Nicholas Galitzine has said his transformation into He-Man for the new Masters of the Universe film required a "massive undertaking" of training, discipline and diet.
In the film, the insecure Adam becomes He-Man by wielding the Sword of Grayskull, but Galitzine said there was no such shortcut for him.
"I wish I could just point the sword in the sky, and then transform," he told AFP.
"But no… it was a massive undertaking."
The 31-year-old actor said his routine for the role revolved around eating, weight training and cardio as he prepared to play the muscular 1980s hero.
"I knew it was going to be really, really hard, but I don't think I realised how mentally strong you have to be if you’re going to do this thing," he said.
"You’re working out five, six days in a row, and you come into work, and you just really, really, really don’t feel like doing it.
"You have to tell yourself: 'no matter what, I’m not missing a workout today.’"
Click here to read our review of Masters of the Universe
Galitzine previously starred as Prince Henry in the adaptation of Red, White & Royal Blue and opposite Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You.
He said he did not grow up watching He-Man’s adventures, or the 1980s Masters of the Universe film starring Dolph Lundgren, but was drawn to the new film after reading the script.
The actor said he was "laughing almost all the way through it".
"As soon as I finished the script, I called my agent, and I said: ‘I need to do this movie’."
Directed by Travis Knight, the film stars Galitzine as Adam, who must embrace his destiny as He-Man in the battle for Eternia.
The cast also includes Riverdale star Camila Mendes as Teela, Idris Elba as Duncan, Jared Leto as Skeletor and Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn.
Galitzine said humour was an important part of the film, particularly in the way audiences first meet Adam.
"How we meet Adam, there’s a lot of comedy… he’s a bit of a goofy guy, not totally comfortable in his own skin, so there was lots of material to play with," he said.
Mendes said she was excited to take on the role of Teela, describing the character as "that grounding force throughout the film".
She said there was comedy in watching Teela try to keep Adam and Duncan focused.
"There’s humour in watching Teela get frustrated with the two of them because they’re sort of all over the place, and she’s like, ‘Oh, great, I have to do it myself once again,’" she said.
Mendes also said the physical preparation for the role was "the happiest time" of her life.
"All I was doing was going to work and getting to twirl a sword around and twirl a bow staff around," she said.
Masters of the Universe opens in Irish cinemas on 3 June.
Source: AFP
