Masters of the Universe star reveals extreme effort to become He-Man
Updated . First published
Masters of the Universe is the latest children’s fantasy classic to get a big-screen remake and its star has revealed the extreme lengths he went to get He-Man’s physique.
Nicholas Galitzine is best recognised for his romcoms and dramas, like Red, White and Royal Blue, The Idea of You and Mary and George.
Nicholas Galitzine stars as He-Man in Masters of the Universe. Amazon MGM Studios
But it was actually an Australian superhero veteran who the 31-year-old went to for advice on getting hero-ready.
“Hugh (Jackman) was actually instrumental in a lot of ways because I had just finished shooting The Sheep Detectives with him and I asked a lot of advice on how to prepare for the role, and he suggested a wonderful trainer for me,” Galitzine told Today.
Jackman first played Marvel superhero Wolverine in the 2000 film X-Men, and the character has been popping up in sequels and other MCU projects over nearly three decades.
“(Training) was just a daily struggle, I had five months, although in the grand scheme of things it really wasn’t a lot of time for such a transformation,” Galitzine said.
“Really there were so many ups and downs in the whole process, it was like a little epic in itself and by the time we actually came to filming the movie I had already been on this crazy physical and emotional journey.
“But the feeling you get when people finally see you as He-Man for the first time on set… it makes the struggle worth it.”
Galitzine said it's a dream to play He-Man, being a longtime fan of the fantasy genre. Today
In Masters of the Universe, Galitzine plays Prince Adam, who must recover a magic sword and return to his home planet, Eternia, to follow his destiny as the hero He-Man and save his people from the evil Skeletor.
Galitzine admitted he has been a fan of the fantasy genre since he was a child, and it was a dream to take on such an iconic role.
“I grew up with Lord of the Rings and Star Wars and the notion that someone could say ‘for your job, you get to play with swords every day and run around in a miniskirt’, I very much felt like a kid in a candy store,” he said.
Masters of the Universe is in cinemas this Thursday. You can catch Renee Bargh’s full interview with Nicholas Galitzine in the video above
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