The Masters of the Universe star gets honest about the first time the He-Man costume made him feel less “I have the power” and more “am I worthy?”
One of the hottest and most talented young actors of his generation, Nicholas Galitzine, is telling the realness on why he did not initially feel good enough — or worthy enough — to portray He-Man in the new live-action Masters of the Universe.
The actor hit NBC’s TODAY morning show for his latest promo-tour stop, where the conversation quickly turned from cartoon nostalgia to the very human nerves of becoming one of the most physically iconic heroes in pop-culture history.
Costume shock, 5,000 calories, Dolph Lundgren, and the surreal moment of becoming an action figure.
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When asked about putting on the costume for the first time, Galitzine admitted the early fittings did not immediately give him that full “I have the power” feeling.
Before the finished screen magic, there was still the prep version of it all: the costume tests, the body work, and, in his words, his “pasty skin” not quite carrying the power of Eternia yet.
The shift came later, once the full transformation was finally there — the Farrah Fawcett hair, the Fabio tan, the muscles, the armor, and the full fantasy-hero packaging.
That is where the story gets cute, because the movie may be about Prince Adam finding his way back to Eternia, but Galitzine also had his own little journey toward believing he could carry the sword.
The physical prep was no casual superhero glow-up either. Galitzine said he bulked up on roughly 5,000 calories a day, joking that it was not even the fun kind of 5,000 calories — more like “various iterations of cardboard,” tree bark, and stale, horrible things.
He also talked about following Dolph Lundgren, who played He-Man in the 1987 film and appears in the new movie. Galitzine called him an icon, then laughed about how unfair it is that Dolph is basically a 6’5” Scandinavian action god and also somehow a genius. Tough act to follow, truly.
The sweetest full-circle moment came when TODAY brought out his He-Man action figure. For Galitzine, who grew up playing with action figures and credits them with sparking his creativity and imagination, seeing himself turned into one was understandably trippy.
And because morning television loves a charming left turn, the interview also got into Galitzine’s woodworking, leading to a hobby-off about candle making, using your hands, and cultured men creating things.
Yes, that is hot.
Press play on the full TODAY interview below.
Watch Nicholas Galitzine explain why he did not feel good enough to portray He-Man on TODAY.
The TODAY interview follows Nicholas Galitzine as he talks about becoming He-Man, modernizing Masters of the Universe, the intense physical transformation, and the surreal feeling of getting his own action figure.
Source: Nicholas Galitzine appeared on TODAY to talk about Masters of the Universe, becoming He-Man, and his action figure moment.
