The Masters of the Universe film by director Travis Knight embraces its action figure and cartoon roots, from He-Man shouting “I have the power!” to the appearances of characters like Fisto, Ram Man, and Mekaneck. The live-action movie releases this weekend, and audiences will get to see Jon Xue Zhang become Ram Man, with Christian Vunipola joining as the Earth friend of Adam, aka He-Man.

We spoke with both actors about joining the franchise, what surprised them on set, and the personal moments that made this larger-than-life project feel special.

Portraying Ram Man wasn’t just any other role for Jon Xue Zhang; it was something that went all the way back to his childhood.

“Absolutely surreal, because I grew up watching this with my older brother,” Zhang tells Nerd Reactor. “So I was familiar with the characters. So we had all the comic books, we watched all the cartoons, and we had all the action figures. When the audition came through, it’s like, ‘MOTU? It sounds like Masters of the Universe. Surely not.’ Scroll down. ‘Ram Man?! No! This is amazing!'”

Zhang being a part of this project was very personal for him.

“My dad helped me with the audition tape,” the actor explained. “He said, ‘Hey, I remember buying you the action figure. I remember the springy legs.’ And so honestly, for my parents, for my brother, and for childhood me, I couldn’t NOT book this role.”

Christian Vunipola on Entering the World of Eternia

The majority of the film is set in Eternia, but audiences will see Adam trying to live a normal life on Earth. He has a mission to find the Sword of Power, but the people of Earth think he’s crazy. Vunipola plays Adam’s friend, and he tries to tell him not to share his childhood backstory in Eternia.

The actor felt blessed to be joining Masters of the Universe.

“It wasn’t a secret that it was for Masters of the Universe,” Vunipola said. “And I was really excited. I did my best with the audition, and I think they liked something I did. And now we’re here.”

One cannot have Eternia without Castle Grayskull, and Vunipola was not prepared to witness the glory of the iconic location.

“Seeing the set was actually such a surreal moment; to walk outside and see Castle Grayskull,” Vunipola explained. “To actually see that thing in front of you, it was wild. It’s like a dream come true. I couldn’t believe it was real.”

Both Jon Xue Zhang and Christian Vunipola represent the different worlds in Masters of the Universe, but also in real life with the former rooted in childhood nostalgia and the latter in awe and wonder.

Synopsis: After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.

Masters of the Universe releases in theaters on June 5, 2026.