'Masters of the Universe' is in theaters June 5
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Nicholas-Galitzine-he-man-6226-7fac5e36215c4051a837dc3b1a979403.jpg "Nicholas Galitzine stars as He-Man in MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE..")
Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Giles Keyte/Amazon
NEED TO KNOW
- Nicholas Galitzine tells PEOPLE his mother struggled to fully wrap her arms around him after he bulked up to play the hero He-Man in Masters of the Universe
- Galitzine recently shared that he ate 5,000 calories each day while gaining muscle for the part
- Masters of the Universe is in theaters June 5
Nicholas Galitzine's body transformation for Masters of the Universe was so vast that his mother could no longer wrap her arms around him after he gained all the muscle.
Galitzine, 31, talked about his family and friends' reaction to his He-Man physique at a special screening of the movie in New York City on Monday, June 1. "When you see family and friends after a long time [having not] seeing them and they've seen you just blow up, I mean, it's very, very trippy for them," he tells PEOPLE.
"My family would definitely, when they try to give me a hug … My mom's a tiny little thing," he adds. "She couldn't really reach around me. It's so cute."
Galitzine said in a recent interview with E! News that he ate 5,000 calories a day in order to "pack on as much size as possible" and would often lift weights "for three hours a day" while training to get into superhero shape. Prior to this movie, Galitzine was best known for his performances in romances like Red, White & Royal Blue and The Idea of You, as well as a funny turn in the comedy Bottoms. He takes over the He-Man mantle from Swedish actor and martial artist Dolph Lundgren, who played He-Man in the 1987 film of the same name.
Credit: Giles Keyte/Amazon MGM Studios
In recent months, Galitzine has discussed how his physical training for the movie was not easy in any way, shape or form. During an interview with PEOPLE in December, he described bulking up for the role as "the hardest thing I've ever done."
"It was a daily challenge, but there is something incredibly empowering about committing to something so heavily," he said at the time. "I've never had a challenge like that before, which really every single day you have to wake up and you can see the peak of the mountain vaguely, but especially when you're bulking. I think it would be insincere for me to say that it was easy."
The actor also said he's not likely to stay in He-Man shape going forward. At Masters of the Universe's world premiere in Los Angeles on May 18, Galitzine told PEOPLE he got the go-ahead from a director on a future project to let go a bit. "I want to say I had a combination of sushi and pizza, and I just was like, 'Give it. Give it all to me,' " he said about his first cheat meal post-filming. "So no, it wasn't hard to go there. Given the fact that my next director did not want me to look like He-Man for his movie, he said, 'Eat as much as you want and stop working out.' "
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Credit: Amazon
In addition to Galitzine, Masters of the Universe's cast includes Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Duncan/Man-At-Arms, Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Malcolm/Fisto, and Jared Leto as the villainous Skeletor. Kristin Wiig voices the character Roboto.
Masters of the Universe is in theaters June 5.