The Hulk, Captain America: American Heroes

Mar. 3—ELKHART — Both Reb Brown and Lou Ferrigno are living out their childhood dream of becoming superheroes, actors, and following in their fathers' footsteps as law enforcement. They want to bring the happiness they have to others.

The Hall of Heroes will welcome them during its annual Hall of Heroes Comic Con at the RV Hall of Fame this weekend.

Brown (Captain America) and Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk) are just two of many celebrities slated to attend the weekend long convention. The two took time on Friday afternoon to meet with The Goshen News and discuss their life today, following decades of stardom.

Brown attended the Hall of Heroes first comic con in 2017 and has visited Elkhart several times in support of other honorees of the superhero and comic book museum.

"I've got some friends here that come constantly when I've been here and they're like family," he said.

Brown said his favorite part of cons is when he gets to see people who grew up watching him on TV bring their own children to show off their childhood icons.

"It just touches me," he said. "It makes me feel good because if I can give something back, and they enjoy it and they have fun ... One of the things that's very important to me is that I make them feel welcome and appreciated. It's all about who I am and what I'm doing."

Brown, who stands at 6-feet 4-inches tall, was a bar bouncer when he was scouted in Pasadena.

"I was in the middle of throwing two people out and he was up in the top and he says 'Hey, kid. You want to be an actor?'" he recalled, so he did. The decision catapulted him into stardom. In 1979, he landed the role of Captain America.

"It was a blast doing it because it's so positive, it's pure," he said.

Eventually, Brown also decided to join the sheriff's department and later went under contract with Universal Studios.

Ferrigno, who played the first live-action Hulk, has also been a sheriff's deputy for several years, while retaining his acting career. The men are two real-life superheroes and proud of it.

"I used to dream about being The Hulk when I was a kid," Ferrigno said. "I was attracted to The Hulk and Superman because, you know, to escape the pain."

As a child, Ferrigno said he was bullied and picked on in school because of his hearing aids, until, Ferrigno explained, he decided he was tired of it.

"That basically made me into a hero," he said. "I got to the point where I didn't want to take the abuse and I wanted to be better than the average person."

Ferrigno received a cochlear implant just three years ago and has called it a life-changing experience. He wore hearing aids from the age of 4 on, after an ear infection caused him to lose nearly 80% of his hearing.

"The way it impacted me, it made me very introverted," he said. "I had a father that rejected me because I was not the perfect son. ... I basically had to work harder than the average person to succeed."

Ferrigno said him simply attending comic cons brings hope and confidence to others that struggle with disabilities, by provide a real life connection with a superhero who is also disabled.

"That's important because when I was a kid, I didn't have anything like this," he said. "I would give anything to just shake a celebrity hand. ... The fact that because I'm here at least they can feel that appreciation and at the same time it brings back childhood memories for myself."

Ferrigno's professional career began as a bodybuilder, and he eventually won two IFBB Mr. Universe titles, and appeared in the 1977 documentary movie "Pumping Iron," alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger as they competed for the title of Mr. Olympia, which compared the men's training styles along with their personality types.

"I liked the feeling of being in front of the camera," he recalled. Shortly after the movie was released, Ferrigno heard about an upcoming audition for the role of The Hulk. He was hired the day after his audition to star alongside Bill Bixby in "The Incredible Hulk" TV series.

"I remember, they put that makeup on and I looked in the mirror, and I said, 'What am I doing? Am I crazy?'"

It was a risk for Ferrigno because to take on the role, Ferrigno would have to step back from bodybuilding, but he said he always wanted to be an actor. He just never told people, because they'd laugh at him.

Over the summer of 1977, two pilot episodes were filmed, but when it aired, Ferrigno's fears were eased.

"When the show hit the air, I knew that I had a different career," he said.

Ferrigno went on to star in many other films and TV shows, eventually got big enough to do cameo appearances, even appearing in the 2003 and 2008 Hulk movies and became the voice of The Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for several years until he was replaced by Mark Ruffalo in 2015.

There's a certain amount of gratification and Ferrigno isn't afraid to admit he enjoys when visiting with his fans across the country.

"I'm excited to share my childhood story and get to meet my fans of three generations," he said. "I could do 'Gone with the Wind' tomorrow and people would still want to see The Hulk."

Acting isn't his only occupation, though. After training, Ferrigno was sworn in as a deputy sheriff in Los Angeles County in 2006, has continued to serve as a volunteer, reserve and has accepted an honorary deputy status at several other locations including Elkhart County, which honored him with the distinction on Friday afternoon. He continues to do trainings and public outreach, continuing the legacy his father left behind for him.

"I just like giving back," he said. "When I was kid I was so shy it was hard for me to talk in front of people, but now I've became a motivational speaker. I talk all over the world. I'm trying to talk to people about overcoming fear, maximizing your purpose and the power of being successful."

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.