Jason Momoa is inarguably one of the biggest movie stars on the planet — when you are the title character in a billion-dollar movie like “Aquaman” that really isn’t in dispute — but the actor said in a new InStyle interview that a decade ago things were a bit dicier around the time of his breakthrough role on “Game of Thrones.”
Momoa had been acting steadily since the 1990s, including a long stint on “Stargate Atlantis.” But it was his turn as Khal Drogo on the 2011 first season of “Game of Thrones” that made him a name for people outside of the genre space. The catch? His character was killed off in the penultimate episode of that first season, well before the show became the monster hit that defined the 2010s — and of course, he completed his scenes before the show even aired.
Which meant he wasn’t raking in the money when the job ended. “I mean, we were starving after ‘Game of Thrones,’” Momoa told InStyle. “I couldn’t get work. It’s very challenging when you have babies and you’re completely in debt.”
Fortunately, everything worked out. “Game of Thrones” led to steady movie work and he was eventually cast as Aquaman in Warner Bros. film franchise based on DC Comics — first appearing in 2016’s “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
And of course, his solo film, 2018’s “Aquaman,” grossed $1.1 billion worldwide. He’ll next be seen in the upcoming new film adaptation of “Dune,” due in theaters in December 2021. And as InStyle notes, his schedule is full through 2024.
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