Why Jason Momoa Was Never The Same After Game Of Thrones
It's fair to say that Jason Momoa has established himself as a bona fide action hero over the past few years, starring in a slew of high-profile blockbusters and going toe-to-toe with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
In addition to playing the superhero Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe (a role he may reprise in James Gunn's rebooted DC Universe), Momoa also played the peacocking drug lord Dante Reyes in "Fast X," and starred in "Dune: Part One" as the swordmaster Duncan Idaho. Momoa's meteoric rise to Hollywood stardom can be traced back to his breakout role on HBO's "Game of Thrones," in which he played the Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo.
Despite the fact that he died at the end of "Game of Thrones" Season 1, Khal Drogo became an immediate hit with fans of the acclaimed fantasy series, and that helped Momoa score some of his biggest roles later on. This small role on "Game of Thrones" changed Jason Momoa's life forever, and served as a pivotal turning point in his career as an actor.
How Momoa earned his role as Khal Drogo
Prior to scoring his breakout role in "Game of Thrones," Jason Momoa was a relatively unknown actor who had been working at his family's surf shop before being cast in "Baywatch Hawaii." Momoa was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and despite moving away from the state at just six months old, his Polynesian heritage had a major impact on his audition for "Game of Thrones."
When Momoa was given the chance to audition for "Game of Thrones," he made a bold decision that immediately made him stand out from the other applicants — performing a Māori Haka dance for the casting team. Haka is a traditional war dance that comes from the Māori people of New Zealand, characterized by chanting, body slapping, and expressions of intimidation and strength. Throughout history, Haka has been adapted across a wide variety of Polynesian cultures, including that of Native Hawaiians.
During a later interview with The New York Times, Momoa said that he used this dance to embody the character of Khal Drogo in the absence of lines, since Drogo doesn't actually say much in the show. Following the incredible success of "Game of Thrones" Season 1, this career-changing audition went viral on YouTube, and as of 2023 has had more than 4 million views.
Khal Drogo quickly became a fan favorite
Considering how Khal Drogo enters the world of "Game of Thrones," it's rather shocking that he turned out to be such a popular character. We first meet him in Episode 1 when he trades his Dothraki army for an arranged marriage to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), and we quickly learn that Drogo is well known for massacring innocent people across Essos.
Savage as he might be, this Dothraki warlord endeared himself to fans with his surprisingly genuine affection for Daenerys, his skill in battle, and his memorable gold-plated execution of Viserys Targaryen (Harry Lloyd). It's worth mentioning that Jason Momoa himself is responsible for one of Drogo's most iconic scenes, in which he duels a fellow Dothraki who insults Daenerys to his face. "One thing missing in the book for me was to see Drogo fight," Momoa said in James Hibbard's behind-the-scenes book, "Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon." "The whole buildup and the myth of him is amazing, and George is phenomenal. But I want to see him f–k s–t up."
This thrilling battle is part of the reason why Drogo remains a fan favorite more than a decade after "Game of Thrones," despite only appearing in ten episodes of the series. The character is so popular that Momoa actually reprised his role as Khal Drogo for a 2018 episode of "Saturday Night Live." That same year, it was reported by NBC News that nine babies in the U.S. had been given the name "Khal" in honor of the Dothraki warlord, further cementing him as one of the most beloved characters in the series.
Momoa was shockingly poor after Game of Thrones
It might shock some fans to learn that Jason Momoa was surprisingly poor after "Game of Thrones," in spite of being one of the most popular characters on the show that became a worldwide phenomenon. In a 2020 interview with InStyle, Momoa revealed that he and his wife Lisa Bonet were struggling immensely after Khal Drogo's untimely demise on the show.
"We were starving after 'Game of Thrones,'" Momoa said. "I couldn't get work. It's very challenging when you have babies and you're completely in debt." Though we don't have any specifics about the salaries given to Momoa and his fellow actors during that first season of "Game of Thrones," it's well known that Season 1 was operating on a much smaller budget than later seasons. Most notably, the show's early budgetary issues forced showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to exclude a major fight sequence from the books, instead opting for Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) to be knocked unconscious and miss the entire battle.
On top of that, it's been reported that "Succession" star Brian Cox actually declined the role of King Robert Baratheon in "Game of Thrones," with Cox stating that the money offered by HBO simply wasn't enough. In any case, Momoa's comments make it clear that his family struggled mightily after Momoa exited "Game of Thrones," and he was forced to watch from the sideline as the series exploded into one of the biggest shows of all time.
Jason Momoa's breakout role almost tanked his entire career
Part of the reason why Jason Momoa couldn't find work in the immediate aftermath of his "Game of Thrones" breakout is actually due to his performance as Khal Drogo. At the start of the series, Drogo knows very little of the Common Tongue of Westeros, primarily speaking Dothraki until he begins to learn some Common from Daenerys Targaryen.
Though Drogo's guttural, broken speech is certainly fitting for his character, unfortunately it caused many casting directors to believe that Jason Momoa couldn't speak English. Momoa explained this troubling career development during an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," recalling a disheartening meeting he had with Fred Armisen on the set of "Portlandia."
"[Armisen] was so excited to meet me...and then he was like, 'I didn't even know you spoke English,'" Momoa said. "It was heartbreaking. I was like, 'That's why I'm not getting any jobs.'" Though Jason Momoa's career eventually got back on track, this unfortunate roadblock is one of several reasons for his post "Game of Thrones" struggles.
Momoa's career hit a snag between 2012 and 2016
As previously mentioned, Jason Momoa's financial struggles after "Game of Thrones" were compounded by a depressing lull in his acting career. The trouble actually began in 2011 shortly before the release of "Game of Thrones," when Momoa starred as the lead role in the box office bomb "Conan the Barbarian."
Despite the fact that this role was a huge break for Momoa at the time, it appears to have left a sour taste in his mouth by the time the film hit theaters. "I've been a part of a lot of things that really sucked, and movies where it's out of your hands," Momoa said during a later interview with GQ. "'Conan [the Barbarian]' was one of them. It's one of the best experiences I had and it [was] taken over and turned into a big pile of s***."
Directly after "Game of Thrones" and "Conan the Barbarian," Momoa starred in the 2012 action thriller "Bullet to the Head," which notably earned Sylvester Stallone a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor. Momoa took a hiatus from acting during the entirety of 2013, before starring in the short-lived SundanceTV series "The Red Road" alongside his then-wife Lisa Bonet. 2014 also saw Momoa starring in the horror flicks "Wolves" and "Debug," both of which received abysmal reviews from critics and fans alike.
Momoa achieved worldwide success with Aquaman
While these smaller projects certainly paled in comparison to the colossal pop culture phenomenon that was "Game of Thrones," 2016 granted Jason Momoa perhaps his biggest role to date — that of the DC superhero Aquaman.
Though Momoa hadn't appeared in "Game of Thrones" content since 2012, his memorable role as Khal Drogo was what first drew director Zack Snyder to Momoa in the first place. "We're big 'Game of Thrones' fans," explained Zack's wife and frequent collaborator Deborah Synder, during an interview with the Los Angeles Times. "Zack was like, 'Jason would be the perfect Aquaman.' I was like, 'It's so out of the box. But yeah!' He can be tough. And he feels like he comes from the water."
Thus Momoa earned a leading role in the DC Extended Universe, first appearing in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and reprising the role shortly afterwards in the solo feature "Aquaman." "Aquaman" enjoyed an incredible level of success at the box office, grossing $1.4 billion worldwide and catapulting Momoa into the upper echelon of Hollywood stardom. Though he may not have lasted long on "Game of Thrones," Momoa's brief stint as Khal Drogo earned him his most high-profile role to date, one which he says he'll continue to play for many years to come.
Momoa's career has only gotten better since Aquaman
Having established himself as a true action star with "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Aquaman," and "Justice League," Jason Momoa's career resurgence took another huge step forward when he was cast as Duncan Idaho in Denis Villenueve's "Dune."
Idaho is a crucial character within the "Dune" novels written by Frank Herbert, serving as the swordmaster of House Atreides and lifelong friend of protagonist Paul Atreides. Like most of Momoa's characters, Idaho was killed off at the end of the movie, though it's worth mentioning that this fan favorite swordsman could return in "Dune 3." During this time, Momoa also starred as the lead character of Baba Voss in Apple TV's dystopian sci-fi series "See," which ran from 2019 to 2022.
Momoa followed up these performances by joining yet another major film franchise, starring as the villainous Dante Reyes in "Fast X," a role which earned rave reviews from critics. As Brett Truitt of USA Today writes, "Thankfully, Momoa puts the entire film on his back as the preening, devilishly excellent Dante unleashes rampant chaos and mayhem." Fresh off of these dynamic roles and with many more to come (including "Fast X: Part 2"), it certainly seems like Momoa's career isn't slowing down anytime soon.
Momoa's Game of Thrones role sparked his longtime friendship with Emilia Clarke
In addition to earning him the biggest role of his career, Jason Momoa's short-lived part on "Game of Thrones" also netted him a long-lasting friendship with "Thrones" icon Emilia Clarke, who played his on-screen love interest Daenerys Targaryen.
While the two were hardly an ideal couple in the show (with Daenarys essentially being sold like cattle to Khal Drogo), behind the scenes the two formed a close bond that has lasted for years. Clarke specifically recalled how Momoa had to stand up for her during the first season, since she was a relatively unknown actress who had been thrust into some very uncomfortable nude scenes.
"[Jason] was always like, 'Can we get her a f***ing robe? She's shivering!'" Clarke said during an interview on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast. "He was so kind and considerate, and cared about me as a human being." The two have remained extremely close, even all these years after Momoa left "Game of Thrones," with Momoa saying he takes time to visit Clarke whenever he's working in London, and frequently posting Instagram photos alongside the infamous "Mother of Dragons."
Momoa has done additional work behind the camera since Game of Thrones
During the brief acting slump that followed "Game of Thrones," Jason Momoa began to turn his attention to work outside of just acting -– writing and directing his own projects while unable to find work anywhere else.
In 2014, Jason Momoa directed the drama thriller film "Road to Paloma," in which he also starred as the Native American killer-on-the-run Robert Wolf. After murdering the man who killed his mother, Wolf is forced to flee across the country to escape the law, dodging the police while attempting to spread his mother's ashes in a spot she had picked. The film is based on a script that Momoa himself co-wrote with Robert Homer Mollohan and Jonathan Hirschbein, and starred his then-wife Lisa Bonet.
This small passion project wasn't Momoa's first foray into screenwriting, as he was also reportedly involved with the writing process for "Conan 2," a sequel to "Conan the Barbarian" that was ultimately shelved. Similarly, it's been reported that Momoa submitted a 50-page treatment for "Aquaman 2," which would have focused heavily on climate change. Momoa also co-wrote the 2022 film, "The Last Manhunt," and has written episodes for TV shows like "The Climb" and the upcoming miniseries "Chief of War," the latter of which he also created.
Momoa used his platform to promote climate activism
Because Jason Momoa took the time to write an entire treatment that pitted Aquaman against the horrors of climate change, it should come as no surprise that the star has also dedicated much of his free time to environmental activism.
In August 2022, Momoa sat down with GQ to discuss his work to decrease plastic pollution in the ocean, and his efforts to increase the production of aluminum water bottles. "Every day there's a dumpster fire. Yes, we're trying to go green but what are the batteries doing?" Momoa said. "I don't like b——ing, I want to do something. But I feel like I don't have much time." Momoa currently serves as the advocate for Life Below Water for the UN Environment Programme, where he performs charity work aimed at saving the planet's ocean life from the threat of pollution.
On top of his prestigious UN appointment, Momoa actually studied Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii, further proving just how important the ocean's well-being is to the actor. While it's easy to roll your eyes at some instances of celebrity activism, Momoa's longstanding history of work to combat climate change makes it clear this is an issue he takes very seriously.
How does Jason Momoa feel about Game of Thrones all these years later?
There's no question that "Game of Thrones" changed Jason Momoa's life forever, earning him a slew of high-profile roles and a platform from which he can promote climate activism. Although one can still consider "Thrones" to be a defining moment in Momoa's career, the actor himself appears to have mixed feelings about his abrupt exit from the series.
"I always felt like I've been cheated in a lot of the things I've done," Momoa admitted during a 2019 interview with The Independent. "You try to show a little bit of color in there, you know, with Conan but no one wants to see Conan crying and with Drogo he died before any of that stuff could happen." By contrast, Momoa seemed far more content with Drogo's death in the aforementioned interview with GQ, saying, "It would have been great to stay on it across seasons, but it's just the way Drogo had to go."
Momoa also fired back at a reporter for The New York Times who asked him if he regretted playing Khal Drogo, given the character's history of sexual violence. "Well, put it this way: I already did it. Not doing it again," Momoa said, who also expressed his distaste for the question itself. "I was bummed when you asked me that. It just feels icky — putting it upon me to remove something. As if an actor even had the choice to do that."
What's next for Jason Momoa?
These comments make it clear that Jason Momoa has a somewhat complicated view of his time on "Game of Thrones," though it seems like the actor has his sights set on the future rather than the past.
Momoa told GQ that he is excited to finally play some characters with real range, rather than being typecast as the typical action star he's been pigeonholed into. "It's been hard because people always think I'm just this dude who plays [macho characters]," Momoa explained. "But I want to be moved, I want something new. Things are changing, and even the villain roles I'm playing now are eccentric." In addition to the upcoming blockbusters "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" and "Fast X: Part 2," Momoa is also supposedly connected to the rumored "Minecraft" movie — set to release in 2025 and based on the popular game of the same name.
Momoa will also lend his talents to the live-action/animation hybrid film "Animal Friends," alongside Ryan Reynolds, Vince Vaughn, and Aubrey Plaza. Looking further ahead, reports from August 2023 indicate that Momoa has been cast alongside Dave Bautista in Ángel Manuel Soto's upcoming buddy action comedy, "The Wrecking Crew," which Bautista and Momoa reportedly sold to MGM in 2021. Regardless of Jason Momoa's struggles directly after "Game of Thrones," it's clear that the actor has really started to hit his stride, and fans should expect to see him headline plenty of other films for years to come.