masters of the universe: he-man & pigboy

Pigboy Forever: An Interview With Master of the Universe Richard Ryan Szponder

My good friend Jim wanted to write something for the bloglin, and considering our deep appreciation for all things Masters of the Universe, I agreed to post it for him. Here is “Pigboy Forever” by James Greene, Jr.

In 1986, the Mattel toy company ran a contest in which one lucky grand prize was promised an appearance in the live action Masters of the Universe film set for release the following year. Unlike most Hollywood prize drawings, this one wasn’t a sham, and a young man from Illinois actually won. That young man’s name was Richard Ryan Szponder, and he would be forever immortalized in an extremely brief role as the grotesque Pigboy next to Frank Langella’s booming Skeletor. I took it upon myself to track down Richard last year to quiz him about his movie-making experience. What follows is a transcript of our conversation.

Can you give me a little background about what your life was like when you entered the Masters of the Universe movie contest? Where were you living, how old were you, that kind of jazz?

I was living in the Chicago suburb of Homer Glen, in the third grade, eight years old. I was just a normal kid who loved his Masters of the Universe toys. I referred to them as “He-Man Guys,” and my grandmother was always a huge advocate of my collection. She would help me search the shelves of the local toy and drug stores for the characters I was looking for, and she was the one who taught me to look all the way in the back of the rack for the really good figures. When I learned about the contest, I asked my mother if I could enter. The only way to get an entry form was to go over to Toys R Us. I told my mother that I wanted to send in a bunch of entry forms, and she said no. She told me she would give me one stamp only. That one stamp and one entry form proved to be the winner in the contest.

Where were you/what were doing when you discovered you had won the contest? What was your reaction? Paint the scene for me.

I remember receiving a phone call during dinner, and one of my parents talking with the person who called. I can’t exactly remember how it all went down, but I do remember that initially, I was considered only a “finalist” in the contest. I still have a copy of the letter than came via FedEx as a follow-up to the phone call, congratulating me on being a finalist. Once all of the paperwork was completed, we received notification that I had, in fact, won the contest. That was when the waiting began. Our trip was scheduled and postponed several times before we actually made it out to California.

How many days were you actually on set? It’s my understanding that the film was under budget and time constraints and director Gary Goddard had to just throw you in where he could.

I never knew this at the time, but yes, there were time constraints on the film. When the film was released on DVD a few years ago, I watched it and listened to director Gary Goddard’s comments about my contest win. Apparently, he did struggle to find a place for me in the movie. Based on his comments, I would gather that they would have preferred not to bother with me at that point. But considering the rules of the contest, they were obligated. My family and I were in California for a total of nine days. I was on the set for some or all of the day most of those days. However, as part of the contest, Mattel also sent my family to Disneyland, the Queen Mary, and on several other sight seeing trips. Seeing the Queen Mary was amazing since that was the ship my father traveled to America on when he was just a baby.

What are your outstanding memories of the filming experience? Did you get your own trailer?

The filming experience was amazing. I vividly recall the set of Castle Grayskull, which is where I spent most of my time. No, I did not have my own trailer until it came time for makeup. As you know, I was Pigboy, adorned in a full mask and costume. To fit me for the mask, they took a mold of my face and created a custom mask. I remember the mask and makeup taking hours, and Billy Barty (who played Gwildor) came into my trailer and talked to me about the process. He, too, had to go through hours of costume and makeup. One of my most vivid memories was that of the makeup artists taking the mask off. Whatever they used to glue the mask to my face left my face burning for the entire night and the next day.

Sounds like grounds for a lawsuit.

The filming was great, and it took quite a while to film what ended up just being a few seconds of film. I remember being disappointed when seeing the finished film, because most of my scene was cut. During filming, Skeletor grabbed his staff from me and turned around to stare at me. I looked back at him, and he shouted, “Now leave!” This last bit was cut from the final film, and I actually missed myself when I first saw it in the theater. I do remember meeting the other stars during filming as well. Meg Foster, who played Evil-Lyn, spent a great deal of time talking with my family. Of everyone on the set, she was probably the most gracious. I took a great picture sitting on Skeletor’s lap with Evil-Lyn in the background. Frank Langella was also wonderful, although I never saw him out of Skeletor makeup. It wasn’t until years later, when I saw him in the movie Dave, that I realized what he looked like. Dolph Lundgren was very kind and gracious to my family. We encountered him several times during filming, both in costume and out, and he was always thrilled to pose for pictures, even once allowing me to pretend to punch him out for a photo. What I remember most about the whole experience was not necessarily the filming, but how wonderful the cast was.

What about Courteney Cox?

I have a few pictures that were taken with her and Gary Goddard. However, I have no recollection of meeting her. I do recall spending a lot of time talking with the director, and she may have been quiet, but I honestly do not remember her. I also met most of the actors who played the villains in the film and took a great picture with them as well. I do recall meeting Chelsea Field, who played Teela. I remember everyone saying, “She was a Solid Gold dancer!” And I had no idea what that meant.

What was your impression of Masters of the Universe when you first saw it? Were you upset you weren’t in more scenes?

I was impressed with the film when I first saw it. However, I would have liked a more traditional He-Man film that more closely followed the cartoon line and the action figures. I think part of the reason for the film’s mediocre box office numbers was that it drifted too far from the MOTU that everyone was familiar with. Most of the villains were created for the film. Only Beast Man and Evil-Lyn were brought in from the toy line. The film also came too late in the life of the toy line. Had it been released just two years earlier, I think it would have been massive. I’ll watch it every couple of years, and I’m still surprised at what a good film it actually is. OK, the acting is pretty cheesy. But the special effects are really quite good, especially for a movie that came out in the mid-eighties. As I mentioned earlier, I was not disappointed that I was not in more scenes, but I was disappointed that the one scene in which I did appear was cut so dramatically.

For the record, who’s your favorite Masters character (aside from Pigboy)?

I’ve always loved Evil-Lyn. To this day, I’m fascinated by the villainess. Whether it’s the Maleficent from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty or the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, or even Catwoman from Batman, I absolutely love a completely evil female character.

I understand your nickname at Lockport Township High School was “Boy Lisa Simpson” because you played the saxophone. Were you also impossibly brainy and dogged by a nerd with blue hair?

That’s funny. I know exactly where you’re getting that from, and I have no idea who wrote that on IMDB. No, I was never referred to as the “Boy Lisa Simpson.” At least not to my face!!! But yes, I did play the saxophone from the fifth grade all the way through high school. So I can only bet that someone I went to high school with logged into the IMDB and decided to be funny. I’ve been meaning to correct that, but it doesn’t really matter in the end, does it?

I don’t know, that kind of thing can cost you a job interview. I also understand you’re a big Madonna fan. What’s been your favorite phase of Madonna’s career so far?

Whoever updated IMDB definitely knew me, because yes, I am a Madonna fan. However, I don’t have the extensive collection that IMDB says I do. Yes, I like her as a performer, but her politics disgust me. That’s about it. If I had to choose a phase of her career that I like the best, it’s probably in the mid-to-late nineties when she did the Evita film. To this day, it’s the only performance she’s given in a film that is not awful.

Yeah, mid-nineties was a good time for Madge. They’re making a new Masters of the Universe film, I hear. Would you be willing to reprise your role as Pigboy?

There have been rumors flying around for years that another Masters film is in the works. Honestly, I would be shocked if it ever came to be. As you probably know, they reissued the toy line several years ago. To put it lightly, it completely flopped. The new cartoon series was brilliantly animated, and the story lines were amazing. However, in a world of Spongebob Squarepants and that stupid cartoon who is a cat on one end and a dog on the other, I’m not sure the children of today were ready for He-Man. As I understand it, most of the people who bought the new toy line were late twenty-somethings or early thirty-somethings like myself who were reliving their childhood. The series graduated into a line of high-end statues and busts that ran $50 to over $200. Now, Mattel has reissued Masters of the Universe once again, but it’s strictly available on-line for collectors only at a price of $20 per figure. Yes, I was excited when they first issued the series again a few years ago, and I was sad when the new cartoon died a quick death after only a season and a half on the air. This is why I would be shocked if they made another film. If the new cartoon and toy line didn’t make it, why would anyone invest in a big budget live action film?

Would I reprise the role? Funny question. I thought about going into acting after my experience. But alas, I moved onto other interests. Today, I’m part of corporate America, working with amazing people and seeing the world with my job. I’ve always dreamed of being a novelist, and over the summer, I finished my first novel. I’m currently editing it, and I hope to have it published next year. And yes, one of the main characters is a completely bad-ass villainess. If someone from Hollywood came knocking on the door, would I answer? Probably.

Richard’s has a personal blog which you can check out http://www.richardszponder.com/