LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jason Momoa, who has turned heads with his portrayal of the stylish villain Dante in ‘Fast X’, is allegedly not having a good time. Even though the film opened with a box office collection of $340 million and breached $500 million in the second week, critics from leading publications tore the film apart. Reviews referred to the film as a “head injury” and “overcranked nonsense with Vin Diesel and co”. Unhappy with such words, ‘Fast & Furious’ star Vin Diesel decided to pin the blame for bad reviews on new joinee Momoa. However, insiders are of the opinion that Diesel is bad mouthing Momoa for being the only highlight of the film whose central star is supposed to be Diesel himself.
Nevertheless, after tasting success with ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Aquaman’, ‘Fast X’ is one of the most important projects in Momoa’s career as it fetched an approximate amount of $5 million as salary. It was always not the same though. The actor who is now cashing in the success of his releases, once had to go through a rough patch and was unable to find work because of his starring role in ‘Game of Thrones’. Surprised? Read below to know more about the Hollywood’s heartthrob, who once had to starve because of ‘Game of Thrones’
‘We were starving after Game of Thrones’
While Jason Momoa has been in the showbiz business since the 1990s, the show that turned him into a household name was the HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’ that garnered a massive following all over the globe. Momoa appeared in the first season as Khal Drogo as the husband of one of the show’s long surviving protagonists, Daenerys Targaryen. The role etched Momoa's visage into the memory of every 'GoT' watcher not only for his chiseled abs but for his brooding expressions too. But on the one hand, while the show gave him his break as a fan-favorite, it also spelled trouble for the handsome actor.
In an interview to InStyle, Momoa once revealed that despite tasting tremendous success with GoT, he was in fact, in debt. The ‘Aquaman’ star shared candidly, "I mean, we were starving after Game of Thrones." He added, "I couldn't get work. It's very challenging when you have babies and you're completely in debt."
'People thought I didn't speak English'
The reason for him not getting good roles was the mistaken perception that he could not read English. His portrayal of the Dothraki speaking warlord was so realistic that people, ironically, thought he wasn't a native English speaker. Momoa once said to Entertainment Weekly, "For a while afterward, a lot of people bagged on me. It hurt me a lot. People thought I didn't speak English.”
He further elaborated that while he is as “lovey” as Khal Drogo with the woman he loves (read his actress-wife Lisa Bonet), he is not bloodthirsty and violent like the tribal chief. "They didn't know I was playing a role. I'm nothing like Drogo. I'm like Drogo when I'm being lovey and close to the woman I love and being nice, but his other half is not me. But then everyone fell in love with Drogo when they rewatched the show," said Momoa.
