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13th Aug 2019

WATCH: Lou Ferrigno chats about the time Michael Jackson taught him how to moonwalk

Rory Cashin

lou ferrigno michael jackson

He trained MJ in the weeks leading up to what was meant to be his final series of concerts.

When Lou Ferrigno dropped by the JOE offices in the days leading up to the Dublin Comic Con, he stopped for literally anyone who requested a photo with him. A consummate professional and infinitely patient, he was the definition of “a gentle giant”.

The Big Reviewski sat down with the legend, and we discussed everything from his thoughts on the new version(s) of the Hulk and the different director’s interpretations of the character, as well as discussions about a potential sequel to I Love You, Man.

But outside of his own acting career, Ferrigno is a celebrated bodybuilder, and for 20 years, he was the secret personal trainer for none other than Michael Jackson.

“I trained Michael, on and off, for twenty years,” Ferrigno told us. “We kept it a secret. See, Michael can’t go to a gym, so his surgeon told him that the perfect guy to train him would be Lou Ferrigno. He came to my facility, and I guarded his privacy.

“I loved his passion for music, it reminded me of my passion for fitness. We became very good friends and it was very sad when he passed on.

“But he was one of the respectable, most talented musicians I’ve ever met in my life. It was amazing what he could do, how he moved, how he danced. He was The King.”

We had to ask if Jackson ever taught Ferrigno any dance moves, and it turns out that yes, yes he very much did:

“One night, he said ‘Turn the stereo up’, he was in my gym, and he said ‘I’m gonna show you how to do this dance move’. And he started to moonwalk, he started to show me how. It was hard for me to get into it, but I remember saying to myself ‘He’s doing the moonwalk!’

“People pay thousands of dollars to just to watch him on stage, and he was [this close to me]. But the way he moved, it was astronomical, it was incredible.”

Check out our interview in full right here:

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