He-Man Star Reveals His Biggest Fear About Taking the Role: 'It Wasn't An Easy Ask' - MCE Notices | California State Portal

Masters of the Universe star Nicholas Galitzine explains why “it wasn’t an easy task” to become He-Man. He also breaks down the source of the “obvious trepidation” before he stepped into the role.

Speaking to CBR’s Grae Drake, Galitzine responded to the question of what, if anything, he was particularly proud of regarding the production of Masters of the Universe, noting, “It wasn’t an easy ask.”

“I remember talking with Travis early on and it was clear that, obviously, there was going to be a huge physical component. And leading a movie of this size was something I hadn’t done before.”

Why Portraying He-Man Was Such a Massive Undertaking

Galitzine recalled how physically taxing the production was for him.

“Sometimes I had to be in two places at once. I would finish shooting a scene on main unit, sprint to do something on second unit, come right back to do something else. And then just the subject matter of what I was doing, you know, going from comedy to being extremely dehydrated and trying to do a crying scene, which is always tough.”

He also admitted there was “obvious trepidation” before they started filming.

Directed by Travis Knight from a screenplay by writers Aaron and Adam Nee, Chris Butler, and Dave Callaham, Masters of the Universe arrived in theaters on June 5, 2026 to reintroduce Eternia and all the heroes and villains who call it home to a new audience. The film stars Galitzine as Adam Glenn, aka He-Man, who returns to Eternia after being raised on Earth for his own protection, only to find his homeland ravaged by the forces of Jared Leto’s villainous Skeletor.

Masters of the Universe boasts a star-studded ensemble cast, with Camila Mendes taking on the role of Teela, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress, and James Purefoy and Charlotte Riley as King Randor and Queen Marlena Glenn. Prior to its release, early footage from the film was shown to select audiences, with many lauding Masters of the Universe for its incredibly cartoon-accurate costumes and set designs.

What’s Next for the Masters of the Universe on the Silver Screen?

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

Just one day into its theatrical run, Masters of the Universe is having no problem catching up to some of its fiercest competition at the box office. Reportedly, Masters of the Universe has grossed more than $12.7 million between Thursday preview screenings and Friday showings alone, which should be more than enough to keep it on track for its projected $30 million opening weekend.

Although Masters of the Universe has only been a moderate success with critics, audiences are on board with the reboot, helping it garner a whopping 87% “Popcornmeter” score via review Rotten Tomatoes, as averaged across more than 1,000 verified audience-submitted reviews. With any luck, this and some continued box office success will be enough to secure the development and production of future films in the series, even if that isn’t what Knight had planned going into the project.

“I have never made a sequel. I try to tell these movies as if we’re only getting one shot at telling these characters’ story and that it is a self-contained thing,” Knight said when asked about sequel plans. “I think we’ve done that for this movie. But I also have so much affection for these characters and this world, and it’s so much bigger than the scope of this film. There are so many things that I wanted to do in this movie that were outside the bounds of what the movie could be.”

Masters of the Universe is in theaters now.