M: I understand Ang Lee is a big fan of the old show.

LF: He’s very very intuitive. He gets what he wants. He does many many takes. I know that he’s really exploring the characters. He wants to bring the Hulk character very close to the comic book. The old show was live action, but the Hulk is computer generated now. The old show had a certain mystique to it that can never be replaced.

M: Are you disappointed that the Hulk is now computer generated?

LF: Yeah, because I’ve been trying to reprise this role for many years. Apparently, it got bounced around, but it was decided by Universal that it would be computer generated. I wouldn’t mind playing the Hulk again myself. At least kids can still learn about Hulk from the series.

M: It’s also too bad because it takes a rich role away from an actual actor. It’s a tough biz.

LF: Yeah, and he can’t sign autographs.

M: Was there ever a downside to playing the Hulk?

LF: Yes, most people have the impression that I’m one-dimensional. I got type cast. Doing the Hulk series means it’s been hard for me to prove that I can take on different roles. But I play myself on The King of Queens. It’s been a lot of fun doing a sitcom and a very different experience for me. I love it!

Hulk is now playing

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