Since he first strode onto the screen as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones,
Jason Momoa has become one of the world's biggest actors. Still, there are some things that most
people don't know about him, so we're taking a deep dive into the life of the Aquaman star.
During his pre-acting days as a model, Jason Momoa says that he was often referred to as
"pretty." However, starting with his role in Conan the Barbarian, he's seen much more as a ruggedly
handsome, rough-around-the-edges type of actor. So, what changed?
Part of it might be a scary event in 2008 that gave Momoa the prominent scar on his
eyebrow. He told Access Hollywood that he was at a bar, and a man approached him. Suddenly,
Momoa was smashed in the face with a pint glass. He had to get over 140 stitches and have multiple
surgeries to repair the damage. He believes it was some sort of gang initiation, as the attack
occurred with no provocation. Talking about the jagged line running across his eyebrow,
Momoa further explained to Access Hollywood that it might have helped his career. He said...
"It helped [me] get those mean roles."
Momoa has mentioned plenty of times that it was love at first sight for him when
he laid eyes on his wife. In an interview on The Late Late Show with James Corden,
he explained that he first saw Lisa Bonet on The Cosby Show when he was a kid. He was smitten with
her immediately, even though it would be almost two decades until the two actually met in person.
"I've always wanted to meet her. She was the queen, always."
The way Momoa tells it, a mutual friend introduced the two
at a jazz club in 2005 and they hit it off almost instantly. They've basically
been a couple ever since and had their first child together in 2007
and a second just a few years later. The couple got married in 2017, finally making it official.
Since Momoa and Bonet are married, that also officially makes Zoe Kravitz his stepdaughter.
Zoe is Bonet's daughter with her previous husband, musician and actor Lenny Kravitz.
Though Momoa started to make a name for himself in film and television when he was just a teenager,
it wasn't until 2011 that he first gained mainstream attention. That was when he burst onto
the scene as Khal Drogo on HBO's Game of Thrones. Up until that point, Momoa was generally known for
playing less savage characters, so he knew he'd have to do something impressive to land the role.
In an interview with The New York Times, Momoa explained that Drogo was a tough
character to portray. The leader of the Dothraki is a man of few words,
so Momoa knew he would have to demonstrate his powerful energy in a different way.
When he showed up for his audition, he decided to begin with a haka, a Maori war dance.
He hoped to show that he had the ability to be as physically impressive as the role needed.
His heart was beating so fast afterward that the rest of the audition was difficult,
but he apparently made enough of an impression to land the role that changed his life.
While Momoa broke into the mainstream as Khal Drogo, his biggest role to date is probably in
the DC Cinematic Universe, where he plays Aquaman. The DC films generally aren't met with quite the
universal praise that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, but the film featuring Momoa's
turn as the ruler of the seas is regarded as one of the best films that DC has put out.
But before he became Aquaman, also known as Arthur
Curry, Momoa actually had several other roles where he spent a lot of time in the surf. He
grew up in Hawaii and had a successful career as a model before auditioning for Baywatch,
where he played a young lifeguard named Jason until the series went off the air.
He even returned for the TV movie Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding. Momoa also had a lead role
on North Shore, a series about an exclusive resort hotel, which was also set in Hawaii.
Aquaman wasn't even the first time Momoa had been to Atlantis. He played Ronon Dex
on Stargate Atlantis for several seasons, which is probably the job that started garnering him more
attention before he landed high profile roles in Conan the Barbarian and Game of Thrones.
We tend to imagine that, once someone becomes a household name,
they're financially set for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately,
that's oftentimes not the case. For proof, look no further than Jason Momoa.
Momoa had a few acting roles that gained exposure before bursting into the big time
in Game of Thrones. But while Drogo was a major character in the debut season of that series,
it's important to remember that Momoa was in fewer than a dozen episodes.
It was also the first season of the show, before it gained complete mainstream saturation, so
it's not like Momoa was off making golden crowns for himself after his time on the series ended.
In fact, the opposite is true. Momoa has stated that he was
totally broke and struggling to pay bills. The actor told InStyle…
"I mean, we were starving after Game of Thrones. [...] I couldn't get work.
It's very challenging when you have babies, and you're completely in debt."
Obviously, Momoa and his family are in a much better financial situation now,
as he's hardly struggling to land major parts. In addition to his ongoing role as Aquaman,
Momoa is involved with plenty of other big productions like Dune. It seems he'll be a part
of the A-list for quite some time and he doesn't need to worry about keeping the lights on anymore.
Momoa often has his shirt off for his roles, and that's not a fact that many people are going to
complain about. However, that can make it tough to tell how many of his tattoos are real and how
many are added to give his characters a bit more personality. Well, if you're wondering,
some — but not all — of the tattoos you see on Momoa's characters are very real.
The most obviously real one is often visible in his public appearances. Momoa has a tribal
pattern on his left forearm. It's a tribute to his Hawaiian roots, and it's designed to resemble
shark's teeth. On the inside of his other arm, Momoa has the phrase "Pride of Gypsies"
inscribed. He also has a French phrase on that same arm, which translates to "always be drunk."
Momoa also has a few hand tattoos, including a skull near his thumb and the word "diablo"
on his finger. Finally, he has the signatures of his two children on his chest. And, just
in case anyone is wondering, Momoa's young kids have yet to follow in their father's footsteps.
"You haven't actually tattooed your children?"
"Graham, I haven't tattooed my children."
"That's all right."
Not only does Momoa spend plenty of time in the surf as Aquaman, but he also has a real-world
interest in marine biology. After moving to Iowa, Momoa was actually studying to become
a marine biologist. He later transferred to Colorado State and focused on wildlife biology.
However, Momoa didn't wind up finishing his degree. He returned to Hawaii,
where he was cast in Baywatch. From there, his acting career took off.
Still, it's a fascinating turn of events that the man who ended up as Aquaman at one point studied
marine life. It seems likely that his knowledge of sea life influenced his performance, as he
might have a better understanding of what life in the ocean is like more than the average actor.
Momoa is known to be a bit of a party animal who enjoys a drink or two in his downtime.
And if you take a quick look at his Instagram page,
it's pretty obvious that his beverage of choice is Guinness.
That love of the Irish stout apparently runs both ways, as Guinness decided to create a
beer specifically for him. It's called "Mano Brew," and it's the company's first sour beer.
The label is adorned with a few touches that surely made the big man proud. Hawaiian flowers
and a leaping shark decorate the label along with a motif that's reminiscent of Momoa's
forearm tattoo. In addition, the actor's signature is prominent across the label.
Entertainment Weekly writes that he shared pints of the Irish brew with Game of Thrones
showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff while they were on set in Northern Ireland.
It doesn't appear that Mano Brew is publicly available at this point,
but that didn't stop Momoa from sharing some with the cast of Aquaman when they paid a
visit to Conan O'Brien. In fact, Conan seemed a little in awe of Momoa's Guinness connection.
"How does that work? How does one go to a bar and say 'I'll have a Guinness' and when they
start to pour it, go 'No, the Momoa Guinness.' How does that happen?"
Charisma and a commanding screen presence are pretty apparent qualities of Jason
Momoa. It's tough to take your eyes off of him whenever he shows up in a film or TV
show. The actor also has plenty of artistic talent to share when he's behind the camera.
He started his own production company in 2010 called "Pride of Gypsies."
The name refers to a pride of lions and a gypsy as a nomadic or free-spirited person,
so the company sees their identity as an adventurous collective of filmmakers.
They've shot a few trailers for television series, like Frontier, and they've worked
with Carhartt for a number of commercials over the last few years. They've also made three
feature films so far — 2014's Road to Paloma, 2018's Braven, and the 2021 release Sweet Girl.
Though Momoa is the name behind the production company, the only feature he's directed so far
is Road to Paloma. But we're sure he has plenty of upcoming projects that he'd love to take on.
Part of Momoa's draw in playing powerful characters like Khal Drogo and Aquaman comes
from the fact that he's a bit banged up. We already mentioned that he obtained his
prominent eyebrow scar from an unfortunate incident at a bar. However, that isn't the
only injury that altered Momoa's appearance and gives his character's a bit more grit.
After being cast in the role of Conan the Barbarian, Momoa reportedly told a friend of his
that he would look more like the character if he had a broken nose. Taking this as an invitation,
Momoa's buddy punched him in the face, helping him to instantly achieve his desired appearance.
In fact, when you take a close look at some of the footage from Conan, it appears that
Momoa's profile isn't quite picture-perfect and he seems to be more than okay with that.
"I dig it."
Momoa plays a lot of tough guys and he certainly looks the part. He's naturally a really big guy,
standing at 6'4" and boasting a physique that makes it seem realistic that he can take on
an army of enemies. That said, Momoa isn't much of a gym rat; he tends to prefer more
practical workouts to lifting weights. In fact, the star reportedly "hates" the gym.
Momoa's workout of choice is climbing — it's something he enjoys doing, and it helps him
get the physique he needs for his physically demanding roles. Speaking with Men's Health,
Momoa explained that he has, quote, "a really hard time training for vanity." Still,
looking like a superhero is part of his job. For the Aquaman shoot, the studio had a rock climbing
gym built for the actor to train on, and he says it kept him, quote, "in a beautiful place."
Momoa also talked to Men's Health about staying motivated…
"If you're passionate about something, you don't need pushing. You can push yourself."
It isn't terribly hard to picture Jason Momoa as a metalhead. With his long,
flowing hair and imposing stature, he looks like he'd be right at home in the center of a mosh pit.
So, it should come as no surprise that Momoa has regularly rocked out to metal bands,
such as Pantera and Slayer. He even claimed in an Instagram post that
Khal Drogo "wouldn't exist" if it weren't for the inspiration of bands like Pantera.
That post included photos from outside a Slayer show, which Momoa and his two children
attended. They weren't content to just stay in the crowd, however.
Momoa actually got onstage and rocked out with the band. He later went into the
studio with Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo to add vocals to his current band, Scour.
Momoa's not just gifted with heavy metal roars, either. The man is also a guitar player,
and there are plenty of photos of him showing off his latest instruments
or enjoying downtime on set with some heavy riffs.
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