When Wizard World New Orleans contacted me and told me I could interview Lou Ferrigno I was overjoyed. I grew up watching The Incredible Hulk and he has become a huge inspiration in my life. I have a heart condition and attending conventions can be very hard. Mr. Ferrigno’s accomplishments, despite having profound hearing loss , has become a yardstick that I measure myself against.
When I am tired, or afraid, or feel like I “should just skip Sunday” on a con floor I tell myself the Hulk doesn’t quit. I can do it. Honestly? I was scared to meet him! My expectations were so high that I knew I would be crushed if he didn’t live up to them. I shouldn’t have worried. Mr. Ferrigno was amazing and a joy to meet. What an honor. Read our brief interview below and then follow Lou Ferrigno on Facebook to stay in touch with this amazing actor, bodybuilder, and motivational speaker!
Please note: Our brief interview took place in a VERY loud room and it rendered my voice recorder useless. Unfortunately I had to rely on my blogger shorthand skills to salvage an otherwise unusable interview. Lou was incredibly patient about the whole thing an even though I lost my ability to quote him verbatim I managed to preserve his answers.
“I grew up watching The Hulk with my father and my nephew, who is five, is so excited I get to meet you. What is it like to be so loved by so many generations?”
Mr. Ferrigno said it was phenomenal because he had been The Hulk for most of his life. He loved that he had be able to touch so many lives all over the world, and with so many generations.
“While you didn’t voice the Hulk in the original series you did for the animated series and for the Hulk movies. What has it been like to be the Hulk for so long, and in so many different ways?”
He immediately perked up when I mentioned his voice work and mentioned that he was also Billy from Adventure Time! He said that he loved voicing the Hulk because after so long he knew how the Hulk thinks and feels. He regrets not being able to use his voice in the original series but he loved getting to be both sides of such an amazing character.
“Quite a bit of The Hulk filmed during the winter. What was it like doing your own stunts, if full makeup, in weather like that?”
Lou said he learned to just focus on what he was doing and make it through the scene but he did bring up filming in New York. He said that when they shot in Times Square it was particularly cold so he just kept moving! For daybreak till when they wrapped, the Hulk ran to keep warm.
“Other than The Hulk, what is your other favorite film project?”
Mr. Ferrigno said his work in Cage was some of his most rewarding. The movie predates the real cage fighting that we see today and he loved the part. Although, he loves doing comedy to!
“You’ve been so outspoken about your hearing loss and you’ve accomplished so much in your life. What is it like to be such an inspiration to so many people?”
Lou told me that as a child it was difficult because he was shy and bullied. He said “I had to excel to survive.” He spoke about his time on Celebrity Apprentice and said that accepting challenges makes you work harder. Now, he is a motivational speaker and often speaks about overcoming obstacles and being the change you want in your life.
“If Marvel called you and let you choose any role in their upcoming movies would you choose one? Could you let the Hulk go?”
Lou loved this question! He is a huge comic book fan and we speculated on alternate versions of Hulk first before he told me he liked the idea of playing a villain. I asked “Would you play someone like Thanos?!” and he said YES! He enjoys both sides of Marvel’s characters and has played villains in several of his other movies.
I’d like to thank Mr. Ferrigno for taking the time to meet with a room full of panicked bloggers, writers, and anchors with useless voice recorders. He handled the problem beautifully and it was such a huge honor to meet him. Thank you Lou for not “Hulking out” and for taking the time to take photos with each of us. Guys, if you ever get a chance to meet him you absolutely should!
Want to follow the Hulk? Find him on Facebook here !
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