Lou Ferrigno

by: Chris Berube

August 25, 2009 12:00 PM

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Lou Ferrigno will probably always been known as The Incredible Hulk, having played the green menace to Bill Bixby’s nebbishy scientist Bruce Banner on said TV show from 1978-1982. His iconic role has been prominently referenced during his recent resurgence as a comedic actor, playing himself in I Love You, Man opposite Paul Rudd and appearing in a recurring role on King of Queens from 2000-2007. However, the 57-year-old actor is considering another career in the not-too-distant future: statesman. In advance of his appearance this weekend at Fan Expo Canada (Aug. 28-30 at the Metro Convention Centre, 222 Bremner Blvd.), Ferrigno spoke to EYE WEEKLY about comedy, why the Hulk is still cool and his possible future as a Congressman.

It seems like you have a second career now in comedy.
Yes, because of the movie, I Love You, Man. You know, John Hamburger wrote a script with me in mind because I’d been on King of Queens for seven years. I made that transition into movies because I enjoy doing comedy.

How did you feel when you were approached with a script written for you?
It was great because John had seen I’d done comedy, he wanted me to take it to the next level. When I read the script I was astounded, because it’s about romance and bro-mance. It was very funny.

When did you decide to make that transition in your career?
I did a movie a long time ago called The Godson (1998) with Rodney Dangerfield, and then I did King of Queens. I’ve been approached by different people because I just like doing comedy. Comedy’s hard — you don’t have to know how to be funny, you basically have to know how to act and deliver comedic lines. When you work with people like Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, they’re just great actors. And you get a chance to really expand.

In both I Love You, Man and King of Queens, you’re playing yourself. Is that strange for you?
I mean, my whole life, living in this neighbourhood, people know I’m funny, so they always tell me that I should play myself on TV. In I Love You, Man, [my character’s] this entrepreneur, so basically closer to my own personally. A lot of actors these days do sitcoms and play [characters] close to themselves, and I think that’s great. It’s not easy to do.

Your autobiography is called My Incredible Life as the Hulk. That character is so closely related to yourself. Is comedy part of distancing yourself from the character?
Well, the legacy lives on. There are so many actors over the years who have done TV shows and they’re forgotten. And people associate [the character] with me, and that’s great. But that’s why I’ve done comedy. I think I’ve broken the typecast.

What did you think of the Hulk films?
The second one (2008's The Incredible Hulk) I enjoyed much more. With the first one (2003's Hulk), Ang Lee was trying to make more of a comic-book version. But this [second] one was done by Louis Leterrier, and he tried to make it closer to the TV show. I thought it was a very good film. At the conventions, fans come up to me and they tell me what they think, and many more like this one compared to the first one.

It must be strange for you seeing these films and seeing a role you used to play being done by CG.
The CG can’t sign autographs.

True enough. You do a lot of conventions every year. Was that a strange niche to get into?
I’ve done appearances for over 30 years, but comic conventions are different because people who go there have a lot of respect for comic books. It’s not like you’re going to a swap meet where you have to educate people — here they’re pre-educated. They’ve come to see their own personal celebrities and they have comic books they want to look for. I enjoy Toronto comic con. I do it every three or four years, and I love the fans.

However, a lot of people come to me at these things because of fitness — they say, "I’ve lost 50 pounds, I’ve lost a hundred pounds, I got into weight training because of you." And that makes me feel good, because it rubs off on people. The way I’m built, people make a connection because I’m kind of like a real-life superhero. I have muscles, I’m not like someone wearing a costume, who is a shadow of their own self.

Your entire life has been a struggle to get your body to this point, though.
Oh yeah, I’ve overcome all these obstacles growing up. Everyone is handicapped in one way or another, so they see me and they feel this connection — it’s also why people love the Hulk so much. We all have a little Hulk inside of us, and we get angry and we connect with that character. We build this connection and it’s a positive thing. It’s about power. That’s why children and adults love comic heroes, because it’s all about power. It’s about power and inner strength.

Were you a fan coming into the Hulk?
Oh yeah, as a kid I collected Hulk comics, Superman comics. I loved the Hulk the most because of the way he was built, how powerful he was. I always fantasized of being the Hulk myself. When we were shooting the pilot for the TV series, I was so excited, because I thought "I have to play this part, nobody else can play this part."

I have to admit I was never the biggest Hulk-comic fan, compared to other superheroes. What appealed so much to you about him?
The sensitivity and the inner anger, and the fact that I was a Hulk my whole life growing up. Kids would pick and me and make fun of me. I was like a real life Walter Mitty growing up. I felt angry as a kid because of my hearing loss and because back then I had a severe speech impediment. I was always ridiculed, I wasn’t respected by other people. I wanted to respect myself, so I got into body-building and it changed my life. If I didn’t have bodybuilding, I would have been an angry and depressed person, but I needed to release that. So I kept going back to the Hulk comics, the way people saw him as just a big creature. It goes all the way back to Frankenstein — people relate to those movies and those characters because people feel like that on the inside.

Is your body an expression of your anger?
Working out [is an expression of] my anger. I got it out at the gym. That’s how I became a world body-building champion. When you see people built like that, you know that they’ve had a lot to overcome.

Pumping Iron (1977) has really stuck around in the minds of a lot of people because of that. Do you still talk to Arnold Schwarzeneggar at all?
I still see him two or three times a year. We live not too far from each other. We have a lot of respect for each other. He and I have similar backgrounds, because he had a lot to overcome. We’re from the same era.

Did he ask your advice when he got into politics?
That’s his personality. He enjoys it. But he has such a hard job. He’s always under a microscope — it’s tough for him, but I’m amazed at what he does.

Are you happy with the level of publicity in your life?
I am, I just became a deputy sheriff in the Los Angeles sheriff’s department a couple of years ago. So I get to do patrol and search and rescue. I’ve taken that path, and I’m happy with it — at my age right now, I’m happier helping people that way then getting into politics.

That’s a more anonymous way of helping people. Is that what you like about it?
Politics may be down the road. But right now I like having some peace of mind.

Politics may be down the road?
Well, I’m thinking about running for a Congressional seat in California, but I just don’t have the time right now, because I have the three kids and a career on TV.

Would you align yourself with a party?
I may do that. I may be either side, Democrat or Republican. It depends what’s involved at the time. You need two years, you need to build up a website and so on. People need to believe in you. But it’s definitely possible down the road, a couple of years from now.

But there’s a lot to consider.
Yeah, it’s true. I’m passionate about my home gym, I just love fitness, being in shape. And training people’s bodies. That’s my passion.

That would be a hard thing to keep up in Congress.
Yeah, when you’re in politics you’re under a microscope. And you’ve got to take a lot of heat.

What are a couple of your personal tips to keep people going to the gym?
The most important thing is consistency. You can’t just work out one day a week or on weekend, just be consistent. You don’t want to over-train, but mostly, be consistent. And eat well, and get the proper rest.

Thanks Lou. It’s been a pleasure talking to you.
Looking forward to the show this weekend!

For more information on Fan Expo Canada 2009, check the event's website.

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Lou Ferrigno

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