‘Incredible Hulk’ Star Lou Ferrigno Found Hope From ‘Star Trek’ and Friend William Shatner

Can you imagine a time when Lou Ferrigno—perhaps best known as Bill Bixby’s co-star on The Incredible Hulk television series—was actually bullied? And that the original Star Trek was the thing that provided him hope in a time when he felt lost? This and much more was discussed in an exclusive one-on-one conversation that took place at the recent Las Vegas 60th anniversary Star Trek convention. 

Things began with the actor being asked about the show’s place in his life, and with him reflecting that as a child he was dealing with significant hearing and speech challenges, a difficult relationship with his father and relentless bullying from other kids. But it was television in general, and Star Trek in particular, that offered him some sense of solace.

“I grew up in Brooklyn, New York and Star Trek had a huge impact on my life,” Ferrigno gently reflects. “As a kid growing up, I had to deal with a speech impediment because of the hearing issue. But I remember watching the series, and I loved Captain Kirk. I loved the way he conducted himself. I wanted to be like him, the way he’s on the ship commanding, and especially his personality. Sixty years ago you didn’t have the technology we have today, so it had more to do with the chemistry of the cast. It was beautiful magic. Back in those days, we had Channels 2, 4 and 7. You had Adventures of Superman during the day and in the evening you had Batman and Captain Kirk. So to me, it was a wonderful time, and I’m very excited that 60 years later I’m here, speaking to you at a Star Trek convention, which is huge.” 

‘Star Trek’ Las Vegas

This convention, being held a little less than six decades after the show debuted and more than 50 years since the first con was held in New York City, has brought together thousands of fans from around the world in celebration of a television series that lasted only three seasons from 1966 to 1969. 

“If somebody told me this 50, 60 years ago, I would’ve laughed, because you would never think that,” he points out. “I’ve never been to a Star Trek convention before, but being here, I see all of these people and it’s, like, where’d they come from? But it’s amazing, the following.”

For Ferrigno, though, Star Trek wasn’t simply entertainment. Looking back, he recognizes that Kirk and the starship Enterprise gave him somewhere else to go at a particularly painful point in his childhood.

“Being very depressed growing up as a kid, the show would let my imagination escape and be free, and it gave me some excitement,” he reflects. “That’s why it had such an effect on me. I was a kid growing up poor and I couldn’t get attention from anyone. They used to call me ‘Deaf Mute,’ ‘Deaf Louie’ and I was bullied. I had a very severe relationship with my father, who was like a police captain. So in my life, I ended up becoming a kind of sheriff. I became a movie star, TV star, I ended up writing books and doing all kinds of stuff.” 

Why Lou Ferrigno thinks ‘Star Trek’ still connects

Ferrigno believes the aforementioned sense of escape he felt is part of what has allowed Star Trek to endure for so many years. 

“It’s like the connection with superheroes so many people have,” he explains. “That’s why today you have so many different Marvel characters and movies. The connection is about power;  there’s superhero love. The same thing with Star Trek. It’s the connection it makes with people. You want to be in space, you wish you could be in space. You could fantasize, you could think about the story and you want to be with those people. That connection never leaves you.”

And for him, that connection ultimately extended beyond Captain Kirk to actor William Shatner himself. “I became friends with Bill over the years,” he notes. “As a matter of fact, I had dinner with him two weeks ago. And Bill… he’s fierce, he’s tough, he’s very smart, especially with his knowledge of life. He’s always eager to learn more things about life and you learn from him.”

As is pretty obvious based on the reverence in his voice, at 74 Ferrigno is still looking up to Shatner, although these days it’s the man as opposed to the starship captain who inspires him. “What it is about him that I learned is that I have something to look forward to,” the actor suggests. “For a man who’s 95, he has a wonderful depth of life. He works, he motivates so many people, he’s written novels, he’s done theater. God bless him, because that’s a path I’d like to follow.” 

“And you’ve got to hand it to him,” he continues. “He’s a very entertaining guy, but beyond that, I’ve learned about his history. Over the years I’ve seen him many different times at different events, and Im amazed at his work ethic and his motivation. He never really takes time off; he’s always doing something to better himself. It’s amazing, because I learned so much from him. He has incredible wisdom.”

‘Sensual’ Shatner

During the conversation, this writer shared something Shatner had said in a previous interview when asked whether, as he grew older, he ever thought about slowing down. “Why would I slow down?” Shatner replied at the time. “I am more sensual now, in the true meaning of the word sensual—in touch with your senses—than I’ve ever been. Why would I slow down? Why would I stop?”

Ferrigno’s response is immediate: “Exactly! That’s why he enjoys every day, because life is short. Most people, sometimes when they retire, they’re basically out of sight, out of mind. But the thing is, what he’s doing keeps him alive.”

It’s a philosophy Ferrigno has embraced himself. “Oh, yeah. I’m going to be 75. I still train every day and I love coming to these kinds of conventions, connecting with the fans, because I learn from them. They learn from me. It’s wonderful, that connection. That’s why I look up to Bill Shatner. Life is short and it’s about yourself, what you maximize. It’s about the beauty of the connections you make, the love and the work you do to maximize your own personal power and passion.”