Much has been written and said about the physical transformation actor Nicholas Galitzine went through to become He-Man in the upcoming Masters of the Universe film. But despite bulking up and going through pre-shoot training, Nicholas didn’t truly ‘feel like’ the superhero till very late. In a candid chat with Hindustan Times, the actor opens up about his preparation for the role, reactions to audience feedback, and getting tips from the OG He-Man, Dolph Lundgren.
Talking about when he truly felt like He-Man, Nicholas tells us, “It’s a tricky thing. We were in pre-production training for a really, really long time. You are trying these costumes on throughout pre-production. For most of this time, you don’t feel like the character because you haven’t really transformed yet. It took me a really long time to actually feel like He-Man despite wearing the costume.”
Nicholas said he felt his transformation was only complete after he saw reactions from others on set, particularly the makers. “It was the first day on set when I had the costume on, I had the tan, my hair was done, and this is a character and a film our director and producers have been working on for a really long time. It was seeing other people’s reactions to me as He-Man that solidified it, really,” says the actor.
Before he became Prince Adam of Eternia for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Nicholas was the chocolaty Prince Henry from Red, White and Royal Blue. When his casting as He-Man was announced in 2024, fans were divided as many felt Nicholas couldn’t physically embody the superhero. “I try and stay away from everything,” says Nicholas, “I just know what I have to do at the end of the day. I know Travis trusted me, our producers, Mattel, and Amazon trusted me. They cast the guy who was not He-Man shape just yet. But they believed I embodied his essence and his soul. For me, it was figuring that part out. When I read it, I just knew that I could play him. The rest follows.”
Recently, the cast and the crew attended the film’s premiere and there, all lingering doubts faded away, the actor says. “Just seeing the fruits of our labour being reacted to by the viewers, it puts all of those seeds of doubt to rest. It certainly feels very vindicating,” adds Nicholas.
He-Man originated as an action figure from Mattel before entering pop culture with the hit 80s animated series. This led to an unsuccessful 1987 film starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man. The veteran action star was on the sets of the reboot, too. “Truthfully, it felt like an honour. Even outside of Masters of the Universe, Dolph is an action icon. It was wanting to get his blessing in a way, but also just sit with him, pick his brain and talk about anything. I felt very lucky to have that time,” says Nicholas.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, directed by Travis Knight, stars Nicholas in the titular role, alongside Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Kristen Wiig, Morena Baccarin, and Idris Elba. The film releases in theatres on June 5.