Aquaman looks good on Jason Momoa. But let’s be honest here, when the actor was first cast in the role, it was a bit of a surprise. At the time, Momoa was best known for playing Game of Thrones‘ fierce warlord Khal Drogo, making his nabbing the role of a big league superhero like the king of Atlantis somewhat unexpected. And ahead of the highly anticipated sequel’s release, Momoa recalled his own honest reaction when he was first offered the part by Zack Snyder.
Jason Momoa was cast as the aquatic Justice Leaguer in the summer of 2014 to make a cameo in Batman v.. Superman: Dawn of Justice, during the time when Zack Snyder was planting the seeds for his now defunct “Snyderverse”. Upon recent reflection of being DC’s Aquaman, the actor shared this:
When Zack told me he wanted me to play Aquaman, I was like, ‘What? that’s like the farthest thing [from what I thought] I would ever be’. Then he laid it out and I thought, ‘Why can’t it be someone of Polynesian descent?’
While speaking to GQ Magazine, the actor speaks of a life loving water and recalls taking a long bus ride to the Florida Keys to study at a marine biology camp as a kid. Additionally, he said his father was “always in the water,” and he’d idolize him and all his uncles and cousins for being surfers. The actor used to take part in the Junior Lifeguard Program and was set to enroll in the University of Hawaii’s marine biology program before nabbing his first acting role in Baywatch Hawaii, in which he played a pivotal role for 44 episodes. So in other words, the role is actually perfect for him.
