Before he was the Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger came close to stepping into an entirely different kind of role — one from the Marvel universe. In a new interview, the action legend was revealed to have been approached for a major TV part in the late 1970s, only to pass on it and set the stage for another actor’s career-defining moment.
Speaking with Woman’s World, The Incredible Hulk creator Kenneth Johnson revealed that Schwarzenegger was the first choice to play the Hulk in the late-1970s CBS series. At the time, Schwarzenegger was just beginning his Hollywood career after bodybuilding stardom, but scheduling conflicts forced him to turn down the role.
Instead, the future governor of California made a suggestion that would change pop culture history. “He was just breaking on to the scene and we went to him, but he was tied up and couldn’t break free,” Johnson explained. “And it was actually Arnold that suggested Lou Ferrigno to us.”
Ferrigno, a six-foot-four former Mr. Universe, ultimately landed the role opposite Bill Bixby’s Dr. David Banner. The size difference turned out to be a blessing. “Arnold is under six feet, and Lou is six feet four inches. That helps immensely to make the Hulk taller,” Johnson said, noting they also used wide-angle lenses, apple boxes, and clever camera tricks to make Ferrigno look even more towering compared to his on-screen cohorts.
While Schwarzenegger went on to headline action blockbusters like Conan the Barbarian and Predator, Ferrigno’s Hulk became a fixture of American television from 1977 to 1982. The series, which Johnson pitched as “The Fugitive, but green,” grounded the superhero concept in adult themes of grief, tragedy, and inner rage — decades before Marvel’s cinematic universe was born.
Johnson said the show’s success came from focusing on real-life struggles rather than supervillains. “We would use the Hulk figuratively,” he explained. “The Hulk inside Banner was anger. In other people, it might be obsession or greed or lust or drugs or alcohol. There is a visceral response we’ve all felt of our anger springing up inside us.”
Though Schwarzenegger never played the Hulk, his pivotal recommendation made Ferrigno synonymous with the role and ensured The Incredible Hulk left a massive cultural footprint. Decades later, it remains one of the most influential superhero shows of all time.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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