lou ferrigno_the increduble hulk

He Made Green Skin Cool

Lou Ferrigno brought The Incredible Hulk to TV, and 40 years later fans are still drawn to the character's crushing physicality.

Greg Archer Arts & Entertainment

lou ferrigno_the increduble hulk
Lou Ferrigno brings "The Incredible Hulk" alive at Comic Con Palm Springs.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOU FERRIGNO ARCHIVE

Back in the latter half of the 1970s, Lou Ferrigno sported plenty of brawn as Dr. David Banner’s fuming alter ego on CBS’s The Incredible Hulk.

Based on the Stan Lee page-turning Marvel Comic, the show — and its stars (Ferrigno; the late Bill Bixby as Banner) — sparked über fascination in superheroes in modern-day. Decades later, Ferrigno and other actors of yore, like Sam Jones (Flash Gordon), now enjoy a latter-day surge in popularity by appearing a Comic Cons across the country.

Look for Ferrigno at the inaugural Comic Con Palm Springs (Aug 26-28), where he’s jazzed to inspire attendees about all things Hulk-related as well as being available for photo-ops and autographs. But Ferrigno is no stranger to Palm Springs. In fact, his 2nd Annual Ferrigno Legacy Bodybuilding Fitness Weekend unravels — with grunts and plenty of perspiration no doubt — October 27-30 at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage.

Palm Springs Life caught up with the 6-foot-4, icon, who hits the big screen come 2017 with Instant Death, a romp about a modern-day hero fighting his inner demons and a gang war, all for the sake of justice.

You’ve enjoyed quite a bit of longevity since The Incredible Hulk first aired in 1978.

Lou: Yeah. It’s been about four decades now of fans. When I did the series, it put all the superheroes on the map, so if there hadn’t been a Hulk series, there may not have been so many conventions. The Hulk was the first one (TV series) that helped with the popularity of the conventions. Also, Stan Lee created “The Incredible Hulk” so it gave it such longevity. And still, today, the voyage of the Hulk as a character is more popular than ever before.

 

Lou Ferrigno said the makeup required to become The Incredible Hulk took hours to apply.

Any thoughts on why Comic Cons have grabbed the public’s interest?

Lou: Because everybody wants to feel like a superhero. Sometimes, because of the economy. Sometimes because of depression. People want to feel connected to the Hulk because it gives them a chance to play with their imagination and have a great time. I am excited to be a part of Comic Con Palm Springs. I can’t wait to see fans’ reactions.

And the Hulk? Why are we so enamored?

Lou: Everyone has a little Hulk inside of them. The Hulk releases our anger, our frustrations. He does it for us. So, our fantasies … may be smashing cars or breaking things when we are angry. I think that’s the great connection.

Who were your inspirations growing up?

Lou: George Reeves, the original Superman [on TV]. And Sean Connery — James Bond.

And why is that?

Lou: I love that James Bond was suave and super intelligent; that he had the power to manipulate people and get what he wanted.

As a kid, were you into comic books?

Lou: I was a big reader—Superman, Darkman, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man. I liked them because it was all about power; being connected to “power.” That’s the great thing about comics. As a kid, I fantasized and I liked being the Hulk. I have been the Hulk my whole life. [Laughs]

Fitness and health are very big things for you.

Lou: Sure. And I think because of my physicality, fans feel they can come up to me and tell me, “I lost 100 pounds,” or things like that. Also, the Hulk is the only superhero that doesn’t wear a costume.

Fans get excited about that. It’s about power. It doesn’t matter how old you are. You can start working out at any age. You can get fit at any age. It’s funny, how Palm Springs is becoming this big town now for pop culture and fitness.

Have to ask: How long did it take for you to get into makeup for the television show?

Lou: Three or four hours. I was always one of the first people on the set, and the last one to leave. It took hours to take off that makeup. It was tough because after shooting all day, you just want to go home. For my body, they used pancake makeup; for the face, a kind of grease makeup. And they had to do something with the eyes and teeth. So it was very uncomfortable. That’s probably why The Hulk was always so angry. [Laughs]

Comic Con Palm Springs, Aug. 26-28, Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros; www.comicconpalmsprings.com

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