Why Jared Leto’s Skeletor Is So Different From Original Masters Of The Universe Series Explained By Reboot Director

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The director of the new Masters of the Universe movie recently explained the unique approach Jared Leto took when playing Skeletor, and how it differs from previous portrayals of the character.

I recently read an interview with Travis Knight over at ScreenRant where he talked about how he approached Skeletor for the new Masters of the Universe reboot. It’s cool to know he really thought about the character’s history, especially since Alan Oppenheimer famously voiced Skeletor in the original He-Man and She-Ra cartoons. It’s nice they acknowledged that legacy!

He spoke in a deliberately goofy, high-pitched voice, creating a funny contrast with his frightening look.

Knight didn’t want Leto to simply imitate Oppenheimer, so they discussed how Leto could pay tribute to the character’s portrayal without just copying the original actor’s voice.

Knight said getting Skeletor’s voice just right was crucial. He spent a lot of time experimenting to determine what the character should sound like.

Skeletor is one of the most memorable villains from the 1980s because he had a unique combination of qualities. While many villains at the time were either cool, scary, funny, or intimidating, Skeletor managed to be all of those things at once, making him particularly compelling.

Skeletor’s voice came about because the cartoon was for children, but the character looked frightening. They needed a voice that wouldn’t scare them, so they intentionally created a goofy, nasal sound to soften his intimidating skull-like appearance. When working with Jared, we wanted to capture all those original qualities – a unique voice and laugh – but avoid simply imitating Alan Oppenheimer. It was crucial that Jared create his own version of the voice, so we spent a lot of time figuring out exactly what Skeletor should sound like.

Knight and Leto ultimately chose a voice for the new Masters of the Universe film that the director feels is both intimidating and dramatic, and fans will soon be able to hear it for themselves.

What Leto and the filmmakers really aimed for was to show that Skeletor is always performing for others, but underneath that, he’s deeply insecure and driven by a need for power. Exploring and bringing that complexity to life as an actor was a really enjoyable challenge.

According to Knight, Skeletor is a classic villain from the 1980s, known for being both frightening and humorous. He feels that the Skeletor he and Leto developed captures that perfect balance – scary and awful, but also genuinely fun to watch.

We finally landed on a version of Skeletor that I really love. It captures his inherent threat and dramatic flair – qualities that have always been central to the character. He’s constantly performing, but gets frustrated when he doesn’t receive the reaction he expects. At his core, he’s a deeply insecure person, and exploring that vulnerability became a key part of building his character. It was a lot of fun to dramatize that internal conflict. He’s just a really entertaining villain – scary and awful, yes, but also incredibly fun to watch.

While Alan Oppenheimer first voiced Skeletor, several actors have played the character since then. These include Campbell Lane in The New Adventures of He-Man, Brian Dobson in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Mark Hamill in the Netflix series Masters of the Universe, and Benjamin Diskin in another Netflix version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

In 1987, director Gary Goddard adapted Masters of the Universe into a live-action movie, starring Frank Langella as Skeletor. Langella was already a well-respected actor at the time, having previously won a Tony Award and been nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

Despite its release, the movie only made $17 million in theaters and received a 21% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Jared Leto is taking on the role of a villain in the upcoming Masters of the Universe movie. Before this, he’s been in a number of well-known films and TV shows, including My So-Called Life, Fight Club, American Psycho, Requiem for a Dream, and Dallas Buyers Club – for which he won an Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG Award. He’s also appeared in Suicide Squad, Blade Runner 2049, House of Gucci, Morbius, and Tron: Ares.

Masters of the Universe is currently projected to debut with a $35 million opening weekend.

Masters of the Universe will be released in theaters on Friday, June 5, 2026.

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2026-05-18 23:49