#636 - Jason Momoa

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• Jason Momoa shared details about his unconventional upbringing, moving from Hawaii to Iowa and attending community college before his acting career took off at age 19.  Copied to clipboard!
• Momoa discussed the deep personal significance of creating the Apple TV+ show 'Chief of War' as a love letter to his Hawaiian heritage and ancestors.  Copied to clipboard!
• The conversation touched upon Momoa's near-drowning experience in Maui, which he credits with helping him quit smoking, and his current focus on enjoying his career success and pursuing comedy projects like 'The Wrecking Crew' with Dave Bautista.  Copied to clipboard!
• Jason Momoa finds rock climbing and riding motorcycles serve as essential therapy or meditation because they demand complete focus, clearing his mind of distractions.  Copied to clipboard!
• Momoa co-founded the water company Monanalu to combat single-use plastic waste, aiming to implement a circular system in hospitality settings like hotels, starting in Hawaii.  Copied to clipboard!
• Momoa values genuine working relationships with co-stars like Dave Bautista, emphasizing mutual support and a focus on the story over individual careers, noting he is now getting roles outside of just being killed off.  Copied to clipboard!

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SNL 50th Anniversary Encounter

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(00:01:51)

• Key Takeaway: Jason Momoa felt overwhelmed meeting Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Chevy Chase, and Bill Murray at the 50th SNL anniversary event.
• Summary: Momoa recounted being unexpectedly pulled into an orbit by a large hand at the SNL 50th anniversary. He was subsequently sandwiched between Chevy Chase and Bill Murray after an older woman introduced them. The experience was described as an overload of meeting legendary figures.

Early Life and Education Path

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(00:04:24)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa attended Des Moines Area Community College (D-MAC) in Iowa and initially pursued marine biology before his acting career intervened.
• Summary: After moving from Hawaii to Iowa, Momoa attended D-MAC and later attempted to get in-state tuition in Colorado for wildlife biology. He spent spring breaks studying marine biology in the Florida Keys, even having an eel in a shark tank for a class. A TV show opportunity at age 19 changed his path while he was surfing in Hawaii.

Busboy Days and Early Hustle

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(00:06:39)

• Key Takeaway: Both Theo Von and Jason Momoa shared experiences as busboys, with Momoa channeling that time into his new film, ‘Bus Boys’.
• Summary: Momoa’s job before acting was busting tables, and he humorously recalled taking high-quality leftover food from the nice restaurant where he worked. Theo Von also worked as a busboy, claiming to be one of the best in his area south of Phoenix. Momoa channeled these experiences into his upcoming movie, ‘Bus Boys’, co-starring David Spade.

Hawaiian Heritage and Family

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(00:12:13)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa’s father is Hawaiian, while his mother is German-Irish, and his family includes celebrated watermen like great-uncle Buffalo Keolana.
• Summary: Momoa’s father resides on the Hawaiian Homestead Land on the west side of Oahu, where his family are known as watermen involved in outrigger paddling and surfing. He mentioned that while historical island rivalries existed, the current focus is on reclaiming Hawaiian culture and language, which was largely removed from them.

Drowning Experience and Sobriety Catalyst

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(00:16:14)

• Key Takeaway: A near-fatal snorkeling incident in Maui, where Momoa was caught in a rip current, served as the catalyst for him to quit smoking two packs a day.
• Summary: While snorkeling alone in Maui, Momoa got caught in a rip current and felt a moment of peace accepting his death due to the beauty of the location. He was saved after hitting the outer reef and holding on until he was found by Laird Hamilton and others. The trauma of losing his breath immediately killed his desire to smoke tobacco.

The Wrecking Crew Film Details

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(00:19:54)

• Key Takeaway: ‘The Wrecking Crew’ is a buddy cop action film shot beautifully in Hawaii, resulting from a long-standing desire between Momoa and Dave Bautista to work together on a comedy.
• Summary: Momoa and Dave Bautista, who became close while working on an Apple TV+ show, decided to make a comedy after previously working on a bloody action project. Momoa had a pitch packet for this buddy cop concept for two decades, and Bautista helped push it forward by posting it online. The resulting film is described as an easy, enjoyable watch that makes the audience cry while working through family trauma.

Reflecting on Career Success and Happiness

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(00:35:37)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa questions why he felt happier during his early, struggling years compared to achieving his dream roles, attributing current happiness to staying busy and pursuing projects he loves.
• Summary: Momoa admitted to sometimes feeling happier when he was struggling and hungry, despite achieving his dream of creating authentic Hawaiian stories and playing beloved characters. He attributes his current high energy and happiness to constantly creating and staying busy, noting that he says yes to everything because he loves the work. He acknowledges that he is making up for lost time after years of struggling without representation in the industry.

Theo Von’s Career Solace and Travel

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(00:40:53)

• Key Takeaway: Theo Von is experiencing a period of relative stillness without tour dates, allowing his spirit to gather thoughts after years of constant geographical movement.
• Summary: For the first time in 17 years, Theo Von has a significant break from touring, which he finds both strange and beneficial for his mental state. He recognizes that constant travel can be a trap, but also admits to getting stir-crazy after a week of rest. This time allows him to focus more on his podcasting work without the necessity of constant travel.

Fatherhood and Children’s Careers

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(00:46:20)

• Key Takeaway: Jason Momoa’s son, Wolf, secured a role in ‘Dune’ independently, while his daughter, Lola, is pursuing music, leading Momoa to advise them toward more stable careers like medicine.
• Summary: Momoa’s son, Wolf, who grew up on sets like ‘Justice League,’ auditioned for and landed a role as Leto Jr. in ‘Dune’ on his own merit. Momoa expressed concern about the gnarly nature of the entertainment business, wishing his children would pursue careers like being a doctor. His children are already deeply involved in their chosen fields, with Wolf favoring acting and Lola music.

Desire for Partnership and Focus

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(00:48:41)

• Key Takeaway: Jason Momoa desires a spouse but acknowledges his constant travel and difficulty focusing impede maintaining relationships.
• Summary: Momoa expressed a desire to have a woman spouse, noting that his frequent travel often causes him to lose focus on existing relationships. He believes he needs to change some of his own ways and become more purposeful to manage a partnership effectively.

Family Background and Swimming Skills

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(00:49:24)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa has three siblings, is a middle child, and humorously notes that his family members are ’land people’ who cannot swim well.
• Summary: He has three siblings, making him one of the middle children in a group of two boys and two girls. He joked that his family motto is, ‘If you need us, we’ll be on the land,’ as none of them are strong swimmers.

Sports Preferences and New Zealand Team

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(00:49:53)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa prefers college football (Tennessee and LSU) over basketball, and Theo Von was impressed by New Zealand’s basketball team name, the ‘Tall Blacks’.
• Summary: Momoa stated his favorite sport is college football, supporting both Tennessee and LSU. Theo Von inquired about the New Zealand basketball team, the ‘Tall Blacks,’ finding the name amazing. Momoa contrasted this with New Orleans teams, referencing Zion Williamson’s fluctuating weight.

Skateboarding and Rock Climbing Passion

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(00:50:54)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa’s main passion is rock climbing, which he feels more connected to than walking, and it provides him with necessary focus.
• Summary: Momoa grew up skateboarding and later found his main love in rock climbing, traveling the world to do it. He feels his body connects naturally to climbing, comparing it to being better at climbing than walking. This activity, along with riding motorcycles, acts as therapy by forcing him to focus entirely on the present moment.

Jared Leto’s Climbing Habits

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(00:51:27)

• Key Takeaway: Jared Leto is an avid rock climber who frequently climbs with Alex Honold, including major routes like El Capitan.
• Summary: Momoa confirmed he has seen Jared Leto while climbing, noting Leto loves the activity. Leto reportedly climbs often with Alex Honold, tackling significant challenges like El Capitan together. Momoa also recalled attending a bizarre, hot party hosted by Leto in New York.

Future Organ Replacement Hopes

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(00:54:05)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa humorously expressed a desire for future AI technology to provide him with replacement organs like kidneys and lungs to extend his lifespan.
• Summary: After discussing motorcyclists being organ donors, Momoa joked about waiting for AI to provide him with new organs. He specifically mentioned wanting fresh kidneys and lungs to extend his life past 90 years old. He envisioned being able to continue enjoying life, like drinking a Bud Light, with a young liver.

Acorns Investment Endorsement

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(00:54:55)

• Key Takeaway: Acorns is promoted as a financial wellness app that helps users automatically invest spare money over time, offering a $20 bonus investment for new sign-ups via the provided link.
• Summary: Acorns is presented as a smart way to grow money by automatically investing spare change, emphasizing the importance of starting early. The app has over 14 million customers who have saved over $27 billion. New users can receive a $20 bonus investment by signing up at acorns.com/theo.

Ethos Life Insurance Protection

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(00:56:27)

• Key Takeaway: Ethos offers fast, 100% online life insurance quotes up to $3 million coverage without a medical exam, ensuring family financial comfort after a policyholder’s passing.
• Summary: Ethos provides a way to protect a family’s future by securing life insurance quickly and easily online. The process requires answering a few health questions, with quotes available in as little as 10 minutes, and no medical exam is needed. Coverage up to $3 million is available via ethos.com/theo.

Friendship with Dave Bautista

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(00:57:37)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa and Dave Bautista share a strong friendship rooted in their mutual status as large action actors who are willing to commit physically to their roles.
• Summary: Momoa believes his friendship with Dave Bautista stems from them both being large actors capable of performing action roles, which is rare. He respects Bautista’s phenomenal acting, citing his subtle performance in Blade Runner as an example. Their working relationship is supportive, and both are unafraid to ‘get down and dirty’ or ‘die’ on screen for the story.

Acting Evolution Post-Game of Thrones

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(00:59:31)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa is now gaining opportunities for diverse roles, like comedy in Minecraft, as the industry figures out how to utilize him beyond his non-English speaking Dothraki character from Game of Thrones.
• Summary: Momoa feels he is finally getting chances to do different types of acting, such as comedy, after years of being typecast. Following Game of Thrones, people struggled to cast him because his character, Drogo, did not speak English. He appreciates actors like Jack Black who are consistently genuine on and off set.

Mistaken Identity and Vision Issues

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(01:00:57)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa was shown a picture of Joaquin Phoenix and compared to him, leading to a discussion about needing prescription glasses due to worsening eyesight.
• Summary: Theo Von showed Momoa a picture of Joaquin Phoenix, leading Momoa to agree they look alike, especially when Phoenix had a beard. Momoa admitted his own eyesight is declining, requiring glasses, and he refuses to get corrective eye surgery due to discomfort with the procedure.

Kid Rock’s Nashville Residence

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(01:03:17)

• Key Takeaway: Kid Rock lives in Nashville, owns a club there, and built an extravagant replica of the White House on a hill.
• Summary: Momoa confirmed he sees Kid Rock often in Nashville, noting the musician has a club and an insane house resembling the White House. Kid Rock is described as a super interesting and nice guy who is his own biggest fan. He is currently touring with a festival called ‘Rock the Country’.

Momoa’s Hawaiian Heritage Symbols

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(01:06:08)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa wears traditional Hawaiian symbols, including the ‘Ihe’ (spear) and ‘Mono’ (shark), which serve as protection and identify him as Hawaiian versus a tourist in the water.
• Summary: Momoa explained that the symbols he wears are like a family crest, including the ‘Ihe’ (spear) and ‘Mono’ (shark). These symbols help local sharks recognize him as Hawaiian rather than a tourist when he is snorkeling. He recounted a time in Jordan where he was wrapped up to visit Petra, but his symbols nearly gave him away.

Swimming with Great White Sharks

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(01:07:17)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa swam with great white sharks in a cage in South Africa, where one shark got briefly stuck between two cages and another put its snout inside his cage.
• Summary: Momoa described swimming with great white sharks in South Africa while inside a cage. He witnessed one shark get stuck between the two circular cages near the boat. Another shark approached and allowed him to pat it on the head, which he described as a ‘Doberman touch’.

Guatemala Trip and Father-in-Law

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(01:08:02)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa recently visited Guatemala, where his partner is from, seeing the massive Tikal pyramids and meeting her father, Ricardo Arjona, a major Latin musician.
• Summary: Momoa visited Guatemala and saw the Tikal pyramids, noting the rich culture and food. He met his partner’s father, Ricardo Arjona, who is described as one of the biggest Latin musicians of all time and is 6'5". Momoa joked about being accepted by the family despite being a ‘gringo’ with German blood.

Dating Preferences Shift

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(01:11:16)

• Key Takeaway: As he gets older, Momoa’s dating preference has shifted from seeking models to prioritizing nurses because they are perceived as more capable of providing care.
• Summary: Momoa stated that while he used to look for models, he now prioritizes finding a nurse because they are more likely to take care of him. He humorously suggested models are lazy and wouldn’t feed you, whereas a nurse would provide care.

Vintage Guitar Acquisition

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(01:11:46)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa acquired a vintage 1959 guitar with a faded watermelon-colored finish, which he plans to restore with new pickups.
• Summary: Momoa brought in a 1959 guitar he found at Chelsea Guitars, noting its beautiful faded cherry finish, which looks like watermelon color. Since it lacked original pots, he bought it cheaply and plans to install new pickups to restore it. He also showed Theo Von a guitar signed by Chuck Berry.

Monanalu Water Company Mission

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(01:13:28)

• Key Takeaway: Monanalu is Momoa’s company focused on eliminating single-use plastic water bottles by creating a circular system using reusable aluminum cans filled with local water sources.
• Summary: Momoa started Monanalu eight years ago to stop the use of single-use plastic water bottles, especially in places like Hawaii where the best water is available. The company developed the first screw-top aluminum can for water. The long-term goal is a circular system where hotels sterilize and refill containers with local water, eliminating waste and emissions.

Lifeguarding Experience and Rip Currents

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(01:18:39)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa was a lifelong junior lifeguard in Hawaii and once saved a person’s life, emphasizing that one must respect rip currents and never fight the ocean’s pull.
• Summary: Momoa’s family consists of watermen and lifeguards, and he participated in junior lifeguards his whole life, saving someone in Hawaii. He stressed that when caught in a rip current, fighting it exhausts you, and the correct action is to go with the current until it releases you near the shore. He warned against entering the ocean if warning signs are posted.

Training for Aquaman Role

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(01:21:31)

• Key Takeaway: Training for the Aquaman role was the most challenging physical preparation Momoa has undertaken because he prefers functional activities like climbing over traditional gym routines.
• Summary: Momoa stated that training for Aquaman was the hardest physical preparation he has done because he is not a dedicated gym rat. He prefers activities like rock climbing and surfing over daily weightlifting or using supplements like creatine. He looks forward to gaining weight once he gets married.

Andy Samberg Project in Hawaii

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(01:23:44)

• Key Takeaway: Momoa is producing a project with Andy Samberg in Hawaii, inspired by a chance encounter where Momoa asked Samberg for a photo for his daughter.
• Summary: Momoa recounted meeting Andy Samberg at an SNL event and getting a photo for his daughter, a huge Brooklyn 99 fan. Weeks later, Samberg pitched a story set in Hawaii, which they instantly sold, and Momoa is scheduled to shoot it soon. He sees this as an example of like-minded friends connecting.