The mere notion of Nicholas Galitzine's transformation into a muscular He-Man, a.k.a. Prince Adam of Eternia from the upcoming film Masters of the Universe, is nothing short of daunting. The Idea of You actor shared with E! News' Will Marfuggi, during the film's May 18 premiere, the meticulous details of his fitness regimen. "It was a daily routine, seven days a week," he revealed exclusively. "The timeframe was relatively short, though you'd ideally want to embody this character for a year beforehand, but the training evolved as the movie progressed."
"Initially, we aimed to bulk up as much as possible," he elaborated. "That meant consuming up to 5,000 calories sometimes and lifting weights for three hours a day, which we later streamlined." And let's be clear—there were no days off in sight.
"When shooting a scene," the 31-year-old explained, "they'd say, 'You have 10 minutes until the next setup.' You'd rush outside, hop on the assault bike, run back in, shoot another scene—and that routine lasted for about five months."
While the physical aspect of the transformation was certainly challenging for the Red, White & Royal Blue star, managing his nutrition was an entirely different beast. "We started shooting and then I had to cut while we were still filming, which is pretty insane," he said of drastically lowering his caloric intake. "You get that brain fog. So, I definitely felt that way, but especially when you're doing these action set pieces, you need energy for it."
"It was something I had to really work through on a day-to-day basis," he added, "but I really enjoyed the challenge."
But after wrapping up the film, Nicholas' next project—in addition to the upcoming Red, White & Royal Wedding—required different demands. "I had another movie lined up straight away where I was playing a WWII soldier," he explained. "The director said, 'I've got terrifying nightmares that you'll show up on set on day one looking like He-Man. Can you just do nothing for the next three weeks?'"
"So, it was kind of music to my ears," he quipped. "I'd lay on a couch, eat potato chips, and say, 'This is the kind of prep I love.'"
