Interview: Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk; I Love You, Man)

The Action Flick Chick interviews Lou Ferrigno.

The Action Flick Chick interviews Lou Ferrigno.

At Wizard World Texas, we caught up with Lou Ferrigno, star of the television series The Incredible Hulk and voice of the Hulk in the recent film of the same name.

AFC: I am here with Lou Ferrigno. I am the Action Flick Chick, so I would just like to start off by asking you what kind of movies do you like to watch?

Ferrigno: I like good movies. We were just talking about the original movie called Forbidden Planet. I like good stories like Star Trek, The Time Machine. I like that because I like love stories, some movies that have a very positive message. I’m not really into the violence and the killing.

AFC: So do you like action movies?

Ferrigno: I like action movies. It could go anywhere from Iron Man to Hulk, Batman. You know, it could be good movies like The Departed.

AFC: Do you like to watch yourself onscreen in your own movies?

Ferrigno: Yes, and no, it depends on the film. Sometimes I get too critical of myself.

AFC: So how has being in a movie changed over time, say from being in a movie 20 years ago versus being in a movie today?

Ferrigno: It depends on the character that you’re playing. Like, for example, I do comedies now, but I would say the technology has definitely changed. I’d say it’s nothing like the old days.

Lou discussed how audiences’ expectations have changed and how CGI has altered how actors have to perform. When he was on the television series The Incredible Hulk, there was no CGI. Everything the Hulk did required Lou to be there in person. In his 1989 film Cage, Lou and former Captain America actor Reb Brown played Vietnam veterans. The film depicted the powerful friendship that developed after Lou’s character got shot in the head and lost some of his mental faculties while saving the life of Brown’s character. The title of the film referred to both the cage fighting that Lou’s character wound up participating in as well as being caged by his own life circumstances.

Ferrigno: I appreciated the storyline, the fact that he was a former Vietnam vet and he’s fighting for his life, and that kind of sport does happen in Asia.

Lou said that the sometimes grueling physical activity required for his earlier film and television work was a stark contrast to simply playing himself these days on a television series like King of Queens or the then-upcoming motion picture I Love You, Man. We suggested that the fact that he gets cast playing himself so often now reflects how much his fans love him as Lou.

AFC: You mentioned Adam West earlier. You and Adam West get cast as yourselves a lot these days because people like Adam and Lou.

Ferrigno: We both became typecast, but we are still more famous than most actors that had TV series and have disappeared.

AFC: You don’t have to wear the green makeup now for the appearances and he doesn’t have to wear the cape any more.

Ferrigno: (laughing) Yeah.

AFC: Well, thank you very much for your time.


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About Action Flick Chick

Action Flick Chick Katrina Hill, author of the books Action Movie Freak and 100 Greatest Graphic Novels , learned to appreciate all things action at a young age by sneaking into the room while her two older brothers watched action movies and horror. At ActionFlickChick.com, she shares her love of these films with everyone, along with interviews, news, and whatever else she happens to choose. G4TV crowned her their Next Woman of the Web champion, and she co-hosted MTV Geek’s live Comic-Con coverage. Her articles have appeared at sites including MTV.com, io9.com, Arcade Sushi, and Newsarama. Follow her as @ActionChick on Twitter. Base of operations: Dallas, Texas. Favorite Movie: Tremors (1990).
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12 Responses to Interview: Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk; I Love You, Man)

  1. Kevin says:

    nice post & nice blog gr8 work

  2. Rick Swift says:

    Excellent job, I have two celeb interviews under my belt now, one in person and one phoner – gonna have some video stuff up soon. I like how you mentioned that is a credit to his character that he plays himself in movies these days. Kind of like Shatner, no matter who he plays, he is always the Shat-man. Heh

  3. Pingback: The Incredible Lou « Blog-It Llama!

  4. Tommy Salami says:

    Wow, nice interview. I’m jealous. I met him at NYC Comicon, but just for an autograph!

  5. He was an extremely nice guy who really loves what he does. Although, he wouldn’t have granted an interview if I hadn’t been wearing a press pass. I know someone who tried to get an interview for research purposes and got turned down — twice. Celebrities have to protect themselves.

  6. Turbo says:

    This is the kind of content more reviewers should find ways to fit in with their sites.

    Really like how you’ve developed a pretty unique niche on the Net. I think you’ll grow BIG.

  7. berns says:

    I Like lou as “the hulk”. nice post.

  8. Pingback: Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk; I Love You, Man) « Blog-It Llama!

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