Lou Ferrigno may be in his early 70s, but he’s still something of an imposing figure.
The six-foot-five former professional bodybuilder isn’t winning Mr. Universe anymore, but he’s still enjoying the fame from his younger days—and grateful for it.
Ferrigno plays Leo, the best friend of Brian in Forgotten Fortune, currently filming in Sapulpa. He seems warmly familiar with his character, though he never mentioned whether he identified with him personally.
“(Leo) is an outgoing guy, very suave, very perfectionist,” he said in an interview with Sapulpa Times. “I live across the street from (Brian Shoop’s character) Brian, and we’ve been friends since we were kids. We do everything together, and we make fun of each other; I’m very vain about myself.”
In Forgotten Fortune, Shoop’s character is showing early signs of alzheimers, and Ferrigno’s character is one of the first to experience it. “I recognize a ‘senior moment,’ and I know he’s on the decline,” he said. “We try to pay more attention to that fact.”
Ferrigno says he’s been to Sapulpa before, and he especially enjoys coming here during the summer. “There are no tornadoes, no rainstorms, no ice. It’s beautiful.”
Brian’s other best friend is Larry, played by Jimmie “J.J.” Walker, whom Ferrigno says he’s known for a long time.
“I can’t have a straight face with him; he cracks me up,” he said. The scene they rehearse is the three of them around a poker table, and you wouldn’t know they hadn’t already been best friends for years.
Lou Ferrigno, who might be most famous for his role as the original “Incredible Hulk,” said he’ll always be grateful for that role.
“What’s funny is that I’ve done over 50 films, everybody loves the Hulk, which I’m very proud of,” he said. “There’s no shame to it, because right now you have ‘End Game,’ you got the ‘Marvel (Cinematic) Universe.’ You have all these A-list actors playing these characters. I think it’s fantastic, but it helped propel me into stardom and enabled me to play different roles.”
In addition to the role he’s playing in Sapulpa, he has other films in the works, and when he’s not traveling or signing autographs at Comic-Cons, you can find him in Los Angeles County serving as a reserve Sheriff’s Deputy.
“I do a lot of search a rescue, I teach weapons shooting and I show support,” he said, adding that he visits different sheriff departments around the country to show support to the deputies. “When you wear a uniform and a badge, you’re putting your life at risk, and people don’t always realize that.”
Ferrigno said he’d openly encourage anyone who was considering becoming a police officer or deputy.
“I think it’s a great career,” he said. “I think right now, with our president and the fact that we’re protecting our borders and don’t want criminals in our backyard, we have the respect. That’s what police officers are for, to earn the public’s trust.”
Overall, Ferrigno says he’s “enjoying Father Time,” and taking roles as they come, varied as they might be. “I like doing everything. I like to do drama, comedy, and movies like this, that have a lot of substance.”
Forgotten Fortune is currently filming in Sapulpa, and is expected to premiere in Tulsa in December. Stay tuned for details on when you can catch the movie.
