He-Man and Adam: Same actor or not?

[Darth Latveria]

Would you guys like to have the same actor playing both He-Man and Adam? If so, then it would be more like the filmation series where we have to assume that all of eternia is blind, or maybe the guy would have to have some serious CGI used to grow or shrink him as is needed.

I definitely want them to go with different actors. A smaller guy for Adam *personally i am starting to like the idea of topher grace doing it* and a big, muscular dude for He-Man.

[Divia]

I can see that. It would make it more Believable because unlike spiderman, or batman Heman transforms into another person...or a bigger version.

We all know topher grace can do goofy. he did it so well in that 70s show. And if "donna" played Teela it would rock. There interaction was spot on. Although I wonder if people wouldnt like it cause it would make them think of 70s show.

[Darth Latveria]

Yeah, I would love to have both Grace and Prepon in it. I loved their interaction on That 70's Show. While I can see people thinking too much about the show because of them both being in it, I think that the chemistry that they have is perfect for it.

I'd like it to start out as them having a sibling'y kind of relationship, like Donna and Eric. Then over time, Teela falls for He-Man and Adam gets the hots for Teela. By the time the third movie comes along, we get Adam and Teela finally hooked up.

[Orko's Magic Hat]

Personally I'd like Prince Adam to get the power sword and have the Sorceress give him a choice- Defend Eternia with the rest of the Masters as Adam or become He-Man from then on and there is no turning back, i.e. he chooses his path and must follow it.

So I'd like Adam and He-Man to be played by the same character.

I think in a movie it may get tiresome if Adam kept changing into He-Man several times and it may not work well on the screen - 18year old playing Adam turning into a different older human.

However, the "I have the power" part can be said just before He-Man fights or he gets a boost of power from Grayskull.

[Tallstar]

While it's an interesting idea and one that goes against the grain of the typical superhero movie, I'm gonna have to go with the "No" option. No matter how good the acting is, I'd always have the feeling that both characters lost out on the experience of the other. It's hard for me to articulate it, but that connection would be gone.

[Battle Cat]

I think they should be played by the same actor - even if he is muscular because they could have him do some fight scenes as Adam and show how he holds up in battle in his weaker form as well as in his stronger form.

This could be to enlighten viewers that no matter how muscular you are, that strength you have will only get you so far as it is mortal strength. But when he becomes He Man he gains immortal strength, speed and agility which elevates him to a higher level of combat etc...

[Ivan]

I voted 'no'. I think the same actor would be less confusing to the audience and make it more believable that He-Man and Adam are, in fact, the same person. I have no problem with other characters "being blind" - a little make up would take care of that.

Topher sounds like a good choice, but without Donna - that would be distracting. And don't go too much into He-Man + Teela relationship. We want it to be an action fantasy, not a soap opera!

[Canadian_He-Man]

Would you guys like to have the same actor playing both He-Man and Adam? If so, then it would be more like the filmation series where we have to assume that all of eternia is blind, or maybe the guy would have to have some serious CGI used to grow or shrink him as is needed.

I was going to vote to have different actors, but your continuing slams against Filmation has ticked me off to the point where I'd like Adam and He-Man to remain the same actor just to spite you.

Seriously, Darth, don't you think it's more than a little bit rude to come on to a He-Man site and constantly bash the original cartoon like you've been doing?

He-Man's disguise is no worse than Superman's, and Superman is arguably the most well-known fictional character of all time.

[Luminak]

I think they should be played by different actors. He-man and Adam are essentially different all together (I mean it would make more sense to have one guy with a lean muscular build and he-man played by a guy with very large muscles). Also it depends that if one guy is playing both roles as to how different he would look as he-man compared to adam. Obviously no one would want them to look completely alike (like in the classic version...seriously...only one tan seperated the difference between the two...and there was really no explanation on how no one noticed that). But two actors makes sense since also you would want he-man to sound different, I mean once again it's just not a disguise/secret if the characters are too similar so it's best that two people would play he-man and adam.

[the_ultimate_evil]

the key factor would be what version of the adam/he-man your going with

its its the same as filmation same age and build, then yes the same actor

if its myp different ages and size then no different actors

[krosfyah]

aw crap! I voted NO but I meant yes. I wasn't paying attn.

I want them being different actors with similar looks. You can explain away the filmation thing to some degree because it's not like Eternia had any one else with secret identities as well Adam CAN'T do the things that he-man can do whereas Clark Kent can do everything that Superman can do. also there were a few characters in filmation that looked just like others so (even though it was to save money on animation) you can kind of go on the limb and say that Eternians are just USED to running into people who look like other people.


that being said there should only be ONE transformation sequence and I think it should happen near the end just before a climactic battle. I'm not cold on the idea that he transforms near the beginning and stays he-man for the duration of the movie, but I think that the first way that I mentioned, it gives that chills moment, more stirring and emotional and also gives the movie time to establish doubt of them being the same person. let's see how the people that know him see the situation and why they wouldn't even entertain the thought. not that you're trying much to fool the audience but you're trying to show them how everyone else would see it.

[Predabot]

Maybe they could have two BROTHERS play He-man? One of them is older and bigger than the other, and would therefore be he-man while the younger one is Adam?

They would still be similar enough, that it might perhaps be easier for the audience to swallow that they're the same person.

I know, I know. That is nearly impossible to achieve, but I'm just thinking outloud here.

I really liked what MYP did with the concept, and think it's the way to go, so "yes".

[Darth Latveria]

I was going to vote to have different actors, but your continuing slams against Filmation has ticked me off to the point where I'd like Adam and He-Man to remain the same actor just to spite you.

Honestly, that is the best reason I can think of to vote for the same actors
Seriously, Darth, don't you think it's more than a little bit rude to come on to a He-Man site and constantly bash the original cartoon like you've been doing?

I am just voicing my opinion on it. He-Man was a big part of my childhood and it really hurt me to see how bad it was when I got older. It didn't bother me so much with other shows, because I hadn't really had the same kind of investment in it (when I say investment, I mean personal investment, not money).

Like with Transformers, I look back and see that the cartoons were pretty bad, but when it comes down to it, I don't really care that much about the characters so it doesn't matter to me now.

What really kills me is that Thundercats was actually really good, which feels like He-Man was cheated because they were second-rate He-Man wannabe characters.

He-Man's disguise is no worse than Superman's, and Superman is arguably the most well-known fictional character of all time.

I actually think it is worse. CLARK HAD GLASSES!!!

I actually spent some time thinking about the whole Clark and Superman thing recently. One thing that I have always noticed with friends who I always see in glasses is that they look totally different to me without them on. Not sure why that is.. Plus he does the hair somewhat differently. I imagine that would be enough to trick the casual observer on the street, but truthfully the idea is still terribly stupid and I can't imagine how the rest of the Daily Planet doesn't see it. At the end, I guess Superman's been around for 70 years and it is too hard to change it now.

When it comes to He-Man, there is a lot less history to deal with, and we have a precedent for a series that did it differently.

People all know Superman. Even if you're an old woman in the Ukraine, you know who Superman is. After all these years, people see how utterly stupid the idea of the glasses disguise is and just accept it because it's been around forever. The same is not true of He-Man. Most people I know that are my age, have very little knowledge of He-Man, even though they grew up around the time it was big. They can't remember him or adam. He-Man doesn't have the same sort of recognition and as a consequence I doubt he would have the same sort of acceptance. Mind you, this only arises if they decide to keep the secret identity. They might decide to do away with it altogether and just have it be known that He-Man and Adam are one and the same.

As a kid I didn't even notice the fact that He-Man was darker *i don't seem to pay attention to color for some reason* and it was only when I got here and i saw someone explicitly mention it that it occurred to me.

Aside from that, Kros, do you want most of the movie to show Adam and not He-Man? Personally, i wouldn't be pleased with that. I'd like him to go back and forth a couple times during the movie.

[krosfyah]

Aside from that, Kros, do you want most of the movie to show Adam and not He-Man? Personally, i wouldn't be pleased with that. I'd like him to go back and forth a couple times during the movie.

I definitely don't want more Adam than he-man, for my tastes He-Man is the main character. I DO want them to go back and forth a few times, but I only want one transformation, near the end. it has everything it needs to be really rousing and for my tastes and ideas it should be saved.

i'd say in terms of appearance it should be a 35/65 split with he-man taking the 65% of the adam/he-man screen time. thus I want more action/warrior stuff than stuff around the palace etc. but the action warrior stuff shouldn't be mindless hacking and slashing, it should also include quieter moments that develop character and move the story along.

[galaxy warrior]

i love how people always bring up "what is everyone blind" becuase adam and he-man look alike...as if they didnt it wouldnt be possible to figure it out. hello same sword that he carries all damn day. someone will notice. people notice when 2 poeple wear the dsame shirt in real life you mean to tell me no one here would call that out? one of the biggest beefs with 200x was adam.

[Marvelous0ne]

I vote yes! I liked MYP take on it. It took away that Adam looks like He-Man bit. Doing that has always had that He-Man was copying Superman idea. I Like that Adam was a teenager who magically became this hulking man. Who would suspect a child to be The Most Powerful Man in the Universe? Now a Prince who is muscular in his own right who just happens to look like He-Man? But wait! He-Man has a tan!. No I think not. The same with the sword! Adam and He_Man had the same sword? Hmmm.... Atleast 200x series gave the idea of the sword transforming into looking different when he was He-Man.

[Eamon]

I voted no!!
There's plenty of ways to make the actor appear less heroic and different enough looking.
Baggier clothes and hair style on Adam is a simple start.

[Arthur]

You mean "NO" therefore Pig Boy???

[Eamon]

You mean "NO" therefore Pig Boy???

Erm! Yes! I'm tired!

[sathomaso]

Ummm damn ... i think I just voted yes in the poll!!!
But I think he-man and adam should be played by the same actor, yes!



The reason is that the thread title applies yes to my question (yes, he-man and adam should be played by the same actor) ... but then the poll-question is different ( He-Man and Adam played by different actor) ... so if you just quickly vote on this thread you make a mistake... therfor i assume the outcome of this poll could not be represantative if more folks make the same mistake. And reading the reply above apparently "Pig Boy" did too.

[motu77]

I'd like to see them try to have the same guy do both.

[supes78]

It would be absurd to get the same actor for both roles. Adam is supposed to be a teenage prince. He just didn't look that way for the toys and cartoon for monetary reasons. Mattel just wanted to re-use the same molds for all of their male heroes and Filmation just wanted to re-use the same stock footage and designs for all of the males. But that doesn't mean that a new movie has to cater to those same restrictions, just because that's what we all grew up on. If a new film is going to work and spawn sequels, the general audience has to be convinced that this isn't just a pathetic attempt to dust-off a forgotten relic from the 80's aimed at little kids. And if the lead roles are played by the same guy, then any semblance of believability is compromised from the very beginning. Now, even though Clark and Superman are played by the same guy, the world has had over half a century to be convinced that no one can tell they are the same. Even still, great actors such as Chris Reeve have gone to great lengths to make the conceit work. I think it would be compromising the integrity of both characters to have an actor try to differentiate the two roles by playing them at opposite spectrums, which is really the only option if we want the audience to even half-way accept the premise. But if a teenage actor plays Adam and an adult plays He-Man, the general audience and critics can pay attention to the story without being hung up on why no one can tell it's the same guy.

[Dr_Evil]

Absolutely....NO!

[Doompuppet]

They should get two actors.

But if possible, near identical brothers. One older and bigger, the other late teens.

Oh, and they should be good actors!

I think whoever it is should definitely be an unknown. No "GO SEE BRAD PITT AS...." shlock.

[Toymaker]

I like the MYP style, so some teenager for Adam then an actor in his late 20's early 30's for He-Man