Jason Momoa's Road to an Action-Packed Career

Google Jason Momoa, and you’ll learn that he began his career as a model — and even won Hawaii’s Model of the Year.

The only problem? It’s not true. “I never modeled in anything,” says the Hawaii-born, Iowa-bred actor. “I made that up because you had to have a résumé. It helped. It got my foot in the door.”

Momoa, who recently set the internet ablaze with the news that he is confirmed to play superhero Aquaman on the big screen, no longer has to embellish his résumé.

He launched his career in 1999 with the final seasons of Baywatch, went on to star as Ronon Dex in Stargate: Atlantis and to play the title character in 2011 theatrical Conan the Barbarian.

Game of Thrones fans, however, came to know Momoa as Khal Drogo.

Then he decided to step away from action roles.

“I played two really iconic characters, and that can’t be beat,” he says. “Drogo is one in a million and Conan’s like a legend."

"I’ll continue to do (action roles)," he explains. "I just don’t want to regurgitate the same thing over and over.”

So he carved his own path. He cowrote, produced, directed and starred in the movie Road to Paloma, which debuted on multiple platforms this summer.

Momoa plays a Native American who avenges his mother’s death. He submitted the movie to the Sundance Film Festival, and though it was not selected, it helped him land his “dream job.”

Momoa stars as deeply troubled Phillip Kopus in The Red Road,  SundanceTV’s second wholly owned scripted original series. 

He calls it “the hardest work I’ve ever done as an actor."

"It’s such an emotional roller coaster," he shares. "He’s very strong and vulnerable and complicated, something I’ve never really done before. Most of my guys are pretty much one to two notes.”

The critically-acclaimed series returns with another six episodes in 2015.

Momoa has two children with wife Lisa Bonet, who also appears in The Red Road.

Reflecting on the genesis of his career, he recalls that he was working in his family’s surf shop in Hawaii when Baywatch held auditions.

“I went down there to meet chicks. And I ended up getting the lead role,” he shares. “Once I did that, I just fell in love with acting.”

•

Based on story originally published in Emmy magazine issue no. 05-2014.