The Audition Moment That Made Nicholas Galitzine He-Man, According to Masters of the Universe Filmmakers

So, Nicholas Galitzine is about to don some truly tiny armor and step into the role of He-Man, and honestly, this is his biggest gig yet by a country mile—both literally and figuratively. If you know anything about He-Man (the action figure, the ’80s cartoon, the deeply questionable fashion sense), you know he's all about an outrageous musclebound look and almost comically minimal clothing. Making someone look like a human action figure, while still being believable as the dorky alter ego Prince Adam, is a ridiculous casting puzzle. Turns out, Galitzine somehow hit the sweet spot.

The He-Man (and Prince Adam) Casting Gauntlet

In Hollywood, there are 'big shoes to fill,' and then there are He-Man's boots. For years, studios have tried and failed to get this movie off the ground—remember when Noah Centineo (the heartthrob from To All the Boys I Loved Before) was officially telling people he was going to play He-Man at Sony? Then, at another point, Kyle Allen (from West Side Story) was "attached" when the project floated over to Netflix. Here's the thing, though: despite headlines, no one was ever actually cast in the role. The producers simply flirted with popular actors of the moment, but never actually locked anyone down.

'When it was at Sony, there was a particular name that everybody liked who was of the moment — and [the same thing happened] at Netflix — but nothing ultimately.'

That’s straight from producer Jason Blumenthal, who seems to have sat through every meeting, watched every screen test, and quietly rolled his eyes the whole time. According to him, 'Some of them had the body, some of them had the acting chops. I don’t know anyone that could’ve done it the way Nick did it.' So apparently, Galitzine is the first one they felt could believably flex and act at the same time.

Old School Training, Real Transformation

If you’re picturing Nicholas Galitzine walking onto set in a muscle suit, think again. The production is making a very big deal about how every one of his new muscles is 100 percent real—no CGI abs, no "movie magic" bodysuits, and certainly no weird supplements. Blumenthal spent months with Galitzine as he trained, going full old-school gym rat. The result: an actual, living, breathing He-Man, not just any actor stuffed into a furry pair of briefs.

'Not only did [Nicholas Galitzine] fully commit, his body transformation was 100-percent real. There are no tricks, there are no pills, there are no…nothing. I sat there with him for months. He did it old school... I knew how charming he is, and the girls loved him, and I know he could sing, but he’s actually really funny in a way that is real. Like, he’s not trying to make a joke. It’s in-the-moment funny.'

This isn’t just gym admiration, either: apparently, Galitzine's sense of humor worked its way into the character, which is good news if you remember how ridiculous the original cartoon could get.

Director's Perspective: 'Holy sh*t!'

By the way, director Travis Knight (the guy behind Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee) had barely heard of Galitzine at first. But he says that after their first meeting: 'Oh, my God, this guy’s perfect.' And then, after seeing Galitzine again a few weeks into pre-production as the actor was deep into training, Knight got the full effect.

'He was training on set as we were in prep. And when I saw him again, I was like, holy sh*t. I couldn’t believe how much he had changed. He had put on so much muscle in such a short period of time. Sometimes I’ll look at photos back when I first met him, and it looks like a totally different dude.'

Galitzine's Ascent

Galitzine hasn’t exactly been lurking in obscurity. He got a solid boost in 2023 with Bottoms (a high school sex comedy), then hit the streaming crowd with Red, White, and Royal Blue (yes, the British prince romance). In 2024, he was starring opposite Anne Hathaway in the rom-com The Idea of You and headlining Starz’s period-piece drama Mary & George. But Masters of the Universe is his first time at the top of the marquee, and he’ll have to do way more than just stand there looking shredded.

Cast (So Far):

• Nicholas Galitzine – He-Man/Prince Adam

So, get ready for Galitzine’s biggest flex yet—literally. If he pulls this off, he’ll become the first actor to make "By the power of Grayskull!" sound cool outside of Saturday morning cartoons. We'll see if the transformation is enough to finally get Masters of the Universe on the big screen—armor plating, weird haircut, and all.