If you’ve ever fallen down the rabbit hole of 1980s cult cinema, you know that some movies aren't just bad—they are spectacularly, breathtakingly weird. Sinbad of the Seven Seas is one of those movies. Released in 1989, though it feels like it crawled out of a time capsule from a much stranger era, it features a lineup of actors that makes you wonder exactly what was happening in the casting office. The cast of Sinbad of the Seven Seas is a bizarre mix of genuine bodybuilding royalty, Italian character actors, and performers who seem to be in entirely different movies from one another.
Most people remember it as "that movie where the Hulk plays Sinbad." And yeah, Lou Ferrigno is the center of this hurricane. But there’s a lot more to the ensemble than just a green-skinned icon without his makeup.
The Heavyweight at the Center: Lou Ferrigno
Lou Ferrigno didn't just play Sinbad; he sort of became the landscape of the film. After his massive success in The Incredible Hulk, Ferrigno was the go-to guy for any production needing raw, physical presence. In this 1989 fantasy-adventure, he brings a very specific kind of energy. It’s earnest. He’s not winking at the camera, even when he’s fighting invisible monsters or dealing with special effects that look like they were made in a blender.
Honestly, Ferrigno’s performance is what anchors the movie’s accidental charm. He treats the material with the same intensity he brought to the Mr. Universe stage. While the script is a chaotic mess of mythology—blending Arabian Nights with whatever the writers thought looked cool—Ferrigno stays focused. You’ve got to respect the hustle. He was 38 when the movie finally hit screens, and physically, he was at his peak.
One thing people often forget is that his voice was dubbed. It’s a common trope in these Italian-produced fantasy epics. Cannon Films, the legendary studio run by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, loved to save money on sound by just looping everything later. It gives his character a slightly disconnected, ethereal quality that actually fits the dream-like (or fever-dream-like) logic of the plot.
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The Villain We Deserved: John Steiner as Jaffar
Every hero needs a foil, and the cast of Sinbad of the Seven Seas lucked out with John Steiner. If you don't know the name, you definitely know the face if you've watched enough Euro-cult cinema. Steiner was a British actor who found his niche playing slender, aristocratic, and often deeply unsettling villains in Italian genre films.
As Jaffar, Steiner is chewing so much scenery there’s barely any left for the rest of the actors. He’s campy. He’s menacing. He wears outfits that would make a drag queen blush with envy. While Ferrigno is the physical force, Steiner is the theatrical glue. His performance is a masterclass in "understanding the assignment." He knew he wasn't in a Shakespearean drama, so he leaned into the absurdity.
The dynamic between the two is hilarious. You have this massive, muscular wall of a man going up against a spindly, cackling wizard. It’s a classic trope, but Steiner’s sheer commitment to being evil makes it work better than it has any right to.
The Supporting Players: A Who's Who of 80s Eccentricity
Beyond the leads, the ensemble gets even weirder. Take Roland Wybenga as Prince Ali. He’s the guy Sinbad is trying to help, and he plays it with a sort of bewildered grace. Then there’s Ennio Girolami, an Italian veteran who pops up as the Viking. Yes, a Viking. In a Sinbad movie.
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The logic is non-existent, but the cast sells it.
- Alessandra Martines plays Alina. She’s essentially the princess in distress, but she actually went on to have a very serious career in European cinema, even working with directors like Claude Lelouch.
- Leo Gullotta provides some of the comic relief, or at least attempts to, within the chaotic structure of the narrative.
- Stefania Girolami Goodwin appears as Kira. It’s worth noting that the film had a messy production history, with Enzo G. Castellari—a legend of Italian action cinema—initially directing before things went sideways.
Castellari is the guy who directed the original Inglorious Bastards (the one Tarantino riffed on), and you can see flashes of his gritty style buried under the glitter and bad ADR. The actors were often working under grueling conditions in Italy and Malta, dealing with a production that was essentially falling apart and being stitched back together by the producers at Cannon.
Why the Casting Matters Today
We live in an era of polished, $200 million Marvel movies where every hair is digitally placed. Looking back at the cast of Sinbad of the Seven Seas, there’s a tactile, human quality to the mess. These were real people in heavy costumes on actual sets, trying to make sense of a plot involving Amazon warriors and ghost knights.
The movie failed at the box office. It was lambasted by critics. But it survived because of the people in it. Lou Ferrigno’s charisma is undeniable. John Steiner’s villainy is iconic in the world of "bad" movies.
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If you watch it now, you aren't watching for the plot. You’re watching for the moments where the actors realize how insane the scene is. You’re watching for the chemistry between a group of people who likely didn't speak the same primary language but had to fight a giant rock monster together.
The Technical Chaos Behind the Scenes
It’s impossible to talk about the cast without mentioning the director, Enzo G. Castellari. He was fired, then the footage sat on a shelf, then Luigi Cozzi (another legend who gave us the Ferrigno Hercules movies) was brought in to finish it. Cozzi added a narrator—played by Hal Yamanouchi—to try and explain what was happening.
This is why some actors seem to disappear for long stretches or why their motivations change mid-scene. The cast was basically a victim of a corporate collapse at Cannon Films. They did their jobs, and then the editors tried to create a movie out of the pieces.
Actionable Insights for Cult Film Enthusiasts
If you’re planning a rewatch or diving into this for the first time, keep these points in mind to truly appreciate the madness:
- Watch the eyes: Notice how John Steiner often looks like he’s having the time of his life. He’s the only one who truly seems to understand the movie’s camp potential.
- Compare to Hercules: If you enjoy Ferrigno here, watch him in Hercules (1983). It’s the same vibe but arguably has a bit more production value. You can see how his acting style evolved—or didn't—between the two.
- Check the credits: Look for the name Luigi Cozzi. Whenever you see a scene that feels like a psychedelic trip or involves strange light effects, that’s his influence, not the original director’s.
- Listen for the dubbing: Try to spot which actors are actually speaking English on set versus those who are clearly speaking Italian. It’s a fun game that reveals the international nature of 80s "B" cinema.
The cast of Sinbad of the Seven Seas represents a lost era of filmmaking. It was a time when a bodybuilding champion and a few Italian character actors could head to Malta and create something that would be talked about decades later, even if for all the "wrong" reasons. It’s a testament to the power of physical presence over digital perfection.
To get the most out of this film, seek out the highest quality version available—usually the Blu-ray releases from boutique labels like Scorpion Releasing or 88 Films. These versions often include interviews with the cast and crew that shed light on the absolute chaos of the production. Seeing Lou Ferrigno talk about his time in Italy gives you a whole new level of respect for what he put into the role of Sinbad. Understanding the context of the Cannon Films bankruptcy during production also helps explain why the film feels like three different movies stitched together with dental floss.