With a 59" chest, 19" neck and 22 ½" biceps, the twice-honoured Mr. Universe is physically ideal for the role. Yet, there’s also plenty of brain behind that brawn, and Ferrigno holds very definite opinions regarding the Hulk’s TV popularity.

    "Everyone has his own ‘little Hulk’ inside him," the novice actor explains. "By watching the show, they [the audience] have a way of releasing their own pent-up frustrations. It’s one way to deal with the daily aggravations that can build up and really get to bug you."

    As a teenager in his native Brooklyn, Ferrigno avidly followed the comic book Hulk’s fantastic exploits. But for TV the producers chucked all science fiction elements in favor of stories concerned with realistic human drama. Ferrigno believes this policy is what makes the show such a success.

    "The quality of our scripts is the reason The Hulk has kept going for so long. When the show came in as a winter replacement, there was a big rush with the scripts and it took a while to find out where we wanted to go. And I have to admit that there were even a few stories last year that seemed to drag a bit but we have the best writers now and next [this] season will absolutely be the best ever."

    "It’s going to be tough on me," he adds wearily. "There’s going to be some days where I’ll have to be in all that makeup for 15 hours at a stretch. But it’s worth it."

No FX Needed

    Standing next to Ferrigno is somewhat of an awesome experience in itself. While Hollywood fakery helps some aspects of the show, the enormous size and physique are all Ferrigno. No special effects needed here.

    And if the Hulk’s admirers wonder if the show’s running dry of fresh plots, what the 26-year-old actor promises for this year should satisfy even the most skeptical. In the third season, viewers will be treated to an episode in which The Hulk becomes a blinded beast, rambling sightless through the countryside … a segment that finds his human self held prisoner in a government institution.

    There’s even an adventure wherein the monster finds himself loose in a department store, playfully riding up and down the escalators and playing in the toy department.

    "I know it’s comedy," Ferrigno hastens to explain, "but it’s nothing downplaying the Hulk at all, or turning him into a comedy character."

    Despite the high level of enthusiasm Ferrigno displays for his series, the young body builder does admit he might like to change a few things.

    "Frankly, I think they should show more of the Hulk. After a while, people are going to get tired of getting turned on just by the story. The shows should revolve more around The Hulk – who he is, what he feels – and the different emotions he has.

    "They could have him get involved with a woman or maybe make friends with a child – now these ideas are basically my own opinions – but they can do what they want with the scripts. I sure can’t argue with the success of the series so far."

    In terms of physical appearance, Ferrigno suggests that the Hulk should have a more "cave man" or Neanderthal look. He recommends more sloping brows in the facial features and a shorter loincloth so viewers, as he put it, "… can see the whole body."

    And he should be able to talk – only a few words – but some way of communicating. Or at least dub the more realistic growls than they use now; they’re too animalistic and sound phony." Despite his tremendous real-life strength, Ferrigno may later find himself powerless against the dreaded foe of all comic-book characters who are brought to life: typecasting. But the performer takes a philosophic view of this possibility.

    "Basically, I’m in the gym business [he owns a body-building center with his family in New York] and I’m not going to let my future depend entirely in The Hulk. I might get 10 different roles after the series ends or I could get zero; it’s a fluctuating thing. But I’ll have to worry about those big question marks when I come to them. Though right now, I’d like to see The Hulk go on for five or six years."

    And what would he be looking for in possible post-Hulk roles?

    "I think I’d be good as a coach … naturally, as any kind of athlete … maybe a part in a James Bond-type film, like that "Jaws" character … or even a comedy."

    When it’s suggested that Ferrigno shares the spotlight with another muscle-bound anti-hero, Darth (David Prowse) Vader, he’s not particularly impressed.

    "Anybody could play Darth Vader," he explains. "Vader is basically just a big guy behind a costume. The character shows no emotion, no nothing! If you really showed the emotional side of the Hulk, he could be hotter than Star Wars. Battlestar Galactica didn’t show any feelings and that’s the big reason why I think it was cancelled."

    Interestingly, Ferrigno made his acting debut in a documentary, Pumping Iron, with another muscleman destined for fantasy film stardom – Arnold Schwarzenneger – if plans for his Conan opus ever pan out.

Sex Symbol

    When The Hulk was originally developed as a practical teleseries, it was more or less understood that Bill Bixby would provide the main audience draw. No so. If the creature was expected top repulse, the results have been just the opposite – especially with female viewers; they find the green goliath something of a sex symbol. The happily married Ferrigno admits he gets a lot of interesting letters from women and could only turn a mild shade of red – not green.

    While self-effacing and modest, the actor does enjoy his new-found popularity. He receives numerous invitations to SF cons and other public appearances (sans his green makeup) but is forced to turn many of them down due to studio commitments.

    And these demands are indeed great. Reporting to Universal as early as 5:00 AM, Lou undergoes the three-hour-plus makeup routine in order to meet the early-morning set call. Sometime during the day, he must train at least two hours to maintain his top physical condition.

    Ferrigno bears the hardship gladly. He remains totally devoted to the success and quality of The Hulk. Last year, he made an important career sacrifice by turning down a role, in Sylvester Stallone’s Paradise Alley, in order to devote his full time to The Hulk.

    The brawny athlete points to past Hulk highlights to support his decision to stay with the series.

    "The second pilot movie we made ("A Death In The Family") is my favorite of them all," he remarks, "mainly because I got the chance to wrestle a bear, and the story was set in a swamp. I think things like that add a lot of dramatic atmosphere and help show the Hulk’s action and power. And I also enjoyed "Ricky" – the one about the retarded boy – very much; it was very sensitive."

    And while the fictional Hulk fears no man or beast, the real-life Ferrigno is a man of particular personal bravery. At the age of three, Ferrigno suffered a disease that left his hearing 65% impaired. As a result of this malady, he developed a slight speech impediment that leaves his words somewhat slurred. Ferrigno claims this disability led him to build a tremendous physique to counter the cruel teasing that followed. He sometimes uses a hearing aid and reads lips expertly, living a perfectly normal life in every way. But occasionally, when the cameras roll and The Hulk is called on to destroy an entire set, his director may find it hard getting Ferrigno to catch the "cut" signal. So the green-skinned performer keeps on tearing up the set until there’s little left in one piece.

    Ferrigno also admits that he enjoys the fact that The Hulk is shot both at Universal Studios (home of the original Frankenstein, Wolfman etc.) and also at various locations across the country. He confesses that he enjoys the thrill of working at the exciting, star-filled movie lot as well as traveling. He almost seems to take pride in telling about the enormous traffic jam he created by running green skinned through Times Square.

"We’re The Best …"

    Since the recent TV invasion of comics characters has met with varying degrees of quality and success, what does Ferrigno think of them?

    "Frankly, I don’t care too much for them. The network really missed the boat with Spider-Man. It could have been really done well with Patrick Duffy (the former Man From Atlantis) as Spider-Man; Pat has a natural litheness and a sense of movement.

"And as for Wonder Woman … there’s nothing there … nothing to show at all but a ‘beautiful body’ and that’s it. You never get a chance to find anything about the person at all. What a bore! I can’t understand why that show ran as long as it did." Certainly Lynda Carter’s legion of fans could offer a explanations to Ferrigno.

    "We’re the best of them all. Kenny Johnson [the producer] and Bill Bixby are both very talented, creative people. It’s because of them that we have the respect of both the critics and the audience. No one ever took the other comic book shows seriously; they looked at them more as Batman-type ‘camp’ stuff.

    "It would have been very easy to do The Hulk as a monster show," he continues, "but that’s not what The Hulk is about. He’s not a Frankenstein; he’s like a big kid who doesn’t know his own strength. The Hulk has his good and bad sides that react to the way other people treat him."

    Ferrigno states plainly that he loves acting and wants to stay in Hollywood as long as he’s wanted. Although he doesn’t want to abandon another of his great ambitions – training youngsters for weight-lifting competition.

    "I’ve been actively involved in body building since I was 16 [he then weighed 165 lbs.]," Lou explains, "and it has benefited me in so many ways. I’d like to train others and provide some sort of coaching guidance so that they might make the best of themselves."

    Be it acting or athletics, one would indeed be hard-pressed to find a better inspiration than Lou Ferrigno. Certainly, he cares deeply about both.

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