Being a retired professional bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger would’ve probably never anticipated getting rejected for portraying a muscled monster on screen. If anything, the hunk of a man would’ve been the perfect choice to depict Hulk in the Marvel television series. But as it turns out, the Predator star was astonishingly enough, a little too short for the role. Imagine looking at a 6’2 man and telling him you’re not tall enough to play Hulk. That ought to put a dent in his confidence.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Was Deemed Too Short to Play Hulk
Starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, The Incredible Hulk was an award-winning success that went on to be crowned as Marvel’s first truly triumphant comic book adaptation that garnered immense praise. Developed by Kenneth Johnson and based on Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s The Hulk, the superhero series went on to spawn two spin-offs as well, The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988) and The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989).
While Bixby played the widowed scientist Dr. David Banner in the 1977 CBS show, Ferrigno took over as his monstrous counterpart, Hulk, which he probably wouldn’t have if Arnold Schwarzenegger had been three inches taller.
Before the Hercules star stepped portrayed the character in the show, Schwarzenegger was in the talks to play the green beast beside Bixby. But the showrunners didn’t seem to be too thrilled with the seven-time Mr. Olympia champion’s height, despite standing at a solid six feet two inches. And the next thing you know, the role was passed down to none other than Ferrigno, who coincidentally also happened to be Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding arch-rival. Talk about irony.
The Terminator’s Missed Opportunities & Scandals
For someone as accomplished and established as the Hollywood titan, Schwarzenegger has certainly missed out on quite some glorious projects, for better or worse. Will Smith-led I Am Legend (2007) and Stanley Kubrick’s Oscar-nominated Full Metal Jacket (1987) are just a couple of hits that he nearly had his name associated with.
While scheduling conflicts made him turn down a few films, his Herculean build ended up botching a rather remarkable opportunity that presented itself in the form of the dystopian satire, RoboCop (1987). The Terminator star just looked way too sturdy and gigantic in the costume, so the creators had to pick someone with a low body mass. But that’s still a somewhat digestible fact as opposed to him losing out on a role for not being tall enough.
See also: Arnold Schwarzenegger Says Molding Himself into a God is as Satisfying as “Having s*x with a woman”
Meanwhile, the former governor of California is set to commence this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner with a “cold open” that remains a mystery (via THR). Schwarzenegger, 75, recently made headlines for his tirade against antisemites wherein he preaches about how “there has never been a successful movement based on hate.” That’s coming from someone after whom an entire scandal labeled ‘Gropegate’ was triggered back when he was running for the mayoral campaign. The incident encompassed the tons of allegations of s*xual misconduct that Schwarzenegger faced after the LA Times revealed infamous tales of multiple women who accused the True Lies star of groping them and engaging in inappropriate s*xual behavior. The controversy was soon wrapped up with a half-a*sed apology delivered by the politician though.
So, given Schwarzenegger’s knack for roping in controversy, you never know what awaits the audience during this year’s WHCD.
Source: Essentially Sports
