- Jason Momoa hosted SNL and expressed his love for playing Aquaman.
- Momoa’s acting career began after returning to Hawaii and being cast in Baywatch.
- Director Zack Snyder cast him as Aquaman due to his performance as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones.
During his second appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL), Jason Momoa couldn’t hide his enthusiasm for portraying Aquaman. In front of a live audience, Momoa talked about how much he loved playing the King of Atlantis. As he mentioned during his opening monologue, “I love playing Aquaman because I love the ocean. It’s true. Growing up, all I wanted to be was a marine biologist, which makes sense ‘cause I’m built like a scientist. The problem was that even though I was born in Hawaii, I grew up in Iowa, and not really, you know, not really known for its oceans.”
After watching the 1998 film In God’s Hands, Momoa decided to move back to Hawaii, where he would eventually be cast as Jason Ioane on Baywatch. This led to Momoa falling in love with acting and being cast in various TV shows, including North Shore, Stargate: Atlantis, and, eventually, Game of Thrones. Momoa’s portrayal of Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones caught the attention of director Zack Snyder, leading to his casting as Aquaman.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Deborah Snyder, Zack’s wife, explained their thought process behind the unconventional casting choice: “We’re big ‘Game of Thrones’ fans. I remember Jason Momoa [as Khal Drogo]. Zack was like, ‘Jason would be the perfect Aquaman.’ I was like, ‘It’s so out of the box. But yeah!’ He can be tough. And he feels like he comes from the water.”
Momoa first appeared as Aquaman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and went on to star in the 2018 film Aquaman, which grossed over $1 billion worldwide. He will reprise his role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, set to be released in theaters on December 22.