It may have taken a while, but Jason Momoa is now a movie star known the world over, thanks largely in part to his role as the DCEU’s Aquaman. After making a brief cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and playing a supporting role in Joss Whedon’s Justice League, it was a massive shock when James Wan’s underwater epic rocketed to over $1.1 billion at the box office. Now, Momoa’s flick has become the highest-grossing DC Comics adaptation ever made.
That sort of success will do wonders for anybody’s standing and reputation in the industry, and it hasn’t been lost on Momoa that he had to work very hard to achieve his current levels of fame. After getting his start on television via recurring parts on Baywatch: Hawaii and Stargate Atlantis, he followed it up with his memorable eleven-episode stint as Game of Thrones‘ Khal Drogo.
Immediately attempting to parlay that into action hero superstardom, the actor headlined the spectacular flop that was 2011’s Conan the Barbarian remake, in what was just his third-ever feature film role. In a new interview, the 42 year-old reflected on his early struggles. He even revealed that when he was a jobbing unknown, he had the privilege of being flipped off by Al Pacino.
“I was on Melrose and I look in a window, me and my buddy, and sure enough, I see Al Pacino. And I just stopped dead in my tracks and I spent the next half-hour just walking in front of the window; to the point where he is just looking at us, and Al Pacino just flips us off and starts laughing. I felt really silly, but I get starstruck really easily.”
With Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom now in production, Netflix action thriller Sweet Girl premiering on Friday and the second season of AppleTV+’s sci-fi series See arriving seven days later, Momoa has some big projects in the works that will continue his ascent up the industry ladder. Next time he sees Al Pacino, he’ll be well positioned to return the favor and remind the living legend about their previous encounter.
