Yet Ferrigno is now downplaying the mythic dimensions which turned him green twice each week as The Incredible Hulk and opened the door to his recent flesh-coloured film debut as Hercules. Instead, his desire to be regarded as a serious actor has prompted him to lose weight and take a co-starring role as a normal (albeit exceptionally large) paramedic on the ABC-TV series Trauma Centre, Thursdays, at 8:00 PM. As much as he enjoyed playing the Olympian hero, says Ferrigno, "I don't want to be type-cast as Hercules, either. I did the role mainly for me - to show what Lou Ferrigno can do without the green makeup.

"I've created a unique character for myself; there's only one me. I'm never going to be like Richard Chamberlain, Sylvester Stallone or Clint Eastwood." But not Richard (the "Jaws" who menaced James Bond and stands 7'3") Kiel either? "Exactly. He's almost too large. But there's no one around who can do what I do as far as flexibility and coordination."

Green Memories

Hercules, though Italian made and less than well received by audiences, gave Ferrigno a chance to show off some of his muscle flexibility after what was, for him, a frustrating four years as the Hulk. Its TV budget limitations fostered a series which looked like little more than an updated The Fugitive, with a doctor protagonist who, when the going got tough, turned green and trashed a break-away wall or two.

Not often enough, however, to suit Ferrigno. "They wanted only two 'Hulk-outs' per show," he charges, "which was very frustrating for me because I wanted to expand the character. That's why I did Hercules, all the things they limited me to on The Hulk are in the movie. For example, really showing the body close up, bringing everything in -- I choreographed all that into the stunts of Hercules."

Ferrigno recalls being on The Hulk set at 5:00 AM donning makeup for two hours and only then being informed that he wouldn't be needed in front of the cameras until 4:00 PM.

"I suffered most of the time," he remembers. "There I was, 80 hours a week stuck in green makeup. People looked at me in a funny way: I could not relate to people on the set." Additionally, all of Ferrigno's scenes had to be shot around co-star Bill Bixby, since Bixby would have to be shown in front of the wall through which Ferrigno would then crash. Furthermore, Bixby himself -- who was frequently made up for the transformation scenes - was allergic to the green makeup. "We all really suffered on that show," Ferrigno announces.

Still, The Hulk provided a relatively easy way for Ferrigno to make the transition from bodybuilding to acting, and an especially lucky one since someone else had already been chosen for the part before Ferrigno was ever considered.

"They got Richard Kiel to play the Hulk," says Ferrigno. "He got the part. Then after a week-and-a-half of shooting, a director came on the set with his son. The boy said, 'Daddy, that's not the Hulk.' The director said, 'What do you mean? Look at him, he's seven feet tall.' But the kid said, 'No, he's not big like in the comics - the way the Hulk should look.'

"So, they panicked. They decided to replace Kiel and began searching everywhere for someone who was very proportioned -- the biggest and most developed person they could find. They begged me to come down for a screen test. I said, 'OK, I'll give it a shot.' I went out with the makeup on, and the next day, I was working -- 80 hours a week."

And so, a child led Ferrigno into the role of the Hulk and the incredible problems which ensued; he calls his equally demanding location schedule on Hercules "a piece of cake" by comparison. Each day, Ferrigno would awake at 4 AM and work out from 4:45 to 8:30 AM before lensing began.

These marathon four-hour training sessions were necessary, he says, "Because this movie will be compared to the original Hercules [the 1959 film and its sequel, both starring Steve Reeves]. and it must be better."

Although most critics and many moviegoers were less than enthusiastic, the $9 million Hercules pleased its producers, who, delighted by what they saw in dailies, brought Ferrigno back for a sequel. The Return Of Hercules was filmed before its predecessor's release, prompting the shelving of The Seven Magnificent Gladiators another sword and sorcery saga which Ferrigno shot during the same period. The sequel opens this spring.

Olympian Injuries
For his Olympian role, Ferrigno spent a great deal of time with crossed swords. He learned to duel, using a sword fighting style designed especially for him by stunt coordinator Enzo Musumeci Greco -- who had previously fought with such famous swashbucklers as Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power. Greco created a style to accentuate Ferrigno's size and feeling of power. "We wanted to show graceful form and massive power relaying through my body," the actor explains. "It had to be like a real striking force -- especially when I had to go up against the dragon. You can tell from the way I'm hitting the dragon that it will have good impact."

There were also more mundane foes to be grappled with in the film. Due to his size, Ferrigno, like fellow bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger, is almost impossible to double. Consequently, he had to perform all his own stunts, even after painfully tearing a calf muscle when he hurtled the camera in a scene in which Hercules attempts to save his adopted father from a bear. In his rage, the son of Zeus turns the animal into the first fur-covered satellite.

Yet, if Ferrigno suffered pains during filming, he inadvertently dealt out some as well. Using real swords and shields ("you could see the sparks fly. This was real combat.") one stuntman missed a cue and entered the scene too late. Ferrigno whirled, smashing a small shield across the stuntman's chest and stomach. The wound took 35 stitches.

"My hear went to the floor," Ferrigno recalls, "but the make it real, we went for the blood."

Another kind of blood apparently flowed between Ferrigno and his co-star Sybil Danning -- bad blood. In STARLOG #76, Danning charged the actor with responsibility for having her fight scenes deleted from Seven Magnificent Gladiators and for the request that she play the villainous Adrianna instead of Hercules' love interest Cassiopea (which went to Ingrid Anderson).  Danning also accused Ferrigno of being "threatened" by strong female characters. Otherwise open and talkative, Ferrigno refuses to comment on the incident or on Danning, preferring to keep whatever heat there may have been between them chained.

Otherwise, he is enthusiastic about both Hercules and its slightly more humorous "in a nice way" sequel. And now, having had the chance to show what he can do without being green, would Ferrigno take another fantasy film role requiring heavy makeup?

"Never again," he says emphatically. "I've done 80 shows as the Hulk. I think that's enough."

Although he has no intention of muscling it up in a Hercules III, the actor thinks his sandal sagas could inspire legions of imitators just as the original Hercules did. And Ferrigno welcomes the prospect. "I'd like to see many of the guys [bodybuilders] get involved. Gladiator films are great for the sport," he notes. But I think this Hercules could create another cycle like Steve Reeves sand his movies did. When you think of Hercules 27 years ago, you think only of Reeves. Steve Reeves was Hercules."

Ferrigno, in fact, says it seems like only yesterday "when he was little" - a statement which certainly stretches credibility - and watching Hercules at home, that he dreamt of being like Steve Reeves. Today, Ferrigno feels that he is better in muscle development than his mentor, but he comments, that, "for his time," Reeves was unbelievable.

"I watched those Hercules films until they were coming out of my ears. Hercules and the Hulk were my thing in life. When I was young, I read Hulk comic books and watched Hercules movies. And I grew up to be both of them. Isn't that funny?"

Heroic Ambitions

Ferrigno believes that Hercules and other fantasy films create a need for bodybuilders and other larger-than-life types like Richard Kiel and Peter (Chewbacca) Mayhew in films. However, he feels that he and Arnold Schwarzennegger, both introduced in the documentary Pumping Iron, are "basically the two guys who made it. In the future, I think it's going to be just me and Arnold in show business. We still see each other now and then, but Arnold's so different from me. I've taken a different direction."

That direction includes the security of a TV series which allows him to spend more time at home with his wife Carla and two-year-old daughter Shanna. Trimming down his weight and seeking dramatic roles does not preclude further stints in fantasy films, provided that he gets fair warning.

"I can prepare in six weeks," he says. "I can always do Hercules."

But Ferrigno is serious about being serious. Due to schedule conflicts with his Trauma Centre duties, he even turned down a quite appealing fantasy role. "They offered me Sinbad, a spectacular Sinbad, not built like Hercules, but trimming my body down and getting involved with unique sword fighting and stunt work," he says. "I'm sorry about passing the role up -- maybe I can still do it -- but I really wanted to get back to the stability of a TV series. My ambition is to be the star of my own series."

There is one other fantasy part he longs to play: "My big dream fantasy," Ferrigno announces, "is to be in the next Star Wars movie - not as Darth Vader, but a unique character."

In the meantime, his Trauma Centre shooting schedule keeps him busy. After playing a monstrous hero and and demi-god, all he really wants is to play a normal guy who just happens to stoop and turn sideways getting through doorways. Where or not he can pull it off is anyone's guess, but Ferrigno is already an inspirational figure, due to having achieved screen fame despite a speech impediment, resulting from hearing loss as a child.

While you may not care for his alter-egos when they're angry, Lou Ferrigno himself has a great deal to smile about. If he has big plans, that's because he has to: it's the only size that fits him.

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