MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Star Reveals Why Playing He-Man Was the “Most Difficult Thing” He’s Ever Done
The debut trailer for Masters of the Universe gave fans their first real taste of what this new take on Eternia is bringing to the table. It teased a vibrant visual and some epic battles that will take place.
At the center of all of it is Nicholas Galitzine, who recently opened up about why stepping into the role od He-Man ended up being the hardest challenge of his career.
Galitzine recently spoke to Empire saying: “I think anyone seeing that iconic physique would find it extremely daunting,” Galitzine said. “Even the animations put Arnold Schwarzenegger to shame: the proportions, the minuscule waist, the boulder shoulders… I had four or five months to get in shape. Truly, it was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.”
Stranded on Earth, Adam’s holding down a regular job and chasing down rumors that might lead him back to Eternia. He’s charming, awkward, and easy to root for, but he isn’t clueless. His memories of another life give him an edge, and the trailer makes it clear this isn’t a straight-up fish out of water story.
You see that especially when the camera moves through his home, packed with notes and research showing years of dedication to finding the sword. Then it smash cuts to him trying to pull that sword from a statue in a comic shop.
That balance was exactly what director Travis Knight was hunting for when casting the film. He wasn’t interested in someone who just looked the part.
“I wasn’t looking for a body,” Knight said. “I was looking for a soul. I needed someone who had the spirit of this character, and could be funny and charming and heartbreaking and also plausibly a big action hero. Because there’s a duality there: Adam essentially represents empathy, He-Man represents strength.”
That duality plays beautifully in the trailer once Adam finally makes his way back to Eternia. There’s a moment where he’s seated in the Talon Fighter next to Teela, grinning like a kid who can’t believe he’s back where he belongs.
It’s joyful and nostalgic. Then the tone shifts. When the ship lands and Adam steps out among the heroes, the uncertainty drops away. He looks confident, centered, and fully at home.
When Galitzine becomes He-Man, it lands hard. The scale, the presence, the physicality. It all clicks. Translating a cartoon icon into live action is a risky move, especially with a character defined by exaggerated proportions and mythic strength.
But the trailer never once makes you question what you’re seeing. He-Man looks powerful, heroic, and completely legit, which says a lot about both the casting and Knight’s overall vision.
All of that came with a serious amount of work, though, and Galitzine didn’t shy away from admitting how demanding the role was. The physical prep alone pushed him further than anything he’d done before. Still, once the armor went on, something clicked.
“You just become kind of abnormally confident in it,” Galitzine said. “It’s like when you do sex scenes. Everyone else in the room is more uncomfortable than you are, you know? Wandering around in this costume was empowering.”
That confidence is all over the footage, and it explains why the performance already feels so locked in. Adam’s vulnerability and He-Man’s strength don’t feel like two different characters fighting for space. They feel like two sides of the same person, which is exactly what this story needs to work.
Masters of the Universe hits theaters on June 5th, and if the trailer is any indication, this is shaping up to be a powerful, character-driven return to Eternia that actually understands why fans have loved He-Man for decades.