The stars are here. Legends like Jonathan Frakes, Danny Trejo and Lou Ferrigno visit Calgary Expo

Can you hear it? The low grunt? The sound of fabric ripping?

Lou Ferrignothe original Incredible Hulk is in Calgary this weekend to take part in the city's annual fan expo. And though he hasn't played the role in years, he still looks the part.

At 71, he says he watches what he eats and works out almost every day about 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weights.

"It started when I was a child because I had to overcome a speech impediment, the hearing issue, and I discovered my passion was bodybuilding and fitness," he said in an interview onThe Homestretch.

"It gave me tremendous discipline to build a champion body, but that discipline I've been able to carry over to be successful in my career doing different things because I'm a fighter, because I can't take a second seat to anyone."

WATCH | Lou Ferrigno talks bullying, Calgary Expo and powerlifting:

Lou Ferrigno, the original Incredible Hulk, visits Calgary Expo

1 year ago

Duration 11:13

The Incredible Hulk is in the city as part of the Calgary Expo. Lou Ferrigno spoke with guest host of The Homestretch Andrew Brown about acting, bullying and his plans for the weekend. Traffic reporter Jenny Howe joined in to talk about her and Ferrigno's shared interest, powerlifting.

Dozens of celebrities are in the city for the Calgary Expo, which runs April 27 to 30. It celebrates all things sci-fi, horror and pop culture through meet-and-greets, panels and special programming.

Ferrigno will start his weekend by riding a tiny green car into the POW! Parade of Wonders on Friday, which officially kicks off the events.

He says when he started in the industry, these kinds of conventions didn't exist.

"All they had was comic books, and people would laugh at me when I was a kid. I used to read a lot of the comic books to escape the pain I used to fantasize of being the Hulk, Superman," he said.

"Over the years, it's grown, and then we originally had what you call comic conventions, like comic book artists and celebrities. But what makes the difference now is pop culture, where everybody wants to be involved, parents, children. It's very exhilarating for the fans."

Plenty of other celebrities are expected to visit the city this weekend, including Hayden Christensen from Star Wars, David Harbour from Stranger Things and Bonnie Wright from Harry Potter.

Listen to interviews with some of the other stars stopping by the city below.

Jonathan Frakes

Live long and prepare, Trekkies.

Commander William T. Riker, a.k.a. Jonathan Frakes, from Star Trek: The Next Generation is beaming down to Calgary for the expo.

He says he always looks forward to speaking with fans.

"They tell us that 'I became a physicist,' or 'I became an astronaut,' or'I became a psychiatrist,' or 'I became a doctor' all because of Star Trek," he said.

"Or they say 'watching Star Trek helped me through Afghanistan and PTSD and surgery,' or 'it's the only time that my father was ever civil to me was when we sat and watched Star Trek,' or 'it helped me through drug and alcohol recovery.' There's something about this show that fans relate to and a lot of them feel comfortable enough to share that power that the show has had for them with us."

LISTEN | Jonathan Frakes on Star Trek's staying power, and returning to acting:

Danny Trejo

Danny Trejo is best known for his performances in Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn and in the Spy Kids movie franchise, but he has more than 400 film and TV credits to his name.

"I love what I do, and I get to do what I love," he said. "I've just been having fun."

He says throughout his careerhe's experienced joy seeing fans dressed up as his characters.

"I know it sounds silly, but the next Halloween after we did Machete, there was knocking at the door and I would open the door, [see] little Hispanic kids with a painted mustache, 'I'm Machete!' It was like, almost made me cry," he said.

"I said, 'Latino's got a superhero.'"

LISTEN | Danny Trejo on how Machete came to be, and his new cookbook:

Kathleen Herles

Some fans may not recognize Herles that's because she's known for her voice.

Herles is the original voice of Dora the Explorer. In the world of children's television shows, Dora is a cultural icon.

When Herlesstarted voicing the character, she was just seven years old.

"Most of the people that I meet now are older, but they have such a connection with Dora and the show and with my voice," she said in an interview with the Calgary Eyeopener.

"For people to share their stories, their memories of them watching it with either their parents or their grandparents, their siblings, and how much it meant for them. I love reading all of the comments, and it amazes me that the show impacted so many people."

LISTEN | Kathleen Herles on what's next, and a shoutout from Dora herself:

Sarah Natochenny

Another voice actor making anappearanceis Sarah Natochenny, who has voiced Ash Ketchum, the main character of Pokmon, for almost 20 years.

She says she's honoured to have played a role in the show's legacy.

"To hear that my work has affected people after having so much time in a booth, by myself, never knowing if our show is even being watched by people that has been the most rewarding experience," she said.

Recently, the show announcedKetchum would no longer be the main focus of the show. It was hard news forNatochenny, but she's looking forward to a new chapter in her career.

"I am writing a feature film about a voice actor who loses her job after 20 years."

LISTEN |Sarah Natochenny talks about two decades as Ash Ketchum:

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener, The Homestretch