Tales From the ‘Masters of the Universe’ Red Carpet
‘Masters of the Universe’ is a unique IP, drenched in 1980s nostalgia, reinvigorated on the smaller screens many times over, but only having had one other major theatrical effort in its now 40+ year lifespan. For this 80’s kid, being at the red carpet under the massive facade of Castle Greyskull grafted onto the legendary local Chinese Theater was… to employ an overused but accurate word… epic.
The cast of this new live-action incarnation of the legendary animated series had many a tale to tell about their personal connections to the franchise, their experiences on the film, and even some crazy orign stories from the show I’d somehow missed despite watching religiously back in the day myself.
Personal Connections as Varied and Unique as the Characters Themselves
First, let’s get this out of the way. I am aware that Idris Elba (Man-At-Arms) has had his own action figures from prior titles. The writer of this article and the man behind the microphone in this video is currently surrounded by action figures. It was still fun to explore how Elba feels about it and see if he himself remembered or cared that he’d been immortalized in plastic before. It all prompted him to reflect on the other figures, where they all stand on his shelf at home, and what amazing character he brought to life might have a secret figure lying around on the internet somewhere.
He-Man himself (Nick Galitzine) was more reflective on the struggles with his diet, not just being deprived of the good stuff, but being stuffed silly with the protein and carbs needed to bulk appropriately for the role.
Nothing Can Top Fisto’s Story
Johannes Haukur Johannsesson was accompanied on the carpet by his own 1980s-era Fisto action figure, one that clearly was loved, and was held together by a bandaid and the pure force of will only a true hero of Eternia could possess. Johannesson was overjoyed to book the role and immediately made his way home to track down his original Fisto, who not only joined him on the carpet but was with him for the entirety of the shoot.
He also learned about Fisto’s origin story, an episode called Fisto’s Forest, where apparently Fisto was first discovered as a forest master. I needed to know more about this bizarre situation, so I took a look at the episode in question. Everything about Fisto suddenly seemed interesting. The episode is a parable (like all early MOTU episodes) about redemption, with Fisto revealing to a young boy that he was once a bully, and a tool of Skeletor’s evil, until He-Man and Teela helped him change his ways and turn to good.
The history of the early episodes and more recent ones had an impact on other cast members as well. Camila Mendes said she watched one incarnation of the cartoon or another every night, humming theme songs on set to the point of irritating co-stars. For her, the exploration and uncovering of Eterna’s many stories was part of developing a feel for the world and its lore.
‘Masters of the Universe’ becoming a mythology for a new generation, as well as a nostalgic journey for older ones, is certainly the aim of the new film, hitting theaters everywhere June 5.
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