Jason Momoa: Aquaman is the closest I’ve come to playing myself

Natasha Sporn3 December 2018

Aquaman is an underwater superhero who rules Atlantis — but actor Jason Momoa believes the role is the closest he has come to playing himself.

Momoa, who also starred as Khal Drogo in Game Of Thrones, said he embraced the role of Aquaman/Arthur Curry in the DC Universe movie because they shared similar characteristics.

The character, born to an Atlantean mother and raised by his surface- dwelling father, is pulled to his underwater calling when he is caught between two very different worlds.

Momoa told A List: “Being Hawaiian, I’m a big fan of water — I feel a huge connection with the water. And being raised by a single parent.

Lead: Jason Momoa as Aquaman (Warner Bros/ Jasin Boland/DC Comics)
Warner Bros/ Jasin Boland/ DC Comics

"Also, being born in Hawaii and raised in Iowa, two very different worlds much like Atlantis and the surface world.”

He added that the role was “fun to play” and that director James Wan let him tap into a “playful” side during filming.

Momoa, 39, added: “There are moments in it that definitely reek of Jason, so it’s definitely the closest thing I’ve ever played to myself.”

He denied feeling pressure to portray Aquaman in any certain way although he was keen not to “p*** off any fans”.

He added: “I think the fans will be happy but I was hired to do a job and take somebody who was made fun of and bring a couple different sides of it. I didn’t feel the pressure I had to live up to something, there wasn’t like three Batmans in front of me. It’s just a comic book.”

Momoa shot to fame in HBO hit Game Of Thrones, which he starred in between 2011 and 2012. The actor revealed that he prefers doing drama because the places are “fun to go to” but picked Aquaman out as a special career moment because of the “way it looks on kids faces”.

Aquaman world premiere - in pictures

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Aquaman is in cinemas on December 14.

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