MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Director Explains How Jared Leto's Skeletor Is "Funny, Strange, Scary" and Surprisingly Insecure

Skeletor finally gets everything he's ever wanted in Masters of the Universe. He conquers Eternia, seizes power, and rules for 15 years.

According to director Travis Knight, though, all that success doesn't make him any happier, and that contradiction became a key part of Jared Leto's take on the legendary villain.

According to Knight, fans can expect a version of Skeletor that embraces everything people have loved about the character for generations while adding some unexpected layers.

Played byJared Leto under an extensive combination of practical effects and visual effects work, Skeletor remains the skull-faced tyrant fans know and love. But this time around, he’s already achieved the thing he’s always wanted. At the beginning of the film, he has conquered Eternia and ruled it for 15 years.

As it turns out, victory hasn’t exactly made him any less miserable. Speaking with GamesRadar+, Knight explained that preserving the character’s defining qualities was one of the production’s biggest priorities.

"We loved [Skeletor] and we wanted to make sure that those things that we loved about him came through on the screen. He was funny, he was strange, he was scary, he was menacing, he looked cool.

“He was deeply insecure. He was always insulting his underlings. He had a very distinctive voice and a distinctive laugh. And so making sure that we had all of those things in the character was really important."

That sounds like exactly the kind of Skeletor fans would want to see. He's threatening and intimidating, but also petty, theatrical, and constantly frustrated. Those contradictions have always been part of what makes the character so entertaining.

Knight also revealed that Leto came into the project with plenty of affection for the franchise and especially for Skeletor himself.

"He loved He-Man when he was a kid, just like I did. And Skeletor was his favorite character. So he really wanted to create a distinctive villain that honored everything that came before, while at the same time putting our spin on it. And he gave an incredible performance. I just think he's so fun to watch."

One of the more interesting aspects of the performance is that Leto wasn't simply providing a voice. Unlike some modern effects-heavy characters, he physically portrayed Skeletor on set every day while wearing an elaborate prosthetic muscle suit.

Knight explained: "Ultimately, it comes down to collaboration of disciplines, because he's wearing this incredible muscle suit that was put together by our prosthetics master Barry Gower.

“He has this incredible costume made by our costumers led by Richard Sale, so he's on set completely performing for his fellow actors, and the only thing that wasn't there on the day was the skull of the face."

The character's signature skull visage was added digitally afterward, but Knight says the visual effects team worked hard to preserve every bit of Leto's performance.

"Jared's face was replaced by CG animation. And the animators did an extraordinary job of capturing the nuance and the personality that Jared brought to the physical and the vocal performance, and so the face is really emotive. You wouldn't think that would be the case for a skull, but there's a lot of personality and a lot of emotion in that skull!"

For Knight, having Leto physically present on set was essential because so much of acting extends beyond facial expressions and dialogue.

"It was important to me, because it's not just the voice or the facial performance. So much of what we love about an actor is what they do with their body. How they physically move, it can communicate so much, so many different types of emotions just based on someone's bearing, how they walk across the room.

“Jared understood that the physical performance was a big part of it. There's so much that he brings to that aspect of it that has nothing to do with what you're hearing or what you're seeing in his face."

It sounds like this version of Skeletor is aiming to capture the larger-than-life energy of the classic animated villain while giving him a little more emotional texture. The combination of practical costuming, digital effects, and Leto's full-body performance could end up delivering one of the most memorable versions of the character yet.

The film stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man alongside Leto, Camila Mendes, and Idris Elba, and serves as a fresh reboot of the beloved franchise.

Masters of the Universe hits theaters on June 5.