He’s one of the biggest stars working in Hollywood today and has lent his talents to some of the most well-known pop culture franchises of all time. From his time as Ronon Dex on Stargate: Atlantis, to his appearance as the Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones, right through to his time fighting alongside the Justice League as Aquaman or serving House Atreides in the latest Dune reboot, Jason Momoa has cemented his position as a bona fide fan favourite within the realms of action, fantasy and sci-fi. Most recently, Momoa has also been busy lending his considerable bulk to Apple TV+’s dystopian sci-fi series See, which is currently set to debut its third and final season.
Created by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight, See is set in a primitive future world in which most of humanity has been wiped out due to a mysterious illness that killed all but nearly two million survivors. Those few who lived would all end up blind, as would all of their descendants. Centuries later, all knowledge of the old world has been lost, and the very notion of sight has become heresy among a people who have long since adapted to life without it. When a pregnant woman seeks refuge in the mountains, she is protected by and married to the tribal chieftain Baba Vos (played by Momoa), and eventually gives birth to twins who are born with the gift of sight. When word spreads of their existence, Vos must protect both his adopted family and his tribe from forces who would seek to destroy them both.
“This is definitely the highlight of my career,” Momoa says of his work on the series. “I’ve worked on things that I’m like, ‘Wow, this is amazing to be a part of this franchise.’ Like to be a part of Dune and play Duncan Idaho was unbelievable. But the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on for the last three seasons is my best work to date.”
See demanded that Momoa fight as a trained warrior reliant on his other senses. To assist him and the rest of the cast, the show’s creative team hired consultant Joe Strechay, who is blind and worked to help the cast bring more authenticity to their roles.
“It’s the hardest thing,” Momoa says. “The training that goes into it and the level of respect and having to do this right. I mean, it’s just the most weight I’ve had on me for any character. And I’m happy that obviously it’s well taken, but it’s definitely the hardest and the funnest role that I’ve ever played.”
In the show’s second season Momoa got to face off against Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista, who played his villainous younger brother Edo Voss, Commander General of the Trivantian army. While the second season saw Momoa’s Baba dispatch his brother, and Baba’s forces ultimately left the Trivantian army in pieces, season three still has plenty of challenges ahead for his character.
“What we’re gonna see this season is bombs and destruction,” Momoa explains. “And really see a lot of war and chaos. And I feel like it’s Baba still trying to keep his family together. His children are obviously grown and leaving, and his wife… she’s with someone else. This guy keeps taking it and taking it. And so, he’s trying to keep his beautiful family together and [there’s] a lot of surprises. And you know, what would a father do for his family? And how far would you go?”
“There’s really nothing like it,” the star says of his experience on the show compared to his other roles. “Even if you just break it down to what it’s like for action – I can’t make eye contact when I’m swinging a sword at someone, so, it’s very challenging to fight… it’s exciting because you constantly are challenged. And as far as my career goes, this is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done.”
Of course, not everything was smooth sailing behind-the-scenes, and aside from the challenges of working in peak COVID times, Momoa also had to deal with his own personal injury.
“I got hurt, and we shot season two and season three back-to-back. And I tore my shoulder out and ended up getting a hernia. And so, I was pretty broken. Season three is me at probably my worst, and so broken and I hadn’t gone home in a very long time. Because it was when COVID was happening and we were in Toronto, so I kind of felt like it was whatever was going on in my personal life was really what was going on in Baba’s life… I was living it and hurting as much as he was and have since now healed. But it was very, very, very, very challenging.”
See season three premieres on Apple TV+ today
