Dolph Lundgrenembodied the all-powerful He-Man in theMasters of the Universe, but on the set of the 1987 cult classic, the Swedish martial artist and actor was just as mortal as any human.
“What I do remember is we shot 54 nights in a row, I think it was,” Lundgren, who’s now starring in a hilariousOld Spice Sweat Defense Dry Spraycommercial, tells PEOPLE. “We shot everything at night and my costume was the size of a stamp. Basically there was a cover in the front and a couple of straps. It was very,verycold.”
Looking back, Lundgren admits the “big switch” from playing “a Soviet bad guy” in theRockysequel to playing “this American hero” inMasters of the Universewas “hard.”
“I felt lot pressure,” he says, “but I do have fond memories of that picture, because it is that sort of fantasy — a real fantasy, like the stuff you watch when you were a kid. It was a good time for me.”
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Lundgren is in a generally reflective mood thanks to his new partnership withOld Spice, which — with the helpof deepfake technology— resurrects his ’80s action persona. His muscles might appear less large, but there’s no mistaking his chiseled jawline and piercing blue eyes.
“It’s eerie watching yourself, but not really yourself,” he says of the ad. “It’s like my younger brother or something.”
Deciding to work withOld Spicewas easy, Lundgren says, as he has been using the brand before he even got his big break in Hollywood.
“My dad used to have it when I was a kid in Sweden,” he shares. “And then I got into it a couple years ago because my fiancée [Emma Krokdal] likes the scent. There’s something classic about it. The scent is subdued but still good and still fresh. It feels sporty and I feel it suits me.”
As forMasters of the Universe, the film is getting a long-in-the-works remake that Mattel andNetflixannounced in January.Kyle Allen— who recently appeared as Balkan inWest Side Story—will be portraying the beloved character inthe upcoming live-action film.
Allen’s casting comes almost three years after Netflix heartthrobNoah Centineosaid hewould play He-Man in the remake, when it was a Mattel/Sony project.
Lundgren, who says he hadn’t heard of the Netflix remake until speaking with PEOPLE, is game to take part in the latest iteration.
“There’s a charm to that story,” he says. “That’s one film of mine that kids can watch.”
source: people.com
