‘Masters of the Universe’ Director Reveals the Unhinged Thing Jared Leto Did Every Day to Stay in Character as Skeletor

Few fantasy properties carry as much nostalgic weight as ‘Masters of the Universe‘, and the stakes of adapting it correctly have never felt higher. The live-action reimagining, directed by Travis Knight and hitting theaters on June 5, brings Eternia back to the big screen with a cast that includes Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam, Camila Mendes as Teela, and Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms. The story picks up with Skeletor having already conquered Eternia and ruled it for fifteen years before Prince Adam returns to reclaim his world and his destiny.

Jared Leto actually approached the production about playing Skeletor, bringing his own personal history with the character to the table, rather than being recruited by the filmmakers. Knight, whose previous credits include ‘Bumblebee’ and ‘ParaNorman’, was immediately receptive. The director fought to preserve Skeletor’s signature skull face after earlier versions of the script had reimagined the villain as a man wearing a golden skull mask, a direction Knight flatly rejected.

What makes the ScreenRant exclusive with Knight genuinely surprising is what he revealed about Leto’s daily behavior on set. Because Skeletor’s skull was always going to be added digitally in post-production, Leto was performing in front of his co-stars with his own face fully visible. To compensate, he began smearing blood-like makeup across his face before shooting scenes, giving the other actors something viscerally unsettling to react to. Knight described the experience of working with Leto as one where he “would do something unexpected every single day, in ways that would delight me, that would horrify me, that would make me laugh.”

Knight framed the blood-smearing habit not as a method acting stunt for its own sake, but as an act of generosity toward his fellow performers, explaining that Leto wanted to make sure the other actors could “live in the scene with him” rather than struggle to react to a blank face. It is a surprisingly practical and collaborative instinct from an actor whose on-set behavior has historically generated mixed press.

The technical pipeline behind Skeletor was itself an ambitious undertaking. Leto wore a full prosthetic muscle suit crafted by prosthetics master Barry Gower, performing entirely in character for his scene partners, with only the skull itself absent on the day of filming. Knight noted that the animators worked to preserve every layer of nuance and personality that Leto brought to both the physical and vocal performance, resulting in a face that is genuinely emotive rather than a static digital mask.

For Knight, the defining tension at the heart of this version of Skeletor is that he has achieved everything he ever wanted and is still utterly miserable, a contradiction that he and Leto leaned into as the engine of the character. The director also made a conscious decision to honor the character’s longstanding blend of menace and dark comedy, recognising that what made Skeletor iconic across generations was his ability to be simultaneously cool, scary, funny, and intimidating in a way few villains managed.

With ‘Masters of the Universe’ now in theaters, the conversation around Leto’s performance is only just beginning. Whether audiences embrace his take on the skull-faced tyrant or find it divisive, the behind-the-scenes picture Knight has painted is one of an actor who genuinely committed to the role in ways that went well beyond the call of duty.

Are you heading to theaters this weekend, and do you think Jared Leto has what it takes to make Skeletor a villain worth remembering?