Nicholas Galitzine says He-Man paid off 'so many moments of rejection'

LOS ANGELES, June 3 (UPI) -- Nicholas Galitzine said playing He-Man in Masters of the Universe, in theaters Friday, resolved all the rejection he'd faced as an actor. The British actor was chosen to play Prince Adam and his alter ego He-Man in the live-action film.

At a recent virtual press conference, Galitzine, 31, said he'd worked for 13 years to be the lead in a Hollywood blockbuster. He said he got emotional when Adam raises his sword and says, "By the power of Grayskull, I have the power" to transform into He-Man.

"I was thinking of every casting director who ever rejected me," Galitzine said. "This is 13 years in the making."

Holding the film's premiere at the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. also brought back memories of his struggle. Galitzine said he would get 90-day visas to come to Los Angeles for auditions.

"I used to book the full length of this visa, have no idea where I was going to sleep and so I stayed on a few couches in North Hollywood," Galitzine said. "I remember I would always walk past the Chinese theater and in my wildest dreams hope that I could have a movie there one day."

Adam was born on Eternia, but sent to Earth at age 10 by the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin) for his protection. When he returns to Eternia as an adult, he has grown up on Earth with friends and potential dates disbelieving his stories of Eternia.

"This is a guy who really has been gaslit for most of his life," Galitzine said. "I remember saying that incantation, that moment is just so many moments of rejection and earning it, earning the right to say that line."

Galitzine said he felt pressure on the set, too, with cast and crew anticipating his delivery of the famous line from the 1980s animated series.

"You want to meet people's expectations of it," he said. "It was the biggest soundstage I think I'd ever been on in my life. I just was looking out and seeing a wave of expectant faces."

He-Man is not alone in Masters of the Universe. His childhood friend Teela (Camila Mendes) finds him on Earth to bring him home.

While Adam struggles to become He-Man, Teela leads him to the hideout of Eternia's remaining rebels.

"I think they both have something to learn from each other," Mendes, 31, said. "In the beginning, Teela is sort of the leader of the group until I feel like both of them can find their inner power."

Teela's father, Duncan (Idris Elba), was Man-at-Arms to Adam's father, King Randor (James Purefoy). Duncan has given up and become an alcoholic since Skeletor (Jared Leto) took over Eternia.

"At the heart of my character, he's a dad," Elba, 53, said. "He loves his kid. He has his sense of loss the whole time. I really leaned into that."

Baccarin, 46, said she grew up playing He-Man and She-Ra with her brother. Having appeared in fan favorite series like Firefly and the Deadpool movies, Baccarin said Masters of the Universe was personal.

"They're big shoes to fill," she said. "This character is very ethereal but also very grounded and motherly. So if you have the confidence to allow it to just be what it is, you end up transforming quicker."

Skeletor also has an army of characters. His closest is Evil-Lyn, played by Alison Brie in the film.

Though Evil-Lyn is Skeletor's henchwoman, he can be just as abusive to her.

"Within the love-hate, even when he's causing her pain, she sort of enjoys that because she likes how evil he can be," Brie, 43, said. "We had so much fun on set mining the ups and downs of the Skeletor/Evil-Lyn relationship. It's just so juicy. It's very complicated."

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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 2:00 AM.