Despite being one of the first big cast announcements for the film, Jared Leto has been virtually absent from the entire press tour for Masters of the Universe. The actor has earned raves from critics and general moviegoers alike for his portrayal of the villainous Skeletor, with some even saying he’s one of the best things about the film. Even though he’s probably the biggest name in the cast other than Idris Elba, it’s interesting that he’s been absent from the film’s marketing and was non-existent during the film’s promotional tour. Given Leto’s alleged method-acting behavior on film sets, rumors of misconduct, and the notion that he has become box office poison, did Amazon MGM Studios opt for a Leto erasure to play things safe? By the power of Grayskull, let’s dive in!
Leto first became involved with Masters of the Universe when he was offered the role of Skeletor in late 2024, which led to him ultimately accepting the part by the end of the year. Amazon MGM, and director Travis Knight reportedly courted the actor for the role, and everything seemed on the up-and-up during the film’s production, with Leto heavily involved with the motion-capture work for the character and being involved with molding Skeletor’s persona. Filming on Masters of the Universe ran through the first half of 2025 and presumably wrapped around June, as reports began to surface about Leto that may hint at one of the reasons that he has been largely absent from promoting the summer blockbuster.
Did Alleged Inappropriate Behavior Lead To Studio Distance?
In June 2025, Air Mail published a report involving nine women who accused Leto of a wide variety of sexually inappropriate behavior, with many of the allegations involving women under the age of 18. The accusations against the 54-year-old actor go back as far as 2006, with the women recounting alleged behavior that included flirting with teenagers, which was described as “predatory” and “terrifying.” Leto ultimately denied the reports through a representative but never really addressed the allegations personally. It should also be noted that the reports didn’t necessarily stall his career, as he had what was believed to be a blockbuster opening that October with Tron: Ares. A film associated with Disney, a studio that would more than likely be concerned about their marketing efforts for the film, given the allegations against him and their link to family-friendly entertainment.
The report from Air Mail didn’t stop Leto from actively promoting Tron: Ares as the actor appeared on various television programs to promote the film, such as Good Morning America, and he walked the red carpet during the movie’s premiere, alongside doing other press junket rounds. Disney reportedly avoided having the actor do any magazine interviews or profiles to avoid addressing the elephant in the room but, for the most part, Leto was front and center during the marketing push for Tron: Ares, a project that the actor was reportedly very passionate about from start to finish.
However, it likely wasn’t lost on Amazon MGM that Tron: Ares was a bit of a bomb for Disney and their bottom line following its release. The film ultimately grossed $142 million worldwide on a reported budget of $180 million, with other reports suggesting $347.5 million was spent when advertising was factored in. It was estimated that Tron: Ares would lose over $132 million for the studio when it was all said and done.
Whether this was due to the reports about Leto playing a role in casual moviegoers avoiding the film, or if the actor simply isn’t a box office draw, this could be one of the reasons Amazon MGM downplayed his participation in Masters of the Universe. Even though he’s the film’s major villain, his face is covered with a CGI skull, and most moviegoers likely wouldn’t know he was in it unless they dug through the cast list. The very nature of the Skeletor character allowed the studio to avoid using Leto the person and actor in the marketing and promotion as little as possible. Especially with those allegations lingering in the background.
Rumors That Jared Leto Was Unsatisfied With The Finished Film
One rumor that has emerged in the wake of his absence from the film’s promotional tour is that Leto was not pleased with the direction of the final film. A report from Puck News, via ComicBookMovies.com, was released in May, ahead of the film’s release, that indicated the actor “wasn’t thrilled” with the movie, but it should be noted that the reports haven’t developed beyond these assertions. Given Leto’s dedication to his roles, which has led to many reports of how methodical he is on film sets, it would be an easy out to allege that he may have wanted more creative say and wasn’t happy with how the project turned out. With this reasoning, it would present a more mutual separation between the actor and the studio in terms of promoting the film.
What doesn’t ring true about this allegation is that, even though the cast has mostly avoided discussing Leto during the press tour, with questions being focused on Skeletor and not the actor, there have been some comments made by Knight, the film’s director, that indicate Leto was collaborative and not as method as reports suggest. Knight expressed that he and Leto agreed that Skeletor should be the “embodiment of toxic masculinity,” and they worked together to properly convey that. He also clarified that his reported method acting didn’t reach the heights of his reported behavior as Joker in Suicide Squad, with the director saying he “was not like that at all” but indicating that he did“swing for the fences” to make Skeletor a memorable villain.
Knight said that Leto helped the actors on set because, even though he wore a prosthetic muscle suit, his face remained uncovered during filming since it would be replaced by a CGI skull. In order for his fellow actors to avoid seeing “Jared,” the actor smeared blood-like make-up on his face to give them something more threatening to react to. Knight called this an “act of generosity” to help the other actors and defended the action.
One performer in the film who has commented on Leto, given that her character interacts with him closely, is Alison Brie, who portrays his right-hand, Evil-Lyn. During a fan screening of the film, Brie expressed admiration for portraying the character alongside Leto and said that they both had fun leaning into the evil of their characters. The actress explained that she and Leto didn’t remain in character between takes by saying, “No playing villains off camera. I was just having fun all the time, taking it all in.”
Brie also recalls helping Leto a lot by giving him “some breaks” because, as she put it, “He wore a very heavy blue muscle suit as Skeletor. I feel like I wanted to let him conserve his energy.” Nothing about the experience, at least from the perspective of these two, feels unpleasant. A post below also drives home the notion that Leto was respectful to his co-stars and the crew and put his all into Skeletor, especially knowing his face would be covered by a CGI skull and that he would need to give even more of himself to sell the part.
Is Jared Leto Box-Office Poison?
The classic movie star might be extinct in Hollywood unless you’re Zendaya or Timothée Chalamet, but attempts for Leto to lead or even co-star in big tentpole releases have garnered mixed results. Despite being an Academy Award winner and relatively well-known, Leto hasn’t been a proven box office draw.
In one case, Leto has appeared in a film that was a box office hit despite its negative reputation. In 2016, the actor infamously portrayed Joker in Suicide Squad, a film that did big box office, grossing $749 million on a $175 million budget, but also one that was ripped apart by critics and fans alike. Leto’s take on Joker was met with harsh criticism in some circles, although many pointed out that his role was majorly butchered in the film’s theatrical cut, something that shouldn’t be attributed to Leto but tales, once again, of his method acting on set has become the stuff of legend and the film has since been a scarlet letter on his filmography.
The following year, Leto co-starred in Blade Runner 2049, a film that received solid reviews but underperformed at the box office with a global take of $276.6 million on a reported budget that was said to be as high as $180 million. The break-even point for the film was $400 million worldwide, and that was a figure it did not reach. Granted, it would be unfair to lay this one on Leto since Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford led the charge here, but it does begin to create a narrative that studios MIGHT pay attention to.
Things become much more dire when Leto leads what is meant to be a major tentpole. In 2022, the actor led the film Morbius, a movie that turned into a major critical misfire and a box office disappointment for Sony Pictures. On a reported $75 million budget, which is pretty modest for a film like this, Morbius grossed $73.9 million domestically and $167.5 million worldwide.
When you throw in the aforementioned performance of Tron: Ares, Leto doesn’t have the best box office track record, but whether or not Amazon MGM thought about this is questionable. They did cast the actor following the box office failure of Morbius, and he was paid a reported $5 million for the project. Sure, they didn’t have a crystal ball to see what was coming with Tron: Ares, but his box office prowess up to the point of his casting didn’t seem to be an issue.
Oddly Enough, Many Believe Jared Leto Steals The Film
Even though, for whatever reason, Leto missed major promotional events for Masters of the Universe, such as CinemaCon, the film’s big Los Angeles premiere, and he hasn’t posted one thing about the movie on his Instagram that counts over 11 million followers, the actor has earned raves for his performance as Skeletor, with many saying he’s the best thing about the film. During a time when his performances in Suicide Squad and Tron: Ares were heavily criticized, it wouldn’t be far off to assume that his Skeletor would receive the same treatment, but that hasn’t been the case as you can see in some examples below.
Whether Amazon MGM thought it would be best for the younger stars like Nicholas Galitzine and Camila Mendes to promote the film prominently, since they’re the male and female lead, or if they believed they were avoiding a bigger problem by excluding Leto from the promo tour, may never be properly answered. It can’t be ignored that an actor portraying the film’s central villain has been virtually erased from the marketing and promo, which honestly makes that elephant in the room seem even bigger. This isn’t to say that Leto doesn’t have a reputation and that allegations made against him don’t have merit but, just judging the film’s marketing push, it’s hard to ignore that this Masters of the Universe is pretending that their Skeletor doesn’t exist.
Masters of the Universe is now playing in theaters nationwide.
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