Ferrigno: I was an avid Marvel Comics reader for years when I was younger. I started getting involved in body building because I wanted to look the part of a super-hero, so it's really great that when Universal was looking for someone to play the Hulk, they asked me!

Marvel: How did they pick you?

Ferrigno: I've made a name for myself in the body-building world - I was Mr. Universe for 1973 and 1974. I also won the ABC SUPERSTARS Sports Preliminary in 1975, and I used to play pro football for the Toronto team in Canada.

Marvel: You mentioned being a Marvel Comics fan?

Ferrigno: yeah! I read them all the time, up until I was about 17 or 18 years old, but I don't read them as much now, mostly because I don't have the time. But I used to be a big comics collector, and if I run across a Hulk comic book, I'm still not ashamed to read it. I've always liked the Hulk.

Marvel: What's your prior acting experience?

Ferrigno: I had a part in PUMPING IRON, the documentary drama on body-building. And I was supposed to co-star with Sylvester Stalone in a film he recently completed called PARADISE ALLEY - but because of my obligation to the HULK TV series, I had to back down.

Marvel: How do you feel about portraying the Hulk?

Ferrigno: It's kind of like playing a primitive creature, because he's almost like a newborn baby. Besides being a large, strong man, he's just very simple. He doesn't know how to read or write. Kenny Johnson, who produced the Hulk TV series, introduced me to former actors who helped me get across a sense of anger and a sense of intense emotion. The great part about the Hulk is his emotional side. He's not at all like the Frankenstein monster; the Hulk's more a creature of sheer emotion. It gives me great range, because in portraying the character, as big as I am. I get the chance to show that I can do many different things - from really physical stunts to expressing strong emotion. For years, big guys like me - the body builders - were condemned for merely being muscle-bound and nothing more - but with this show, I exploded that myth. So, to be accepted on TV in my role as the Hulk is very satisfying.

Marvel: How does the role compare to your previous screen efforts?

Ferrigno: Well, PUMPING IRON dealt with the sport of body-building, whereas THE INCREDIBLE HULK gives me the opportunity to play a character. It's acting and I love to act.

Marvel: Have any of the stunts you've done as the Hulk been especially difficult?

Ferrigno: Only the high jump. I just don't like heights. I do all the stunts myself, but for the sake of the series, it's very dangerous not to have a double because some of the stunts are dangerous, and if I get hurt, then it could really stop the show. The most difficult location show so far was the one we shot in New York, at Times Square. It wasn't planned that I would have to run through that much traffic, and when I had finally finished with it, I was surprised I hadn't wound up in a wheelchair or something! Another time, for the episode called "Never Give A Trucker An Even Break," we worked in the mountains at about 4000 feet above sea level. I had to grip a phone pole and break it in half just in front of this truck, and the way we did the stunt was just beautiful. I feel we should always do different stunt-work from week-to-week to hold the interest of the people watching. I'm working right now with Frank Orsatti. He's a stunt coordinator and he's really the best in the business. He doubled for Bill Bixby and did stunts on THE MAGICIAN. He's really done a lot for the show. He's a genius.

Marvel: How is the transformation from Bruce Banner to the Hulk effected?

Ferrigno: Some of the Hulk's parts, like the nose, are made to fit Bill Bixby; so what happens is that after several stages of the transformation, they slap a nose-piece on him and wrinkle his forehead a bit. Then, they switch to me, and slap a whole headpiece and nosepiece on me. The job is so well done by the makeup man that even off the set it looks real! They even apply a water-proof paint over the make-up -- it's really amazing.

Marvel: How long does it take to get made-up?

Ferrigno: To begin with, an hour and a half for my face, and another forty-five minutes on my body - which takes four coats of make-up. They've got to spray me down with fixer-spray. It's a plastic spray that creates a sheen, makes the muscles shiny. Then, before they shoot, they half to put in the special contact lenses that cover the full surfaces of my eyes, but have little holes in the middle for the contact lens itself. Then, a mouthpiece is inserted that clamps to my gums. I'm a completely different creature by the time it's all done.

Marvel: Does it get uncomfortable?

Ferrigno: After about fifteen hours. I'm used to it by now. I had some problems at first, like skin suffocation and dry skin, but now I use face cream -- and the other problems have been solved, too. But it takes forty-five minutes to wash it all off! People get tired of me getting green all over everything at home, so I have to wash long and carefully (laughter). I do put in a long day, but I think it's worth it.

Marvel: Would you briefly outline a day's shooting schedule?

Ferrigno: Believe it or not, sometimes I start work at 5 o'clock in the morning! I don't get home until 10 o'clock in the evening. Not only that, but I have to train two hours a day in the jim to maintain my body's physical condition. It can be really rough, at times, but it's all part of the job. And I think it pays off with a quality program.

Marvel: Would you like to make any changes in the way you play the Hulk?

Ferrigno: Sure. I think the Hulk should be able to talk. Also, I don't like the voice they over-dub now for the growls because I think it's too powerful -- too animalistic. And the one think I still don't like about the make-up is the nose - it's too big. I think they should use my nose instead!

You need a little of that prehistoric look around the forehead, just to keep the difference of the change, but he shouldn't be as scary looking as he is right now. Other than that, everything's fine. But I really think the Hulk should be speaking. In a later show, a woman could teach him how to talk, since as the series goes along, he's starting to realize the difference between crime and justice and the good and bad guys. I think it would be a big thing if he could talk, like he does in the comics. I get a lot of fan mail, and kids tell me that they really want to hear the Hulk talk.

Marvel: What's the mail been like?

Ferrigno: Tremendous. It gives me a life because they all really love the Hulk. The fans think - and its my opinion, too - that the TV portrayal is almost as good as the comic book. The important thing is that we didn't want to make a camp show out of it - THE INCREDIBLE HULK TV show is very dramatic and very realistic. You wouldn't believe how many letters I've received - or how many photos of myself as the Hulk that I've sent out. It's a really good feeling.

Marvel: What do you think of the idea of TV adaptations of comic characters?

Ferrigno: I think it's very good. It's great for the kids, and for the older people, as well, because you can get your frustrations out by watching. The HULK TV show is well-thought out, we've got some really good scripts coming up now, and everyone is pleased with it. In the beginning, we had a rush on the scripts, because it was a last minute decision to make a mystery series out of THE Hulk. But as we go along, the deadline problem will be fixed, we won't suffer in the story because of it, and the series will get better.

Marvel: sounds like a familiar situation to us here in the Bullpen! We call it the Dreaded Deadline Doom (laughter). How are the ratings holding up?

Ferrigno: Right now, we're the #1 show, the top show for Universal! Everybody who's working on THE INCREDIBLE HULK is very delighted. The crew is tremendous. There were times - like when I was working out in the cold, in damp weather, and the snow, that they really went out of their way to help. Everyone on the set co-operates, not just the directors and actors. There's really a family type of feeling. I have to say that 50% of the show's success owes to the crew.

Marvel: How do you and Bill Bixby work together?

Ferrigno: Very well. He gave me a lot of tips and ideas of how to portray the Hulk. Being a director himself, he really knows what the business is all about from both sides of the camera. I really like working with him a lot.

Marvel: Have you made any personal appearances as the Hulk?

Ferrigno: Several. I made one in Boston at an automobile show, some in New Jersey and there might be one in Houston, Texas that'll be tied in with Marvel.

Marvel: Is acting your only avocation?

Ferrigno: No. I've got a body-building center in New York that's run by my father and brother. We're going to open a branch in New Jersey soon. It's a sports center to help young kids get started in weight training and other body-building activities.

Marvel: What was your family's reaction when you got the role of the Hulk?

Ferrigno: It was almost like a dream come true for them. They were very excited about it. They remembered I had read the comic when I was growing up and were very happy for me when they saw one of my ambitions come to life. And, as for the friends I grew up with, who read the HULK comic with me - it really blew their minds!

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