According to Lou Ferrigno, being painted green to play the Hulk was a pain in the you know what nad much harder on him than what people thought.
He says it wasn’t fancy as he’d imagined via Essentially Sports;
Lou Ferrigno is a retired bodybuilder who is known for winning the IFBB Mr. Universe title twice in a row. Although Ferrigno started his career with bodybuilding, he later shifted to acting. Born in Brooklyn, the actor’s debut in acting was when he starred as the big green monster in the titular role for the TV series The Incredible Hulk.
In an interview with Express UK back in 2013, Ferrigno shared his two cents about what it was like to play such a famous comic book character. The series was released from 1978 to 1982. Additionally, it was originally distributed by CBS.
The Mr. America title holder stated how difficult he would find his makeup sessions to be. Filmed during a time when visual effects were at their nascent stage, Lou needed to undergo a four-hour-long visual makeover before every shoot.
“Being painted green was a pain,” said the athlete. “I also had to sit still for the make-up team to apply prosthetics on my forehead and nose. The whole thing took almost four hours,” he continued.
Playing Hulk surely kick-started his career as an actor. Although, Ferrigno described it as “the most uncomfortable experience.”
In a 2022 interview, Lou also shared his two cents about the more recent adaptation of the comic book character. “Though I appreciate the amazing visual work these artists are producing, it’s missing the raw human performance qualities that I believe only an actor can play,” he told The Washington Times.
In 2022 they use CGI, but to be honest I like this version better. I wish they did it more like this because the character looks more real.
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