Dolph Lundgren Almost Had His Voice Dubbed in MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE and the Story Makes He-Man Even More Endearing

When Masters of the Universe hit theaters in 1987, there was never any question that Dolph Lundgren was going to be great in the role of He-Man visually.

Towering, impossibly muscular, blond-haired, and physically imposing, Lundgren embodied everything fans associated with the Most Powerful Man in the Universe. At a time when Hollywood was still trying to figure out how to adapt toy and cartoon properties into live-action films, simply finding someone who could convincingly fill He-Man's boots was a challenge in itself.

The problem was that looking like He-Man and playing He-Man turned out to be two very different things. One of the more interesting stories to emerge from the oral history of Masters of the Universe involves the struggle to transform Lundgren from a rising action star into a leading man capable of carrying a major fantasy film.

It's a story filled with hard work, frustration, determination, and one surprising revelation that some fans have never heard before.

At one point during production, director Gary Goddard actually tried to have Dolph Lundgren's voice dubbed.

Looking back now, it feels almost impossible to imagine. Lundgren has gone on to enjoy a decades-long career, becoming one of the most recognizable action stars of his generation. But in 1987, things looked very different.

At the time, Lundgren's biggest claim to fame was his unforgettable appearance as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. The role made him an international sensation almost overnight. The problem was that Drago barely spoke.

As Goddard bluntly pointed out, audiences mainly remembered one line. “After I became director, Ed Pressman set up a meeting with Dolph. At his house, I think. It was fine, it was a first meeting.

“Dolph's very personable, he has a great face, I knew that he was gonna photograph well, but then he started talking and in my mind I was thinking: uh-oh. As he was speaking, I was thinking: wow, we're gonna have some issue with him speaking with lines. Because his English...remember, in Rocky he only says one line: "I must break you."”

For Goddard, this was a huge concern. He-Man wasn't a silent warrior. He was the central hero of the story. He needed to deliver speeches, inspire allies, confront villains, and carry dramatic scenes. The movie couldn't rely solely on Lundgren's physical presence.

What's important to understand is that Goddard never questioned Lundgren's commitment. Goddard repeatedly praises the actor's work ethic and determination to improve.

“Look, Dolph worked hard. He had a great work ethic. He put in the hours. He had an acting coach, a dialogue coach and all that stuff.”

That's where the story becomes especially interesting. Lundgren was putting in an enormous amount of work off-camera to improve his performance. He wasn't coasting on his physique or his newfound celebrity status. He understood the challenge in front of him and attacked it the same way he approached everything else in his life.

Part of that effort involved working with renowned dialogue coach Lillian Glass, who had already worked with him during Rocky IV.

Glass remembered recognizing something special about her client, saying: “I first worked with Dolph on Rocky IV. He had a very thick Swedish accent, so we worked on kind of Americanizing his accent to get him more roles in Hollywood. And he did great. He was a phenomenal person and a phenomenal client. Dolph is just an awesome human being.”

For Glass, the raw talent was obvious. “From the very first moment that Dolph walked into my office, you could just tell that he had ‘it’ He had something special. And the reason I know that is by working with so many people who did have it.

“I worked with Dustin Hoffman for Tootsie, I taught him how to sound like a woman. I worked with Sean Connery, Marlee Matlin, I taught her how to speak for the Academy Awards, and I just worked with Caitlin Jenner, teaching her how to be more feminine in her communications.

“The list goes on and on. And working with so many superstars and talented people in so many fields, you know, I've worked with actors, politicians, athletes, and you really know after working with all these winners who's got ‘it’ and who doesn't.”

Even with that support system in place, Goddard continued searching for ways to strengthen Lundgren's performance.

In one of the more surprising admissions, Goddard revealed that he approached the producers about replacing Lundgren's voice altogether.

“Dolph did a credible job. And he worked hard. But I don't think it's any secret that I did go to producer and I did try to get them to let me use another actor to dub him. But they felt that they were already paying all this money for Dolph Lundgren so they wanted Dolph Lundgren.”

That decision ultimately forced everyone to keep working toward a solution. Interestingly enough, the biggest challenge wasn't always Lundgren's accent. Sometimes it was his enthusiasm.

Goddard explained that Lundgren would often nail scenes during rehearsals, only for something to change the moment cameras started rolling.

“The funny thing is that I think the best lines Dolph delivered in the movie came on that final day when everyone was so exhausted. I said, "Just whisper this, just whisper this" and he says through gritted teeth, in a whisper, "It's always been between us." It was the perfect tone and energy, which had been the problem all along.”

“I mean, the funny thing was that in the rehearsals he would get it; low-energy, but intense. And I would go: that's perfect, do it just like that. Okay, let's roll. Action! And he had just said, for instance, ‘I will never kneel to you’ but when the cameras were rolling it was ‘I WILL NEVER KNEEL TO YOU!’ Dolph, do it like you did in the rehearsal: low-energy, intense.

“He'd go uh-huh and he'd nod but then we'd roll the cameras and something in his brain, at that time, was that when the cameras rolled... No matter what I did, when the cameras were rolling something in his brain clicked and the energy went up and his voice would suddenly get that booming deep voice, which would emphasize all of his speech issues. I felt like if I'd gotten that out of him for the whole rest of the movie...who knows?”

This reveals just how much pressure Lundgren was under. He wasn't a seasoned dramatic actor stepping into the role. He was a newcomer suddenly tasked with becoming the face of one of the biggest toy properties in the world. Every scene carried enormous expectations. Every line had to convince audiences that this larger-than-life hero was real.

When you view the performance through that lens, it becomes much easier to appreciate what Lundgren accomplished. The pressure wasn't limited to dialogue, either.

He was also expected to handle physically demanding action sequences, sword fights, and stunt work while wearing an elaborate costume and carrying one of the most recognizable weapons in fantasy history.

According to actor and fight choreographer Anthony De Longis, Lundgren's athletic ability became one of the production's greatest assets.

“Part of my job entailed training Dolph how to wield his sword. We met and I very quickly convinced him that I knew what I was doing and that I was there to help him look great. I'm in the Black Belt Hall of Fame, the Martial Arts Hall of Fame and the Knife-Throwing Hall of Fame, so I try to bring that element of truth while telling a story and creating an illusion.

“Dolph took to the training really well, no surprise. But we did not get much time to rehearse. A lot of the choreography was done virtually on the spot. And it's a great tribute to Dolph's talent as an athlete and martial artist that he was able to roll with the punches and get the job done with style. What we assembled was literally done on the day of the shoot.”

That assessment was echoed by De Longis when discussing He-Man's massive sword. “Those sets that Bill designed were great for what we needed to do. Especially because He-Man's sword, which I used to call ‘Buick Slayer’ because it was rather ponderous and hazardous, shall we say, was very tough to maneuver.

“Anybody with less strength and athleticism than Dolph would not have been able to manipulate it with such apparent ease. Dolph did a really good job and I was very proud of our work together.”

Revisiting Masters of the Universe today, it's easy to focus on what the movie wasn't. It's easy to compare it to modern fantasy films with massive budgets, cutting-edge visual effects, and decades of superhero movie evolution behind them.

Lundgren went through a lot while making this film. He was a young actor from Sweden suddenly found himself carrying a major Hollywood production. He worked with acting coaches. He worked with dialogue coaches. He trained relentlessly. He listened to directors, choreographers, and stunt coordinators. He pushed himself to improve even while a filmmaker was actively considering replacing his voice.

The result may not have been perfect, but that's part of what makes the performance so endearing today. You can see the effort. You can see the determination. You can see someone trying to grow into a role that felt almost impossibly large.

There's something very He-Man about that. At the end of the day, the most interesting part of this story isn't that Dolph Lundgren almost had his voice dubbed, it's that he worked hard enough to make sure it wasn't.