10 Things You Didn't Know About Masters Of The Universe

9. Frank Langella Helped Design The Look Of Skeletor

Director Gary Goddard, as well as some of the executives at Mattel, was so concerned about Dolph Lundgren€™s ability at the time to carry the film that they knew they needed someone special to play the villain. Goddard sought out Frank Langella for the role of Skeletor, as he knew with his background in theatre, his abilities would help balance the movie out against Lundgren€™s inexperience. Once Langella was on board, Goddard and his team restructured the film from the point of view of Skeletor rather than He-Man, and even though he would be acting with a mask, they knew Langella had the power to pull off the performance they needed. Langella was very particular about what he believed would and would not work for the character. Production Designer William Stout said that Langella was €œvery conscientious€ about Skeletor€™s look, with the actor putting lots of emphasis on both the make-up on his face, as well as the cloak the character has, and went through many incarnations until he found one that €œmoved just right€. He also added some choice phrases and excerpts from Richard III to add to the intensity of his performance. To this day, Langella€™s performance is one of the most underrated villain performances of its kind. A true childhood menace for many, Skeletor is a clever, shrewd but ultimately malevolent villain that was perhaps a little too ahead of his time in some respects, and he wasn€™t all maniacal laughs and screeching vocals. His is a truly evil soul, and Langella himself has stated that it is one of his favourite parts, and that he couldn€™t resist the temptation of playing him.