“Chief of War” throws viewers right into the deep end — literally.
In its opening moments, the Apple TV+ series follows its eponymous warrior as he and his small, familial tribe of outcasts hunt for sharks. Once they find their prey, the group’s leader dives into the water and rides a shark before sedating and capturing it. It’s a thrilling moment rooted in ancient Hawaiian customs, and according to “Chief of War” co-creators Thomas Paʻa Sibbett and Jason Momoa, it was always how they wanted to open their historical drama.
“We wanted to just throw you into it,” Sibbett told TheWrap. “It was a reminder to the audience that this is something that’s going to be very Hawaiian.” The opening sequence also gave him and Momoa a way to submerge viewers in the world of “Chief of War” without having to overload them with exposition.
“It was about the feeling of being dropped into a world. That’s what we wanted,” he added. “We wanted to make sure that we had moments in this show that didn’t need explanation. We wanted to let the emotion of each scene carry you through, so that you at least have experienced something that you feel a part of — something that is textured and layered in culture.”
It is a fitting overture to a show that is visually and narratively massive and yet feels deeply authentic and personal. That is because, for Momoa, Sibbett and the rest of the series’ Hawaiian actors and crew members, it is. “You have to understand. This is not just us working our day job,” Momoa said. “This is our heritage. I’m not playing a fictitious character or a superhero. These are my ancestors. If I f—k any of this up, we’re not coming home.”
A shift in perspective
Momoa and Sibbett did not make things easy for themselves. “Chief of War” is the story of Hawaii and, specifically, how its islands were united. The unification process took place over 28 years around the turn of the 19th century, and it was spearheaded by legendary Hawaiian conqueror Kamehameha I. “Chief of War” is not about Kamehameha, though. He is present in the series (played by newcomer Kaina Makua), but “Chief of War” roots its story instead in the perspective of a warrior chief named Kaʻiana (played by Momoa).
“The truth is that the story that most people talk about with the unification of the islands is the story of Kamehameha,” Sibbett acknowledged. However, while he and Momoa were developing “Chief of War,” the writer said they felt drawn to Kaʻiana, a pivotal historical figure who saw more of the world than any of the show’s other characters.
“Kaʻiana was a world traveler. He spent time in the outside world. He absorbed all the things he witnessed, like slavery, colonization and all the drug use that was going on just before the Opium Wars,” Sibbett observed. “He is a character you can give flaws to and run through the mud. We didn’t feel comfortable doing that with a historical figure as powerful and well-known as Kamehameha.”
Despite what some viewers may have thought, playing Kamehameha was never on the table for Momoa. “I would never play him. I just don’t think I have that in me. I wouldn’t have the balls to take that on,” he confessed. “But we still wanted to contribute to our culture and find something that we could offer, and Kaʻiana felt like the perfect way to get in there and actually touch on some of these events.”
Speaking the language
Telling the story of Hawaii’s unification from the perspective of Kaʻiana was not the only bold decision Momoa and Sibbett made when they were developing “Chief of War.” The duo also decided early on to have most of the show’s dialogue be spoken in its characters’ native Hawaiian language. As one of the drama’s actors, Momoa knew how big of an ask that was.
“It was terrifying,” the “Game of Thrones” star recalled. “Maybe 20% of the cast is fluent in the language. The rest were not, and Maori is not the same as Tahitian or Samoan. They are all separate languages, and even the ways those cultures fight and express themselves are completely different. So, even though we are all from Polynesia, it’s not easy.”
Momoa is no stranger to learning new languages, thanks to his work in projects like “Game of Thrones” and “Dune,” but even he was surprised by how difficult the process was this time. “I’ve done a bunch of different languages and played different cultures. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he told TheWrap. “I thought that deep down inside the ancestors would be like, ‘Oh, yeah. You’ve got this. You’re Hawaiian.’ Nope. It is the hardest language I’ve ever learned.”
On set, Momoa found himself held to an unrelentingly high standard by his crew. “When I was directing or acting, we were not allowed to move on until one of the [dialect supervisors] said we could move on,” he revealed. “There were times when I’d say, ‘Guys, I mumble in English! It’s OK! Marlon Brando did that shit all the time! That’s cool! I’m just mumbling in Hawaiian.’ And they’d just say, ‘Do it again, Momoa.’”
For Hawaiians, by Hawaiians
As hard as the process was, Sibbett said he and Momoa never questioned whether they wanted the show to be performed in its native tongue. The only mystery was whether Apple would let them. “There is no demographic that can be followed that equates Hawaiian language with money,” Sibbett explained. “You could do a show in Spanish, and you have at least an idea of what the numbers would bring. You could do Korean or Japanese. We kind of know the way those markets work. There is no precedent for Hawaiian language on film.”
“But from a creative standpoint, we knew that if you remove the language, you remove the reality,” the “Chief of War” co-creator continued. “We said, ‘Let’s get at the front of this thing. Let’s show people that this is the level of dedication being put in by the studio and creators. Let’s show that we are going to lead with authenticity and culture.’”
Maintaining cultural authenticity was the mandate Sibbett and Momoa forced themselves to stick to. When asked what element of the show they felt the most pressure to get right, Momoa simply replied, “All of it.” With a laugh, he added, “Listen, it’s great if TheWrap loves it, but if my Auntie pulls my ear and says, ‘No, it’s shit,’ then I don’t give a f—ck what TheWrap says!”
“This is it for us. Do you know how that feels? We’ve only ever had paintings and pictures of these moments before. It’s important how this affects our culture and the next generation and everyone who loves Hawaii,” the co-creator and star said. “People come here from far and wide to get married, they make great memories here and then they go home. Now, they’re going to sit in the comfort of their own homes and see what actually happened here, on this land, and they’re going to see it made, performed and directed by Hawaiians.”
At the time of our interview, the series’ Hawaiian premiere was just a day away. Momoa was already buzzing with excitement over getting to show the event’s 3,000 Hawaiian attendees what he and Sibbett had made for them.
“It’s not coming from some other person’s perspective, which is what normally happens in Hollywood. This is created by Hawaiians, and it’s been done on the biggest platform,” Momoa noted. “It’s a beautiful thing, and I hope people love it, because there’s so much more story to tell.”
“Chief of War” premieres Friday, Aug. 1, on Apple TV+. New episodes premiere weekly on Fridays.
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