Nicholas Galitzine has admitted that he struggled with self-doubt after being cast as He-Man in Masters of the Universe, revealing that he felt like "a fraud" the first time he wore the iconic costume.
“When I first tried on the costume, I felt like a fraud,” the 31-year-old actor told People. “I asked director Travis Knight, ‘Are you sure you don’t want anyone else?’”
Stepping into the role made famous by Dolph Lundgren in the 1987 live-action film required a dramatic physical transformation. Galitzine said he consumed up to 5,000 calories a day and spent months weight training to build He-Man’s imposing physique.
“I had many moments of doubt,” he said, adding, “Doubts creep in, and you have to go home, re-energise and come back with a fresh perspective.”
Galitzine shared that saying goodbye to the role was “probably the hardest” farewell of his career.
Known for romantic films such as Red, White & Royal Blue and The Idea of You, Galitzine described Masters of the Universe as his first blockbuster-scale project and called the experience “really special.”
Knight's Masters of the Universe is the second live-action film based on Mattel's toy line, following the 1987 movie of the same name starring Dolph Lundgren. The latest film stars Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam, better known as He-Man, one of the franchise's most recognisable characters with a global fanbase, including in India.
Masters of the Universe, which released in India on Friday, also stars Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Alison Brie, Morena Baccarin and Kristen Wiig.
Sony Pictures India has released the film in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.