Hulk not nerd, Hulk smash! An interview with Lou Ferrigno

The morning I interviewed Lou Ferrigno, I felt un-strong. The familiar, brawny person in the mirror had become unfamiliar, and instead, what looked back at me was that inner nerd I no longer wanted to be. The irony was, this previous version of myself, a presumed weaker one, was in fact quite strong, a realization that who we once were is rarely possible to ignore. And in life, if we’re lucky, we learn that our greatest weakness can sometimes serve as a foundation that will help to make us incredible.

“Hulk changed my life,” Lou Ferrigno told me. And even though he admits to once being a nerd, a trait I still see in his compassion, I wondered if becoming an icon of strength induced by anger was actually the world’s way of painting fairness onto a person whose placid desire was to be stronger in the eyes of everyone, including himself.

Here’s what I found out:

Stefan Pinto: You said in one of your television interviews that you used bodybuilding as an escape while you were growing up. It’s hard to imagine you were a “nerd” and were teased in high school.

Lou Ferrigno: Yes, bodybuilding saved my life because I overcame the nerd stage. I got picked on. I was fascinated with power, and then I decided to take that direction because I knew that would make me feel good about myself.

SP: I find that to be quite common among once nerdy guys. It was the same for Arnold; bodybuilding saved him ... it certainly saved me.

LF: Yeah. If you’re tough, you’re more of a man, “you’re not going to beat me up.” It was all I had. I did it to survive. I had nothing else.

SP: So when you got the role of The Hulk ...

LF: 1977, I went down for the audition, they had a screen test and then I got the part, we started filming soon after. I had to put my bodybuilding competing on hold.

SP: Were you looking to be an actor?

LF: Not at the time. I was training for the Mr. Olympia competition. When I got the part for Hulk, it seemed everything just fell into place at the right time, and I was in the right place.

SP: When you feel perfect to play a role, say The Hulk, do you think that the so-called universe orchestrates everything so that you get it? I mean, you said you weren’t looking to be an actor, yet you got this incredible, so to speak, television role.

LF: I didn’t think about it at the time. But looking back, I always felt that that character would be perfect for me; it was something I did realize when I read Hulk comic books. I always envisioned that someday I would eventually play a superhero and the role of The Incredible Hulk was a dream come true.

SP: It sure was. How do you train to be a Mr. Universe? What does that involve?

LF: Ah, you know barbells, dumb bells, working out, eating, dieting, training --

Carla Ferrigno: Posing.

LF: [nods] Posing, tanning ...

SP: Do you miss that? It is part of who you are. That’s the essence of Lou Ferrigno.

LF: No, I don’t miss competing. I still work out. At this stage of my life I’m just happy to maintain what I have. I’m 59 now. I enjoyed the competition, and since I retired to do The Hulk TV series, I came back at 40 to compete again and I knew that I lost 17 years, but you can’t devote the same time as you used to.

SP: You were out of [competing] for 17 years, and you came back at 42; that’s a long time to be away from something you like. How do you continue to motivate yourself to make this type of comeback?

LF: I have a tremendous passion for fitness, I love challenges and I am a very driven guy. I wanted to compete again as I felt I had unfinished business. When I retired [from competing] in 1975, I wasn’t in my best shape, and then when I decided to come back to the sport, I had to compete against 90 bodybuilders instead of 70. Bodybuilding changes every decade, and it was one of the biggest challenges of my life. It’s very hard, and I’m glad I did it because I never have to look back and say ,“I should’ve done it one more time.” I had to deal with it even though it wasn’t the best time for me to do it. If I had continued and didn’t do The Hulk TV series, I would’ve won Mr. Olympia seven or eight times, like Arnold, but I chose to go into show business and I didn’t expect The Hulk to run that long as a series.

SP: If you didn’t do bodybuilding, or followed that path, what do you think you would’ve been doing with your life?

LF: That’s a good question. Probably ... construction. I was a sheet metal apprentice. I worked a lot with my hands. But I didn’t like it. Probably quite a lot of different jobs. Luckily I didn’t have to make that choice.

SP: Are you glad you did The Hulk?

LF: Yes, it’s the best thing that happened in my life.

SP: It changed your life

LF: Oh yeah, ‘cause I was the Hulk my whole life.

SP: How do you feel about the last movie? How many were there, anyway? I forget, now. Was it two movies?

LF: The last movie is better than the first one only as it’s closer to the TV series. The first one ... I’m not so crazy about the CGI. That’s the direction it goes, all of these special effects.

SP: Do you ever go “dressed” as the Hulk for Halloween? [Lou's wife Carla laughs]

LF: I don’t think it’s a good idea.

SP: Yeah, you’re probably right. You’ve said, “The charisma is gone, the camaraderie is gone [from bodybuilding] and you want to bring it back.” Have you brought it back?

LF: Um ... no. Everything is changed. Personalities have changed. Pumping iron is not what it used to be. It doesn’t have the personality it used to. When we started out, people who worked out had nothing. Now there is so much money involved; back then it was the love of the sport. We appreciated what we have. Today it’s not the same.

SP: Do you think it’s done mostly to be admired?

LF: Bodybuilding?

SP: Uh-huh.

LF: It has a lot to do with how you feel ... about confidence. Because you want to be respected, as people. Most pro bodybuilders have bad relationships with their fathers. We want to prove something. That’s a good question. It is self-admiration, self-respect. You see growing up I didn’t get admiration and respect. Bodybuilding gave me that.

SP: I don’t think it’s something that’s negative. Everyone wants self-respect, some never get it.

LF: Oh yeah. But it’s a choice you make. Too many people work out, but they don’t sustain it, to be a champion or to be successful. It’s called being successful with yourself, with your body and your own personal power.

SP: Do you think that’s different for women, though? Do women feel the same way?

LF: It’s the same exact way. Women have competitions. It doesn’t have to be about bodybuilding. It’s about your own genetic potential and how you appreciate yourself to what you do with your life; from taking care of your body and taking on a challenge to doing other things.

SP: I want to talk about fame. You’re an American icon, a household name. You’ve worked hard to become Lou Ferrigno, the brand. Your name is even trademarked. Has recognition for doing something worthwhile changed, in that people are now famous simply for being famous? What do you think is the fascination with fame, especially with the younger generation?

LF: There’s a mixture now of drugs, alcohol and no foundation. It’s worse today; people aren’t committed to themselves, they can’t be committed to relationships and they’re very vague in their minds. It has to do with their upbringing and the foundation you come from. I came from nothing. There are times I think individuals today have it too easy. You open the newspaper, people are breaking up, over spending, they take fame and use it in a negative way, feeling they can hide behind it, thinking they can live forever. Be careful how you handle fame. To me fame can be a great thing and I cherish it.

SP: Were you always Lou Ferrigno? Some people become someone and the true essence of who they are is lost.

LF: I was always, and am always, who I am. I never judge people for who they are and nobody is better than anybody. I can’t pretend. You know how some people hide behind hats and sunglasses and put on a different show? That’s not who I am.

Carla: It’s one of the reasons I married him. He’s gotten better, but he’s never changed.

SP: How did you two meet?

Carla: I was a therapist taking a break and decided that I would do this other job for a while --

SP: What other job?

Carla: I managed restaurants. So, one night Lou came in with his friends. I threw him out ...

SP: Did you know he was Lou Ferrigno?

Carla: No, I had no idea. I had been in a cult at that time, so I didn’t watch television ...

SP: Why’d you throw him out?

Carla: Because he was rowdy and his friends were under 21. I got a call from the front that this man wanted to see the manager. Now, in those days, it was 1979, there were really no women restaurant or bar managers. Here he was; 300 pounds, second year of the Hulk, super macho with all his guy friends surrounding him, and he looked at me and said, “I want to see the manager.” I told him I was the manager, and, "I’m sorry, you’re with people under 21 and you cannot stay.” He was being a macho Italian. I walked him to the front door. And he asked if there was anything we can do and I said there wasn’t. And he left. A week later, he returned -- by himself to ask me out on a date.

SP: Where did he want to take you?

Carla: He invited me to a Dolly Parton party in Hollywood. And I thought, “What a jerk! Trying to impress me with Hollywood parties!”

SP [to Lou]: Do you think if Carla didn’t have the personality that she has, you wouldn’t have been so attracted to her? Do strong men respond to a stronger woman?

LF [looks at Carla]: Yes, depending on the man. Most men want to control women, they look down on weak women. But she has a strong personality. And I never wanted to be with a woman that I felt couldn’t be my partner. I need to be with a woman who respects herself, not someone who has the brain of a donkey. [Carla giggles. It’s louder than usual.]

SP: A lot do! Especially nowadays.

LF: It’s huge! [Carla is laughing and looking down at the floor, perhaps at her slip-on shoes. Her toes are neat and her slippers are shiny silver, almost transparent.]

SP: Anyway, I didn’t know this, but you were close friends with Michael Jackson ...

LF: Yes, for 20 years.

SP: And I don’t want to ask cliche questions, but obviously Michael Jackson is not synonymous with working out and muscle building. He’s a dancer. But you trained him. What was it like to train someone like Michael Jackson? Is it a completely different training regimen?

LF: It was different because Michael and I became friends when we were together. It was my admiration for his passion for music, and he admired my passion for fitness. So we collaborated, and we had similar fathers.

SP: How long did you train him?

LF: On and off for 20 years. He would tour, take a break, train ... Michael Jackson trusted me. He felt safe with me. He felt when I was with him, I didn’t want anything from him. I created a routine that worked for him. He had too many enablers and ... Michael was a very smart guy and he was a huge fan of the Hulk. I never really had a big interest in music, so I wasn’t star-struck by him. But Michael inside was a very good guy. He reminded me a lot of myself when I was a kid, and that’s why we got along so well. He let his guard down when I was with him, and the same with me. We didn’t pretend.

SP: Carla? Is that your family? [There’s a large picture hanging above a settee type sofa of the Ferrigno family. It is framed and looks like it might be a painting of a photo taken when everyone was much younger -- when people still seemed to have time to pose for family portraits.] 

Carla: Yes! That was taken years ago!

SP: They’re not teenagers anymore ...

Carla: No, no they’re not!

SP: What are you doing now? Are you still a psychotherapist?

Carla: When I met Lou, I took over his business. I have a business degree, I have a degree in divorce mediation, I have a psychology degree --

SP: You’re smart.

Carla: [laughs] Yeah ... and I have a Ph.D. in men ... so, I took over his business, and made a success of our lives.

SP: One of the things about dating an actor and being married to an actor is understanding that an actor is a brand. Do you think that people in these roles have to pull that back in order to meet someone or for someone to be comfortable with them, or does the person they’re with have to understand that type of genre of person?

Carla: That type of genre of person is extremely narcissistic. They’re usually not educated -- that’s not true about some, like Edward Norton, for example, is highly educated, he studied English literature. But most, if they are educated, they are educated in an acting school, maybe in Yale in the acting program, they’re not getting what I call a real education …

SP: Like liberal arts.

Carla: Right, so they’re always involved in who they are and what they’re doing. And the big thing about actors and why they get divorced is because they meet and fall in love with each other’s images, each other’s PR, but not about the person, and the person is usually pretty shallow and doesn’t have a lot to contribute. And most start out pretty young and never really live life. Look at Charlie Sheen, he never lived life. He’s been acting since he was young. They were never out in the world and experiencing life, their lives were ... cushioned …

LF: Lindsay Lohan.

Carla: Lindsay Lohan. They’re cushioned by their own publicity around them. At such young ages they’re taught that they are everything.

SP: So they’re living a version of themselves.

Carla: They are, and they never find out who they really are. And the reason they get involved in drugs, alcohol and letting their lives fall apart is they don’t know what the dark side of life is, and something is missing, they want to experience more life that they never got around to. So they drag themselves through DUIs, the drug addictions, the sex addictions and all that stuff. Self-involved. They all started very young. I mean when I started, I knew I wanted to go into the world and have something to contribute. Yes, I was a beautiful, young girl -- so shallow -- but experiencing life.

SP: I saw that movie The Dilemma and I think that both Vince Vaughn and Kevin James need to lose weight. And I know they know it. They can’t not know it.

Carla: [laughs and slaps her thigh] All the years Lou did King of Queens, we were always talking to Kevin about training with Lou -- for free!

SP: And he looks like he put on weight.

Carla: He did! But you know what he always said ...

SP: Does he feel that it’s his character?

Carla: Yes [smacks thigh] and he says he doesn’t think he’ll be successful, so he’s afraid because he’s gained such success from being fat, and there is a certain area in show business …

SP: That’s an excuse.

Carla: No, that’s what he wants. He wants to be that way. He has choices. His brother isn’t like that. He’s like that. And he wants to be that way. Whether it’s fear of no career or fear of being more handsome. Who the hell knows? All I know about Kevin is that he doesn’t want to be any different than he is. We’ve tried.

SP: Are you glad your kids are grown?

Carla: I am ... I am ... not that I wouldn’t love being [Carla begins to cry] -- I can’t believe you asked me that. [She says this while looking down. Both hands are in her lap. Lou Ferrigno looks at me. I swallow and wonder if I made him mad.]

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This interview is an excerpt, used with permission, from the forthcoming article, "Lou Ferrigno on personal power and bodybuilding success," in the February issue of The Classic Male magazine.