It's a character that Ferrigno will be forever linked to - which is just fine with him.

"Everyone has a little Hulk in them," says Ferrigno, who overcame a severe hearing loss in his youth to become a world-class bodybuilder. "There's something there to relate to."

The Hulk in the movie is computer-generated and much larger than his television counterpart. Ferrigno says that the filmmakers resorting to a computer Hulk "is sort of a compliment," and then adds with a laugh, "But he can't sign autographs."

Ferrigno has a small, sure-to-bring-a-cheer role in the film as the head of security in the movie. He is also promoting this week's release of The Incredible Hulk on DVD. The DVD features the original two-hour pilot movie from 1978 starring Bill Bixby and Ferrigno.

"I think it's great that a lot of people are getting the chance to learn about the Hulk," Ferrigno says. "There's an interview with Stan Lee and me talking about the Hulk and the television series."

In addition to the pilot movie, the DVD will contain "Married," the two-hour episode that launched the second season and earned guest-star Mariette Hartley an Emmy Award, and several bonuses, including a preview of the feature film.

"From the minute we started filming I knew it would be successful," Ferrigno said of The Incredible Hulk. "All the chemistry was there: there was a great actor in Bill Bixby, the way they were filming it and I knew nobody could play the Hulk except me."

After the show, Ferrigno went on to star in other TV shows and films, and then return to the Hulk for three made-for-television movies, culminating in The Death of the Incredible Hulk.

"I hated that title, but they had to do it for the ratings," Ferrigno says, adding that another Hulk TV film was being planned before Bixby became ill with the cancer that claimed his life.

But Ferrigno wasn't quite done with the character yet. He provided the voice of the Hulk for two seasons of UPN's The Incredible Hulk animated series.

"I auditioned for the role," he says. "I really wanted to show that I could do it."

A comics convention staple, Ferrigno says he enjoys shows like the Comic-Con International in San Diego. "The fans get excited and want to take a picture with me," he says. "It's like a real-life super-hero is there."

Ferrigno continues his 25-year career as a personal trainer and is still acting, appearing as a recurring guest-star on the CBS sitcom King of Queens. "I love comedy and appearing on stage," Ferrigno says.

Rob Allstetter, Deputy Sports Editor for the Detroit News, has been a comics journalist for the past decade, having written for numerous publications. He currently publishes The Comics Contiuum. He can be reached at: RobAlls@aol.com.

The Trailer Park Archive

July 2 2003 - Hellboy June 25, 2003 - Ang Lee June 18, 2003 - Eric Bana June 11, 2003 - Spider-Man Animation June 4 , 2003 - Lou Ferrigno May 27 , 2003 - Teen Titans May 20 , 2003 - Bryan Singer May 14 , 2003 - Al Gough May 8 , 2003 - Kelly Hu April 22, 2003 - Aaron Stanford April 18, 2003 - James Marsden April 15, 2003 - Jaime King April 8, 2003 - Halle Berry April 2, 2003 - Anna Paquin March 26 , 2003 - Scott McNeil March 21 , 2003 - Alan Cumming March 18 , 2003 - Michael Rosenbaum March 14 , 2003 - Ted Raimi: The "Other" Raimi Is Coming Back March 11 , 2003 - Maria Canals likes the call of the wild March 7 , 2003 - John Shea - Welcome to Mutant X March 4 , 2003 - Anthony Cistaro - Witchblade February 27 , 2003 - David Kaye - Professor X February 18 , 2003 - Victor Webster February 14 , 2003 - Ben Affleck February 11 , 2003 - Colin Farrell February 7 , 2003 - Comic Controversy? January 31 , 2003 - Static Shock January 24 , 2003 - Jennifer Garner