
Put your hands on yourself, it’s Jason Momoa– making his pod-debut. Hot topics across the board on this one, like cute boy haircuts, facial creams and lotions, dollar drinks on Thursdays, and other little things like near death experiences. He’ll reach through [your audio device] and grab you… on an all-new SmartLess.
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Will Arnett
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Jason Bateman
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Jason Momoa
I'm Jason Momoa and Smartless. That's popping my cherry.
Sean Hayes
Smart, smart, smart. Jason, you look. Why do you look so clean cut today?
Will Arnett
Yeah, you look really good.
Jason Bateman
Because I washed. I'm. I'm fresh from the shower. I'm glad. We were a little delayed today because I was running a little behind and it occurred to me as I was racing through my, my. My rituals there of pre, during, and post shower.
Sean Hayes
Sure.
Jason Bateman
That. That my, my loop has gotten quicker. I'm. I'm. You know, the, the sort of. How long does it take you guys from start to finish? Like, oh, I got to get out the door, I got a shower, I got to get dressed, got to get out the door. Are you like a 10 minute, 5 minute, 15 or a half hour?
Sean Hayes
I'm a 5.
Jason Momoa
Yeah.
Will Arnett
It takes me a long, long time.
Sean Hayes
Does it?
Jason Bateman
Yeah, yeah. Because my right now doesn't just happen.
Will Arnett
What you're enjoying right now.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, it takes some work.
Will Arnett
No, because my hair, it gets super, super, super poofy and big and it takes forever to just do it so I can walk out the door and then.
Jason Bateman
So how do you get it down? How do you de.
Will Arnett
I. I have a product and ideally I have to let it air dry because if I blow dry, it gets bigger. Yeah.
Sean Hayes
And then it's really humid over the uk.
Will Arnett
Yeah, it's super humid. And I put water in it with the product and then I spray it. It takes a long time.
Jason Bateman
Oh, my God.
Sean Hayes
We should website. Just your ritual just for people who are looking to, you know.
Jason Bateman
And Willie, you just. You're just a. A five minute.
Sean Hayes
I'm a five and go.
Jason Bateman
Truly. Just five minutes. Get your clothes off, get wet, get dry, get dressed.
Sean Hayes
Yeah, I'm a quick. I'm a quick shower person. I'm really quick shower person. Always have been. Obviously had those moments. We have a longer shower, but I'm a really quick. I'm a kind of.
Jason Bateman
Well, let's stop there for a second. What. What are those moments where you're taking a longer shower? Is that when you're putting hands on yourself?
Sean Hayes
No, no, no, I'm not. I'm. My shower is not my jack shack.
Jason Bateman
It's not?
Sean Hayes
No, that's a separate. I told you. That's a separate building out back.
Jason Bateman
Are we seeing you. Are we seeing in your jack shack right now?
Sean Hayes
You might be. You might be.
Jason Bateman
It's a whisper booth slash jack shack.
Sean Hayes
No, it's. Shower time is long showers is usually like winter time and you're kind of chilled to the bone.
Will Arnett
Well, what about you, Jay? How fast can you do it?
Jason Bateman
I'm. I'm a 15 minute all in. I can be in the car. Oh really? Yeah, yeah. That's from getting undressed, showered, redressed down the stairs. Maybe I'm out.
Sean Hayes
Maybe I'm 15 is.
Jason Bateman
I bet you're 15.
Sean Hayes
I might be. Cuz I do a lot of other stuff. You know, grab everything, do a quick moisturize.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, that, that's another thing I've done. If my products, my products have increased as I've gotten older. I've got creams and ointments and. Oh, so you do have all kinds of this.
Sean Hayes
Is you creamed?
Jason Bateman
Oh, I'm fully hydrated right now.
Sean Hayes
Okay.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, yeah, check me out.
Sean Hayes
Okay. Okay.
Jason Bateman
I mean if you could smell.
Sean Hayes
You do have like a. You've got a little bit of a cute boy haircut right now.
Will Arnett
Yeah.
Jason Bateman
Hey, thanks man.
Will Arnett
Yeah, yeah, it looks good.
Sean Hayes
It does. It's kind of.
Jason Bateman
Don't start acting boyish after the podcast. If you've got some extra time. Maybe.
Will Arnett
Jesus.
Jason Bateman
Hey, Will, who's your guest today? You seem pretty chipper about this guy.
Sean Hayes
I like, I like our guests.
Jason Momoa
Guest.
Jason Bateman
Your guest is. Your guest is not intimidating.
Sean Hayes
He's already making a lot of noise. Yeah, Jason, you better watch. You better mind your p's and Q's.
Jason Bateman
Really?
Sean Hayes
Guess. Yeah.
Jason Bateman
Why?
Sean Hayes
Cuz he'll reach through the, the, the screen and he'll grab you.
Jason Bateman
Is this a, Is this a, a hockey player that could tune you out?
Sean Hayes
No, he's not. But he probably. If he grew up in Canada, he would have been. But he didn't. He grew up in Hawaii.
Jason Bateman
Oh, is that right?
Sean Hayes
Yeah. And, and you know, he's, he's done a lot of stuff that we love.
Jason Bateman
Barack Obama.
Sean Hayes
He's done a lot of. He's done a lot of. It's not a terrible guest.
Jason Bateman
Did I get it?
Sean Hayes
Guess. No, you didn't get it, but he's done it. He. A ton of movies. This guy's been in like so many freaking huge movies. If I'm going to say like I'm going to try to do it so I can just bury it a little bit. You know, things like. I'm not going to say the obvious ones. Lego Part 2 movie was in Minecraft Movie, you know, from Fall Guy, from Fast X from the Fast series. But you also know him from the Aquaman movies and Zack Snyder's Justice League. And he has a new show.
Jason Bateman
This is Jason Momo. Let's just bring him out.
Sean Hayes
Apple tv.
Jason Bateman
Got it.
Jason Momoa
Wow, look. Wow.
Jason Bateman
You can't swing these guys Back me. I can guess it. What's up?
Will Arnett
Look at this guy.
Jason Bateman
Jason. What is your. What's your. Babe, we gotta go. Come on. Get dressed. What's your. I gotta get undressed. Shower and redress. What's your. Out the door.
Will Arnett
Do you do what Jason does? You cream on your face?
Jason Bateman
Yeah, he creams on his face.
Jason Momoa
What's me. In and out of the door. How quick?
Will Arnett
I gotta go.
Jason Bateman
How quick? If you're. If you're. If you're dirty and you need to shower and get dressed to go out.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. 10, 15 minutes, easy. Yeah. Quick.
Jason Bateman
What about when the hair was super long?
Jason Momoa
Pits, nuts, ass, and then out the dove.
Jason Bateman
But the hair. What about when the hair was super long? That. That's a beast.
Jason Momoa
My hair is super long. It's just. Yeah, yeah. It's just in the back. Yeah, I. I'm not cutting my hair again.
Jason Bateman
No, never again.
Will Arnett
Never.
Jason Momoa
I don't want to.
Sean Hayes
Does it take like two hours to drive? Is it about that?
Jason Momoa
To dry my hair?
Sean Hayes
Yeah, right.
Jason Momoa
No, I just.
Jason Bateman
You just take it outside.
Jason Momoa
Yeah, you.
Will Arnett
You. When you get out and you just let it air dry, you probably look like these rock like heavy metal guy. Right?
Jason Momoa
I mean, real men. Let's be true.
Jason Bateman
Don't you have to, like. Don't you. You got to condition that and you got to watch out for your split ends and all that.
Jason Momoa
Put stuff in your hair. I don't put in it, man.
Jason Bateman
You don't. You walk around with a bunch of hair ties on your wrist like. Like.
Jason Momoa
I do. I do.
Jason Bateman
You do, right?
Jason Momoa
I do. I do hair ties, but I just.
Sean Hayes
Jb you spend a lot of time worried about your split ends. Is this something that could keep you.
Jason Bateman
You know, when my hair was long, for a second there, I was like. Like, oh, this is a. This is a nightmare. It's not fun.
Will Arnett
Oh, do you really do. Do you do all the stuff that Jason does too, with the creams and the things and the. And the products?
Jason Bateman
Younger than us. He doesn't need to yet.
Jason Momoa
No, no, of course I put cream on my face. My face. Yeah. It feels dry. Yeah. Because, I mean, I feel like there's a lot of chlorine in the water. Just when, you know, I'm in London right now and it's like, everything. Yeah.
Jason Bateman
You're just like, yeah, cool it. Shot.
Jason Momoa
Yeah, I definitely.
Will Arnett
What part? What part of town?
Jason Momoa
I'm just at the.
Jason Bateman
Careful, Jason.
Jason Momoa
I'm at the Rosewood right now. I was supposed to be in New York, but then the flight cancel itself.
Jason Bateman
Will Here comes Will. Hey, you know, I live in the Rosewood, too. Get him. Get him. Well, everyone's getting along. Come on. First question. Arnett, let's go.
Sean Hayes
Listen, hey, F you, man. You just. You just completely, you know, hijacked him.
Jason Bateman
Wait, is that cold brew up there? Or is that. Or is that. Is that a logger?
Jason Momoa
This is Guinness.
Sean Hayes
Guinness.
Jason Bateman
That's Guinness? Yeah, because it's. What, it's like 6:00pm over there. Go get it. Yeah, it's 6:00pm Are you getting after it tonight? What's. What's going on tonight?
Jason Momoa
No, I'm gonna spend the time with my lady. She's in here doing a movie. So I was. My intention was to be. I was supposed to do Fallon tonight, so I was in. I'm in Budapest right now. Yeah, I'm in Budapest shooting Dune. So I flew in and then we got stuck in a storm, and then I couldn't get in, and so I was supposed to do Fallon and. But I mean, I can do you guys now.
Sean Hayes
We got stuck doing us.
Jason Momoa
Yeah, no, I. Fucking this. You guys are popping my chair. You guys. You're the first podcast I've ever done.
Sean Hayes
No way.
Jason Momoa
You're the first podcast I've ever done. I've. I've never agreed to do these because I'm gonna get myself in trouble, so. Please don't get me in trouble.
Sean Hayes
Listen, I, I. Listen. You know this, Jason. The first time that we met was like at some event or something. But I. You're one of those dudes. The first time we met, I felt like I knew you.
Jason Momoa
We freaked the fuck out is what.
Sean Hayes
Yeah, we freaked out. Yeah.
Jason Momoa
You were outside smoking. I was like, yeah, yes.
Sean Hayes
You grabbed me and wrapped me. I was like, oh.
Jason Momoa
Same thing with Bateman, though. It was the same thing, man.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
You know, forever. So.
Jason Bateman
So wait, so you had to cancel on Fallon because of weather? I wonder who Fallon calls. Everyone's got like, that call, like. I think I forget who Kimmel said his call is when. When a guest drops out last minute, you've got somebody you can get on the blower to get. Hey, can you drive down and do the show tonight? Because, you know, they're live. I wonder.
Jason Momoa
Yeah, well, I mean, it was a pre tape, so, I mean.
Jason Bateman
All right.
Sean Hayes
I mean, I've been, I've. I've had. I've done it a few times.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, you've been.
Sean Hayes
You've been. I've. I've last minute it for. For Kimmel before and I've last.
Jason Bateman
You are one of the great Conan.
Sean Hayes
Back in the day when he was in New York. They call and they'd be like, so and so, like their flight got canceled or they were sick or whatever and.
Jason Bateman
Right.
Sean Hayes
You come and make a jackass out of yourself.
Jason Bateman
No, you are one of the great all time talk show guests. J Mama. How are you? How do you like the talk shows?
Jason Momoa
I do. I love. I. Yeah, I. I mean, listen, I think this is probably way better to do because it's way more personal and you get time.
Jason Bateman
Well, this is just a conversation bullshit thing.
Will Arnett
But like, you don't have to get out. You don't have to dress up and like, you just show up.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, you got to have bits on those talk shows.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. It just depends on what you're supporting. Like right now I'm doing like my dream project. Like it's my Braveheart or my Dances With Wolves. So it's like I've worked my. No, no. Chief of war. So the chief of show that I have coming out is, is 1790s Hawaii. So I created it. Oh, no way. I wrote it.
Will Arnett
No way.
Jason Bateman
Come on.
Sean Hayes
Yeah, he did all of this August 1st on Apple TV.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, so directed all the episodes.
Jason Momoa
No, no, no. I direct the finale. I mean, I couldn't. I mean, I couldn't do it, but it was. But I mean, I created the show. I co created it and wrote it with my partner and then. But it's been like my 10 year project that I did with Apple and it's all like, just right after the white man came. So it's like, it's 1790s Hawaii.
Jason Bateman
Wow.
Jason Momoa
It's all in Olelo, Hawaii. So it's all in the language, which is, you know, very. I mean, it's a, it's a, it's a pretty big deal.
Jason Bateman
Whole thing subtitled.
Jason Momoa
It's a subtitle, but it does it. It slowly gets into English. Yeah, but.
Jason Bateman
Oh, buddy.
Jason Momoa
It's my character actually. Like he, he leaves Hawaii and he goes out to the world and he comes back with all the weapons, but he basically gets to see the world and just see what's coming and then he unites. It's. It's about the unification of the Hawaiian.
Sean Hayes
Islands, Sean, that's your approach when you're in the uk, right? Just slowly get into English. So, Jason, talk a little bit. How did it start? What was the genesis of this whole idea of doing this project?
Jason Momoa
I mean, it's just, it's never happened before, you know, these images. My great, great, great grandfather has never even seen anything like this. So we've only had these in paintings or in museums. So nothing has ever existed like this.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, I know nothing about.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. So it's just like wanting to make something about King Kamehameha and just, like, our people and all the different things that were happening. But I needed something that would encompass a lot of things that were going on. It's like telling Abraham Lincoln's story, and you're like, that's why Spielberg did Gettysburg. You know, just. It's just the little moments of his life, but it's like, how do I encompass this whole area of Hawaii? And this character, like, helped me do that.
Jason Bateman
How was. What. What was it? What was it? Was the. The settlement, the settling of Hawaii, like, when the white man came over, was it. Was it a. Was it like a war? Was it contentious? Was it smooth? Was it.
Jason Momoa
I mean, I think when. I think when Cook first came, they were, you know, kind of blown away. And what happened is, I think, you know, he. He left. They. They kind of snuck onto the ship, maybe took a couple things, and then they executed one of them, I think.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
And that pissed everybody off. And so they left. And when they got stuck in a storm, they came back, and that's when all hell broke loose. And so that's when Cook died on the Big Island.
Will Arnett
Wait, again?
Jason Momoa
Yeah. So Captain. When Captain Cook died in Hawaii. Oh. So. But this is after Cook, so. But it's. It's. It's. It's just a really beautiful story. It's. It's very much like an Arthurian kind of, you know, the. The Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, King Arthur story. Between. They have this love story. At the same time, you have us a character that leaves Hawaii. He goes to China, he goes to the Philippines, he goes to Alaska, and he comes back, and that's what. He brings back all the weapons, and he sees the outside world, and he sees what's coming.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
And you get to see what's happening in Hawaii at the time. So it's a very huge, huge show. Yeah, dude. It's like.
Sean Hayes
That's really cool as a guy who's on my birthday, guys.
Jason Bateman
Is that right?
Sean Hayes
August 1st.
Jason Momoa
Oh, wait.
Sean Hayes
Happy birthday. Wait, so. So going to do that and come. Being. Being, you know, being Hawaiian and coming home and doing this story that obviously means a lot to you. Was it. I imagine there must have been a bunch of moments you had where it was, like, almost spiritual or you just, like, felt like the. The fact that you got to do this and tell this story must been pretty Rad.
Jason Momoa
I mean, I don't think there's anything bigger that I'll do because, I mean, it's not like I'm playing a superhero or something like that. I'm playing my ancestors. I'm actually like, you know, was there pressure in that?
Sean Hayes
Did you feel like.
Jason Momoa
Oh, God, yeah. I mean, like, I'm putting on. I'm putting on outfits that you're not even allowed to. I mean, they're just in museums, so the things that we're wearing, I wouldn't even be allowed to wear. You know what I mean? Like, so it's. Even extras were wearing it. So it was a huge thing. And at the same time, it's like, you know, the movies we had were from, like, Aotearoa. They're from New Zealand. Like, once we're warriors or like, Whale Rider. Like, there's all these Polynesian stories, but, yeah, there hasn't been something from Hawaii, so it really kind of United Polynesia, because there's not really. Everyone comes to Hawaii, they make movies there, but they don't make Hawaiian movies. They don't make movies about us.
Jason Bateman
Movies about us.
Jason Momoa
So, you know, we're a part of America. We just. No one really knows our story. And so I feel like this. This thing is something that's never happened before. And at the same time, we didn't really have the resources. And so it's really United Polynesia because we got Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, Tahitian, Maori. All these different cultures helping us tell this story. So it's been really wonderful. How.
Will Arnett
How old were you when you. How long did you grow up before you left?
Jason Momoa
I. My parents got divorced when I was six months old, so it was pretty shitty. I left at a very young age, but I was raised in Iowa, which is really. Most people wouldn't think is great. I think it's really great. I grew up in the Midwest, which is. Yeah, if you're. If you grew up in the Midwest, you kind of know that it's a pretty spectacular place you grew up with.
Will Arnett
Yeah, Like, I agree.
Jason Momoa
I mean, my work ethic, family values, like, it's just. It's a very strong place. Having said that, I grew up where Bridges of Madison county was made. So I grew up. Oh, wow. Literally, like, not a race. So I go from literally a small country town to going to, like, kind of the reservation of the Hawaiian side. So basically where I'm from is all local side, and it's not really being accepted there or being accepted there. So it was a bit Of a. Right. It's a bit of like trying to figure that out. But I would spend my summers with my father and, you know, and then I would, you know, go to school with my mother.
Jason Bateman
So you were born in Hawaii, then went to Iowa, then went back to Hawaii.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. So when I was in college, I went out to Colorado and that's where I was going. And then I kind of. My family, I come from one of the biggest surf families in, in Hawaii. My great uncle's like Buffalo Kiolana. I come from a long list of amazing watermen. So I kind of went over there to like, really sink in with my family, get to know my father better. And I was 19, and then a TV show came and I ended up. I was just folding T shirts at the family surf shop. And then I ended up getting the lead role and this really horrible show that just killed me right now. Acting. You know what I'm talking about, Bateman?
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
Yeah, right.
Jason Bateman
So you're working in a surf shop.
Jason Momoa
Holes we gotta dig ourselves.
Jason Bateman
That's right. Were you. What were you doing? So in Hawaii. So you're working at the family surf shop. Were you surfing? How did you. Did you, did you get on a board?
Jason Momoa
Big waves like this. This movie came out called In God's Hands. And my, my, my cousin Brian Keolana, he was the, the one who was towing in with Laird and all this stuff. And so I was like, what am I doing? I can go surf these big waves. My, my family. So I took the summer off and I went over there. And then the moment I was supposed to go back to school, I got the lead role. So I was just like.
Jason Bateman
It was. Wait, wait, wait. On the surfing part, did you, are. Have you been towed into waves? Like, do you surf?
Jason Momoa
Come on. I towed in like a 20 foot wave with out McCool. Unbelievable. Jesus.
Jason Bateman
This. This is a real. Come on, let's tighten.
Sean Hayes
You got, you got once towed to the service to the BMW stage, didn't you? They towed you?
Jason Bateman
Yeah, actually it was only on a flatbed. My car. Because of the front fairing, you couldn't tow it, so you got to put it up on a flatbed. But I did ride up front with the guy.
Sean Hayes
Yeah, no, way up with the guy.
Jason Bateman
With the guy.
Will Arnett
Wait, mama, tell me. Wait. You almost drowned for real?
Jason Momoa
Yeah, I, I was doing this paddle. We, we. We went in at Jaws.
Sean Hayes
Oh my God. Jaws, the real deal.
Jason Momoa
And we, and we did like a 14. It. Maybe it was like a 13 mile paddle with from. I was with Dave Colomba, my friend Joe Flanagan and. And Laird Hamilton. We paddled, like, 13 miles down the coast, and you're kind of almost a mile offshore. And then my leash snapped, and I was. We're about seven miles into it, and my leash snapped. And the. You're. It's so windy. So the board just went. It couldn't exist anymore.
Sean Hayes
Yeah, Sean, you were going to say your leash snapped once, too, but it was cool. You didn't have to pay the guy, right?
Jason Bateman
Because it's like, you snap it that hard on me, it's going to break. I told you.
Will Arnett
I know. And you know what?
Jason Momoa
I did? Free.
Sean Hayes
It ended up being free.
Jason Bateman
Don't yank on it so hard. It'll fucking break.
Will Arnett
And then we ended up getting married 20 years later. Hey, listen, Jason.
Jason Bateman
And we will be right back.
Sean Hayes
Okay? So who. Who wants to talk about sleep?
Jason Momoa
Me.
Sean Hayes
I do. Do you guys have sleep stuff? Like, where you, like, wake up and, like, your back hurts or you're a thing or you can't sleep? You got, like, night sweats or what?
Jason Momoa
Yeah.
Sean Hayes
You did Okay. I knew somebody out there did. I had that for the longest time. So then I switched over to Helix. I got a Helix mattress. It was so good, I ended up switching all my mattresses out. All 40. I have 42 beds. JK. I don't have 42 beds, you guys.
Jason Momoa
I have one.
Sean Hayes
My other house has 42 beds. I don't know what I'm. I just got mixed up. Helix offers a variety of mattresses that are designed to fit your unique sleep needs, which we all have. So whether you're, you know, you're a side sleeper or you need extra cooling or you want something more supportive, Helix has you covered. Helix really makes it easy to find the mattress that helps you finally get the rest of the. That you've been looking for that you need. I think all of us need to get that really good restful sleep. Otherwise, I'm a real jerk. You can ask anybody who sees me in traffic. So, you know, look, it's been such an unbelievable upgrade from Helix from my old mattress, and I've just been sleeping through the night, sleeping better, more consistently. Go to helixsleep.com smartless for 20% off for a limited time. Exclusive for listeners of smartlist. That's helixsleep.com smartless for 20% off for a limited time. Make sure you enter our show name after checkout so they know that we sent you helixsleep.com smartless.
Jason Bateman
Let'S be real listener B2B marketing is tough. And if you're dumb like me, that's business to business. Okay, so now, now you're smarter, right? You're listening to Smartless. You just got smarter. All right, so we're delivering, and I'm delivering this Incredible ad for LinkedIn. So list up, y'.
Jason Momoa
All.
Jason Bateman
You can craft the perfect campaign, but if it lands in front of the wrong people, it might as well be invisible. It's like reaching pro gamers instead of programmers. Got it? Are you still with me? You haven't turned the channel yet. Okay, listen up. This is where LinkedIn ads come in. Okay? LinkedIn is a network of over 1 billion professionals who actually get business on LinkedIn ads. You can target your buyers by job title, industry, company role, seniority, skills, company revenue and. Did we say job title yet? So stop wasting budget on the wrong audience and start targeting the right professionals with LinkedIn ads. Alright? LinkedIn will even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. So you can try it yourself. Just go to LinkedIn.com smartlist that's LinkedIn.com smartless Terms and conditions apply only on LinkedIn ads.
Will Arnett
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Jason Bateman
And now back to the show.
Will Arnett
Wait, so tell me, when you're in that position of almost drowning, what is.
Sean Hayes
Your brain like that's so scary?
Will Arnett
So you know it's happening. Do you have a protocol of what to do in that moment? Are you even thinking clearly enough to know how to save yourself?
Jason Momoa
Yeah, yeah. I mean I was trained pretty well, so it was fine. So I was just, I. It took, took quite a few on the head. They're pretty big. It was like 10 foot, 10 foot Hawaiian waves, but unbelievable. You were. I'm literally probably a half mile at that point offshore and it was just I was. It's actually. This place is called. And it's literally because there's all this water that pulls out and dollar drinks on Thursdays. I mean, just. It's just. It's just. It pulls you out, and you just get hit with these waves. So I was stuck in this crazy spot spot, which is probably the outer reef. And unknown to me, I was really on the outer reef, and they couldn't see me. And I had my paddle and I was waving it, and they couldn't see me. And the waves were so big. It was basically. Took my shorts off, it was so big. Hang on, reach down, put shorts back on.
Jason Bateman
Shorts off at Shit Fucks. I'm pretty sure that's in the village.
Jason Momoa
I looked in. Shorts were off at Shit Fucks. I looked in. I looked in, and I was just like, my dog. Daughter. My daughter at that time was three months old. And I was. I just. I lost.
Will Arnett
Wait, how.
Jason Momoa
I couldn't.
Will Arnett
And who did it.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. Yeah. Well, what ended up happening? I was out there for a while, and then I. I just couldn't see anyone coming to get me. And I couldn't move anymore. And my arms and my legs gave up after. You know, I was out there for a while, but Laird had to go in and then go all the way around me and paddle up behind me. So, like, it's a coastal paddle, so it goes with the trade wind, so you'. Coast. And then he came from behind, and I had already given up. My body stopped. Like, I couldn't move my arms anymore, and I bubbled down. And then my. My toe hit the outer reef. Like, I. I literally gave up. And I'm screaming inside, and my foot just hits the outer reef. And I don't know if it was a whale or, like, just could be one rock, but I just reached down, grab it, I jump up, I get hit by another wave, and I dig my feet into the coral, and I'm literally in the middle of the ocean, and I'm just. I could barely put my lips above just to breathe and get a break, but I had already given up. So it's like, you've already given up and died and have a second chance at it. And. And then I still stayed out there for, like, 10 minutes. I was hanging on the side of this reef, and. And then I hear Laird come from behind, and he's on my board board, towing his board. And I get on, and he's like, you're right. And I'm like, no. And I get back on the board and we start paddling. He's like, you got to go out, out. And so we just keep paddling out, and I just keep trying to go over every wave. I lose the board, he loses the board. It's just the. Is brutal getting out of this spot. And so we end up getting out really far, like, pretty much on the shelf of Maui. And I have seven more miles to paddle. My feet are covered in blood, and I'm just literally, like, with my ancestors just paddling the rest of this way, head down, and we get out, and I. I mean, I could have been trolling, and there's gonna be sharks everywhere, but I'm just, like, trolling this whole fucking coast.
Jason Bateman
Blood's all this blood. You're dropping, too.
Jason Momoa
And we get in, and that's. I used to smoke. And I used to smoke, like, two, three packs a day. I'd roll a pouch. I couldn't stop for my kids, couldn't stop for my. My ex. I couldn't stop smoking. And the moment I came out, I never smoked again. Like, I just died. It just died. Tried. Like, I tried and tried, but, like, I couldn't do it again because I just. I gave up. Like, I gave up my life.
Will Arnett
Do you remember the moment you felt that you were saved, that you. That he actually. That you actually got through it? Do you remember that moment?
Jason Momoa
I remember seeing him, but I was like. But, you know, I was 10 minutes dead already. You know, that would have been 10 minutes. It had there not been the outer reef. Like, had there not been some. You know, And I do believe my answers. I do believe my. You know, I prayed to my grandmother, my grandfather. I mean, I was. I was. Was. I was reaching, and I was in a bad position. And you're stuck out there in that kind of ways with no board, you're. And there's no way you can swim in. It's just not. I don't have that. You're. You're. So. It was. It was a bad spot to be.
Sean Hayes
In, but I imagine that that gives you, like, a. It's a pretty sharp contrast and gives you some perspective to. Like, you said you quit smoking, and that going forward from that moment, you're like. Like, all right, I've been through some, and everything else is kind of gravy. Did you have a little bit of that?
Jason Momoa
You know, I did a little harder run. I think, you know, I have qualities that are. Could. I don't know. I. I was pretty hard on myself that night. I did a lot of stupid. And I just really was, like, pissed at myself for the position I was in and probably torture myself even more for the stupid that I did.
Jason Bateman
Wow.
Jason Momoa
So, I don't know. It was a bit of a hard learning curve, but I feel like I've always had that. That where it's just, like my learning curves are pretty hard on me. So.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, you know, I was. I was. I was thinking about that the other day, about how, you know, I find myself in a completely different life than I was having in my. In my 20s. I mean, as. As everyone does, you sort of. You go through these stages and how. How are you. How are you finding your life now as a fully functioning, you know, professional that's able to write and direct and produce and star and. And like, you know, take all these sort of adult meetings and, like, all this kind of shit that it doesn't sound like you were doing at all in. In. In your. In your earlier sexual life. Like. Like, me too. Just being a, you know, a dickhead.
Jason Momoa
I think if you have. Yeah, I think there's a potential that you. You. You have. Have that needs to come out. And I just. Until I met the people that actually who. Like, until I met my partners, until I met the people that actually made me get those things out, I was just bashing myself with addiction and drugs, you know, and, like.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, but another level of, like, things.
Jason Momoa
That you're just burning. Yeah, you're just.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, you go through that stage. You got to get it out.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. Yeah. There's so much.
Jason Bateman
Because now. Now's not a good time to do it. So it, like, it sounds like we were doing that stuff at a time when you're supposed to, but you do that really well, such that you can now do this really well. And are you enjoying that? And do you have that kind of clarity and perspective? Like, that was a version of Jason Momoa, and now this is a version of Jason, and they're both me, and I'm just going through it 100%. Yeah.
Jason Momoa
I mean, they're great. They're great. All the things that we did when we were younger, I'm glad I, you know, it wasn't handed out. It was a very hard road to get where I'm at. So having said, I've been, you know, I've been directing for the last almost 12 years now. I like that process. I love producing. I love not being just an actor. I love being able to. If someone's gonna judge me on something. Like, I took this choice. I made all these choices instead of just being an actor. It's nice just to go to the trailer and be an actor. But I also love. I mean, this is the way my brain works. I want to have 100 things going on. Yeah. And I just love working. I love. I just love being responsible for those things, so.
Sean Hayes
Well, you also. You also appreciate it because of all the things Jason, like, you were just saying. And I think. Think I'm finding I'm going through it right now at this age. I'm 55. Sorry, I was waiting for you guys to go. No way.
Will Arnett
Oh, yeah, there's a delay.
Sean Hayes
You know, I've just recently, truly the last. I don't know, almost couple weeks, I finally had this moment where I was like, I feel this kind of shift happening and this sort of cloud lifting and this thing happening in my life where I feel like I'm okay. I'm cool with who I am today. And it took me going through a lot of different shit, and it's different from any other period of my life. It's really rad and really profound.
Will Arnett
It's one of the gifts of getting older. Right.
Jason Bateman
Right.
Sean Hayes
Yeah.
Jason Bateman
You start to care a little less about what other people perceive you as and the artifice and the efforts you make to sort of convince those that you might be X, Y, or Z. And it's like, no, I'm just A, B or C. You know, like, this is just me. And if you see it, great. If you don't, that's okay, too. It's more. Most important is that number one understands who number one is and that I'm okay with that. There's only one of me, and I hope you guys dig it. If you don't, there's other people to talk to a little bit.
Jason Momoa
Yeah, I think.
Sean Hayes
I think there's truth in that. Wait, so momoa you're talking about you did this shitty show, but, like, your first. I guess that was your first acting gig, right? The thing you're talking about that you did in Hawaii.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. You know what's kind of cool about it? I mean, like, listen, I fell in love with acting because I was a. I was a biology major. I was a science major, and that's what I wanted to do. And so I, you know, Baywatch, Hawaii came and whatever. I was 19 years old. You got to make a hundred dollars being a extra, and I was folding t shirts for 16, and you got to meet a bunch of hot chicks, and I was 19 years old. And like, okay, I'm gonna go on.
Jason Bateman
Perfect.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. It was like, 1300 people showed up down there and we went in and I ended up, you know, ended up getting the lead role. I was supposed to go back to college. And my mom's like, what are you doing? I'm like, I don't watch. Why? And she's like, what? And so, I mean, like, you know, I didn't know it's cool thing about it and. But I fell in love with acting. I basically watched tons of movies, and every movie I'd watch, I just play that character in the next day. You know, if I watched Fifth Element, I was Gary Oldman that day. If I watched Fight Club, I was Tyler Durden in that episode. And so, I mean, I literally just. It was practice and doing all that, and I just, wow. Didn't give a shit. And I, I. But I fell in love with it. And having said that, that every grip. And like, from catering to grip makeup everyone, they're on my show, you know, on 407046 on August 1st, and they're all did Chief of War with me, and I'm coming home telling our people's movie. And, you know, I've dug myself out of massive, massive holes. Like, you know, I learned my. I went through college doing, you know, Stargate Atlantis and hiding in Canada and making a sci fi show and, and. But I learned how to do everything. And I was like, listen, I'm gonna shoot this myself. So I started at that point, I could write, direct, do all this stuff on my own. Cause I was like 22 episodes, nine months of my life.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
You know, it's just like banging out stuff. And you're like, no, that was my college. And then I had an accident and took some time off, but I, you know, got married, had some kids, and then Game of Thrones came out. And then no one knew what the fuck to do with that guy. Right? And then you're kind of stuck in that jail of like, until you get to the fourth season, it. And I was like, while we did Game of Thrones, I did, I wrote, you know, co wrote my first movie and I did Road to Paloma and, and, And I was just like this. I made Pride of Gypsies, which is a bunch of actors, a group of friends, and we just made movies together. And, you know, some of us were hold. We'd all hold the boom. We'd all do this, we'd all shoot. And so we all came from that thing where it's just. We did the work, we edited it, we shot it, and that's how we kind of Built a. You know, I'm not gonna wait for anything. So we just kind of went about it that way because I was like, no one's gonna give me this shit. You gotta go. You gotta go get it. So we wrote all our own stuff.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Will Arnett
Yeah. That's cool. You know, I remember seeing you in Game of Thrones, and I was like, just your. The character and the size of you. I was just like, my God, this guy's such an incredibly, you know, fit human being. And the size of you. I was like. And then on. Because your entrance, you're like, oh, my God, who's this guy? And then you start acting. You're like, oh, wow. He's like a brilliant actor.
Sean Hayes
Like, and you have presence. He has such. You have such presence apart from your physical. You just have presence as a person that's really magnetic. And I wonder, right, Sean? Like, yeah.
Will Arnett
I was just so surprised that, like, I know what you mean by what do we do with this guy? But I was like, well, he's a great actor. That's what you do with him. You just. You plug him into any role.
Sean Hayes
Was Game of Thrones, was, Was that the first. Was that the. Was that a turning point? It must have been.
Jason Momoa
That was. That was a turning point we got to respect. But it was. It's. It didn't, like, because he didn't say much, and even though I played, like, a really good character, played it and did my job well, but it was. I mean, it's a. It's a thing where it's like, I. I. I'm a huge SNL fan. Like, I love comedy. I just want to do comedy. That was it. I grew up with snl. It's all I wanted. I wanted to do.
Will Arnett
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. And.
Sean Hayes
And you hosted twice.
Jason Momoa
No one. No one knows me that way, so I didn't know. They just, you know, and they just use me as action or I don't say much. And so it's. It's very weird thing to kind of live in that action. And you're. You're this and that. Because my mom. My mom and my dad are both painters. Right. My mom, you know, I was raised watching Rear Window and, like, Gone with the Wind. Yeah. Named Desire. I was raised as a single mother that worked four jobs in Iowa. So it's like, I. I didn't grow up. Even though I grew up into this body, I'm like, I'm a total art nerd. I grew up in a different way. And you're just kind of like, this isn't really me. This is more me.
Jason Bateman
Right. It's difficult. It's like you're this huge presence. You're in this big, beautiful God frame. You're a very good looking man too. And inside of that is somebody who not only wants to do comedy, but can also do very subtle, nuanced, dramatic acting as well. And so how do you, like, you know, you, you obviously have to account for how you come across. And so they can only put you in those types of characters. And those characters aren't historically super funny or super sensitive, you know, so it's.
Jason Momoa
Like I just, I mean, until you get to know me and like, I think we've had a little bit of time with each other, some of us, but it's like I took just, you know, it's my first time doing a comedy, doing, doing Minecraft finally with Jack Black, and I'm like, Jesus Christ. Finally, like, or just getting into snl, like, that's, that's all that matters to me is like just all I want to do.
Will Arnett
Killed it on SNL back. So funny.
Jason Bateman
Yeah. Now you've got the juice where I'm sure you can go to your team and say, hey, so I'd like to do parts like X, Y or Z. Can you go out there and see?
Sean Hayes
See or create, by the way, like you can.
Jason Bateman
While you're busy doing your job, they can do theirs trying to bring you options in those areas because you've got the juice. Like a part is written not for a guy with your physical type, but it, it, you've got enough juice now where they can actually change what that actor might be, what that character might look like without changing any of the dialogue.
Jason Momoa
Right.
Jason Bateman
You know? Yeah, yeah, you should tell.
Sean Hayes
Yes, he agrees with you. But, but, but, but, but yes, they can, they can search it up. But I wonder, do you have like, because you mentioned Road to Paloma, the, the movie that you wrote and directed, which what was, by the way, when you first started directing and this is a Jason question, did you love that shift to directing?
Jason Momoa
I love it. I mean, I don't want to actually be in front. I'd rather be behind the camera. Like, I love every.
Sean Hayes
You're like, JB. JB's the same.
Jason Momoa
Yeah, I mean, like, that's, that's where it's at.
Jason Bateman
I mean, there's top and bottom jokes there. You say you don't want to be in front, you want to be in the. It's. But I don't, I don't have it fully written right now. But just come back to me on that.
Will Arnett
Check your text.
Sean Hayes
Check your text. We're checking the.
Jason Momoa
Baby. You love being behind the camera, right?
Jason Bateman
Oh, God, yeah, I would. I'd stay back there and. And never, never act again. Although I do like acting and I also. Acting in something that I'm directing, I really. I really love just because, as you said, I love being overwhelmed with the amount of work and responsibility as opposed to just hiding in the trailer, you know, Like, I'm a glutton for that stuff. So.
Jason Momoa
But you dropping in like I'm smoking aces and shit like that, that's hilarious. Like, you got like, that stuff is like, you know, when you have little roles that come in, you like, I want to support this and come in and do something.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, I love that course.
Jason Momoa
I love if I can add and get the budget or whatever they need to do. But. Yeah, but I'd rather not have all the. I don't need to be the lead of this. I'd rather make my movies. And I like them small. And. Yeah, I don't want to direct, like a massive. This is probably the biggest it'll ever be. Like, when I directed Chief of War, I directed four or five units. The finale is on the lava field. Dude, here's a crazy story, so you might ask this earlier. Will like a crazy story about Chief of War. When we first wrote it, the whole finale is about these two cousins fighting over the big island. And the volcano goes off in history, and it's literally snowing ash. And the volcano is coming down. And the volcano, it's. It's kind of like. Let's just say it's 50,000 versus 10,000. And the volcano comes down and wipes out the persons who lives in that territory. And that's how Kamehameha won in history. So when we wrote this, I literally saw on the calendar in the production meeting, I go, boom. Volcano's gonna go off. And everyone's laughing at me like, no, no, no, it's not gonna go off. We cut to. We're there the night before. We're driving between Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, and I tell my partner. I'm like, bro, it's gonna go off. I know it. And about four hours later, production calls. Mauna Loa goes off, which is probably 10 plus years since it went off. Wow. Monoloa goes off. We obviously break, because we don't. No one's worked during a volcano. So we're checking, you know, air, air quality and all those kind of things. And they're like, yeah, we're good to go. So the next day we go, Kilauea goes off. That's the first time in human written history that both volcanoes went off. I go and I shoot eight days. I wanted to shoot the fight. So it was like we're in the daytime and it goes into night. I want to see the night. I want to shift into blue light. I want to. I want to go through the sunset. I want to go into blue light. So I had to shoot the whole fight in reverse. So we show up at 4 o' clock in the morning. You're ushering in 300 extras, 100 stuntmen. You're massive battle dude.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
On lava field builds. So any. Anyone falls gets hurts. Where do you put the porta potties? How do you hide this? I mean, just all the schematics of, like. How do you shoot this massive epic piece in the area where it happened?
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
So we shoot it there. I got about four to five units. I'm directing at the same time where I built it, where I can shoot simultaneously so they can be used as extras in the background. As I'm shooting this one, as I'm shooting that. So I kind of designed the whole thing where I can. And the ad's just like, what, what, what? I'm sitting in the production meeting and I have it all balanced out and. Yeah, dude, the fucking volcanoes. This thing went off on the eighth day we end and the volcano stops. The day we end, both volcanoes end.
Will Arnett
That's crazy.
Jason Bateman
So were you getting the sort of the production value of those volcanoes going off?
Jason Momoa
We send some people up to go shoot some stuff.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, but did you have ash coming down when we shot?
Jason Momoa
No, no, we didn't have ash coming down in our scene. Otherwise we wouldn't have been working because that would have been pretty, pretty bad for our health. But we had ash and all that stuff coming down. So it's a huge, massive scene where we shot it in reverse. So that way I can shoot all our key characters in the same light. But it's all. Yeah, it's completely in reverse. Wow.
Sean Hayes
It was meant to be.
Jason Momoa
It was a massive feat. So the finale is like, that's my. That was like, I'm shooting the finale. And everyone's like, there's no way we'll pull this off.
Jason Bateman
I'm like, I can't wait to see this. I've seen some of the posters around town. It looks awes.
Jason Momoa
All in our language. It's all in Alo Hawaii. So you're like, you're going to like. It's such a beautiful language. It's the most beautiful language.
Sean Hayes
It's so rad.
Jason Momoa
I mean, you're going to love it.
Sean Hayes
Yeah.
Will Arnett
I can't wait to see it.
Jason Bateman
We'll be right back.
Will Arnett
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Will Arnett
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Sean Hayes
You were talking about shooting that. That's pretty rad, that. That scene on the. On the. On the lava field and shooting that. And you've. You've done a lot of kind of big epic scenes like that. You've acted in a lot of them was gonna be like Aquaman. Like, didn't you have, like, underwater fight scenes, basically?
Jason Bateman
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Sean Hayes
Like, how'd you pull all that kind of stuff? What was that process like?
Jason Momoa
Lots of stunt man. I don't want. Yeah, it's brutal, man. It's brutal.
Jason Bateman
Cool.
Jason Momoa
It's. It's. That stuff's hard. I mean, fighting in a suit that. Putting that suit on. I mean, I would. The best superhero in the world is Lego Batman.
Will Arnett
Ah, come on.
Jason Momoa
Come on, black dude. My son, you're the best bat. You're the greatest Batman in the world.
Jason Bateman
The greatest.
Jason Momoa
Well, I mean, you're the best in the world.
Jason Bateman
Come on, Will.
Jason Momoa
You are Batman.
Sean Hayes
Thanks.
Jason Momoa
Tell me more.
Will Arnett
That's a good impression.
Sean Hayes
And sometimes very, very tough. Dark gray. Listen, that's very kind of you, but I. I mean, you've, you know, you're. You're Aquaman, dude. And you had. You had to do, you know, wear all the. Put all that on. Do you like having to do that stuff? Like put all the suit on?
Jason Momoa
No, I don't. No, but you do it. Yeah, the tattoos. Oh, it's all hard, bro. Sorry.
Sean Hayes
It's all hard. But then you go and do stuff, but in the same time, you do, like. Like the. Like Dune, like going to. Working with Denis. I mean, it must be amazing.
Will Arnett
I love those movies.
Sean Hayes
I love those movies.
Jason Momoa
Did you guys hear what happened right now? No. No.
Sean Hayes
Check this story out.
Jason Momoa
So I'm in. I'm in Japan with my. My son's dream is to go to Japan. So his 16th birthday, we go with the whole family, and I. I'm with him, and I'm. I'm like, gosh, he's trained martial arts this whole time.
Jason Bateman
Life.
Jason Momoa
He always wants to act. I'm like, you're never acting. There's no way. I'm not. I'm not letting you act. He does, like, school plays in Topanga, right? That's it. That's the extension of, like, his acting skills. Yeah, yeah. You know, but I'm just like, I don't want my kid. Child actor. I don't want you in this business, blah, blah, blah. You know, obviously, the mother's been through him. Like, no, you're not. You're not. You're not.
Sean Hayes
Look at baby. Yeah, it's just tail. Sure.
Jason Momoa
But he grew up with his dad being this thing. He just loves it. But he loves martial arts, so. So cut to. I'm like, He's 16. I really want. It's time for my son to be with me and travel and maybe he can do school abroad. So I asked the mother, and we're like, yeah, Wolfie can come with me. I would like him to come to Dune because if he wants. Really wants to learn acting, I'm like, we're going to be with Chalamet. We're going to be with Denis. We're going to be with Zendaya. He should be watching his father, like, day in, day out. I want his work ethic to be like mine of the Midwest. I want him to see how hard it is getting up at this time doing this. Like, it's. It's. It's hard, you know, I mean, it's not digging ditches, but it's hard.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
And when you have to do something over and over, and if you're doing a fight scene all day long, like, no, you go 10 rounds, 12 rounds, but, like, this is all day, and you're in a suit that weighs 40 pounds, and you're like, it's brutal.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
And so I want him to, like, understand the business. So he's begging me to learn all this stuff. So. All right, fine. Well, let's send Uncle Kale. Kale did my. I did minecraft. With. I did Dune with. He's a producer. I'm sure you guys know him. And so. So Cale Boyder. Yeah, Cale Boyder. And I was just like, he's dear friend. I was like, listen, we'll send him a stunt, you know, so we taped something for. For Wolf. We send it in, and Cal's like, what the dude your son does? Because he's been doing it his whole life, and he's like, wow, he does this? I'm like, yeah, he's pretty. He's pretty good at. Do you think we can get him, like, a Fremen role and he can do some fight scenes and I. And let him be on set? And he goes, dude, we're casting for the kids for Chalamet and Zendaya. Basically, like, I guess it's like Skywalker and Leia. It's Children of Dune, so it's the two kids. And I was like, all right, well, he doesn't really. Does he act? I'm like, you know, it's. It's, you know, it's community theater. And anyways, they send. They send it. I'm in New Zealand. The mother's with him. He does the scene. You know, we. And then I. We don't want. I don't want to coach him at all. I don't know how to teach acting. I don't have a fucking style. It's just through sucking, you know, it's.
Jason Bateman
Through sucking that I. Sucking a little less each year.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. Like, I've had 27 years of sucking that. I figured it out. So I don't really have a style, so I'm not gonna. I don't know how to teach it. So my dear friend Cliff Curtis, who I looked up to, and he was in the. In the show with me, I said, can you talk to my son a little bit about acting? And she talks to him a little bit. Wolf does the scene, we tape it, we send it in, and they love it. And I'm like, holy. He's like, we want him to come to. To London and test.
Jason Bateman
Oh, my God.
Jason Momoa
Like, dude, what? And I had to fly from New Zealand to London, and my son goes into a room with Denny VNU and has to test with five girls, and it's three and a half hours long. I'm so stressed out. Yeah. And, like, way more stressed than you.
Sean Hayes
Would be for yourself.
Jason Momoa
I mean, bro. Yeah, like, I'm fine. No, I'm freaking out because my son is just wild. He's so wild and amazing and. But he just. He I guess he was beautiful. Like, you know, Mary Perrin was texting me. He's like, he's killing. He's doing great.
Sean Hayes
But he had. He had to do, like, a really.
Jason Momoa
Hard scene that even if I had to do that scene scene, there's no way I could pull that off. And to do that for the first time. And this kid killed it. And he did it on his own. I didn't help him at all.
Will Arnett
How about that?
Jason Momoa
And I'm doing Dune with my son right now.
Will Arnett
That's amazing. I didn't know that.
Jason Momoa
I literally.
Jason Bateman
We got the part premiere, bro.
Jason Momoa
The premiere of. Of Chief of War. We flew to Hawaii. We did the premiere, I think on the 18th. We got on a plane that night. We landed on the 19th. My daughter's 18th was the 20th. We flew out the 21st. We landed in Budapest on the 22nd. He went work on the 23rd. His first goddamn scene. I'm sitting there shooting my pants, going like, he's with Zendaya. He's like, he's in it. And I'm like, my baby, 16 years old, and he just killed it. I'm. I was crying. I was a wreck. I was so proud of him.
Will Arnett
And did he ever. Did he go, dad, you were right? Did he say, you're right? That I. This is really hard.
Jason Momoa
It's so hard. It's so hard. Yes. So much respect for your dog. And he understands every person that works with me. Now it's going like, yeah, I need help. I need help. These are the people that help.
Jason Bateman
You don't have any scenes with him, do you?
Jason Momoa
I don't this. But in the future. But I'm like, I'm just there and I'm watching him. And. And you know Denny, who I love and dearly, and he's just like.
Sean Hayes
He's.
Jason Momoa
He's just. He loves Wolf and he's just doing a great job. And so I'm like, it's the craziest feeling.
Jason Bateman
How incredible.
Will Arnett
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
And I'm like, God damn it, dude. I just didn't want him to do it. But he's. I'm not gonna. You lie to, like, he's so good.
Jason Bateman
I'm not surprised at his parents.
Sean Hayes
I'm not surprised either. And I also think, like, you.
Jason Momoa
You want your kids to just be better than you. And I'm like, this motherfucker is going to be like, he's going to blow me away. He's so goddamn present.
Sean Hayes
Two things I want to say. One is, you've paved the way because you're a great dude. And it's no surprise to me that he's great, because you're great. And it's no surprise to me that you deserve it in this time. Think about the year you've had that you're doing. You've got chief of War. This thing is really personal to you and about your family. And now you have your immediate family and your son coming and working with you. It must. What an incredible feeling you must have in your heart this year about where you're at just in that. Just think about that. It's pretty rad.
Jason Momoa
I start dune. I start August 1st, and this comes out. So I start dune on August 1st. I went and watched my son on the day. Yeah, dude.
Jason Bateman
Well, you put in a lot of.
Sean Hayes
Hard work, I tell you. You know what, Jason? I'll tell you something that my son said to me recently. My son Abel, a friend of ours whom we all know had had something happen in their life. And it was public and, you know, it was, like, sort of shocking. So my son Abel comes to me and he says, hey, I heard about that thing is so and so. Okay. And I said, yeah, yeah, they're fine. It all worked out. Finally he goes, you know, I was just thinking, man, thank God we're not as famous as them, because, you know.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, nice work, dad.
Sean Hayes
And I go, first of all, you're not famous at all. A, yeah, yeah. And B, you, man.
Jason Momoa
That's great.
Sean Hayes
Isn't that hilarious? And he meant it, too. It was just like, ah, thank God we're not as famous.
Jason Momoa
Thank God we're not so famous.
Jason Bateman
Yeah. How about that, Jason? Because you can't really hide, can you?
Jason Momoa
How is it I can't hide at all?
Jason Bateman
Yeah. And so how are you with that? With fan interaction and taking photos and things like that?
Jason Momoa
I really, I, I, I'm really, really good when it's like, set for that time.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
It's like, really. Here's the hard thing. It's like when I'm, I mean, we're all human, so I'm like, I'm down, but if I'm with my kids, don't even. And it just. People don't have really respect or they don't really think.
Jason Bateman
It just makes the kids so uncomfortable.
Jason Momoa
But if I'm with my kids, I'm like, don't. Yeah, but I'm like, I'm like, you're never gonna get. I can't take my attention away from these beautiful things that I barely get to see.
Jason Bateman
Yeah. So I'm like, Like, yeah, yeah.
Jason Momoa
It's a very challenging thing to navigate, but at the same time you don't want to say no time to do it. Or if I'm not. If I'm by myself, I'm like, yeah, hell yeah. But the cool thing is, is like, I love it when it's kids because it's like Minecraft. Like right now they're like, you go, it went from Aquaman and then it went into like, I'm garbage man now. I know you guys probably haven't seen Minecraft, but Minecraft, I'm like the garbage man now. And so it's cute as shits. All these little kids are like, garbage man. I'm like, yeah, what's up? So I'll take care of the kids when it's a grown ass man.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
I'm like, just. Just buy me a beer.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, right.
Jason Momoa
And try not to be weird about it. Just hang out.
Jason Bateman
Like I would imagine. I would imagine the sequel to that is probably brewing. Right. When do you. When do you guys start?
Jason Momoa
Oh, dude, we're right into it. Yeah, it's like, I mean, I'm into this motherfucker in March maybe.
Jason Bateman
Look at you, Johnny Franchise. I love.
Jason Momoa
Tell me about it, man. I got it fast and barking on the door. Hopefully Chief goes again. Really? Yeah. I moved everything to New Zealand too. I'm like New Zealand and Hawaiian, building studios down there with Cliff and Tyco. So we're trying to. We're trying to. No way. Yeah. So I just want to be boom, boom, boom.
Will Arnett
That's great.
Jason Momoa
Have you ever been to New Zealand?
Sean Hayes
I've never.
Jason Bateman
When I was a little kid. I'd love to go back. Are you. Is that where home is?
Jason Momoa
Home is now Montana in the States and New Zealand, so. And I in. In Hawaii still. I have it, but it's like I'm basically trying to build studios between Hawaii and New Zealand.
Jason Bateman
That's amazing.
Will Arnett
That's amazing.
Jason Momoa
And shoot there, it's just, you get to a certain place where I'm like, the quality of life. Where do I want to be? Who do I want to be with? You know, I don't want to like it. It's still tax incentives. And I'm like, this is where I want to be. And so like, if everyone can come down here. We made Minecraft in New Zealand. We made Chief of War down there. I made Wrecking Crew, which is coming out. Like, I just made everything in New Zealand or it's going to go to Hawaii.
Will Arnett
That's great. What's your favorite Thing to do with your. I was going to ask you what you work so much. It sounds like, like, what. What do you do in your downtime? But. But like, obviously to spend time with family. What's your favorite thing to do with your kids or with family when you're not working?
Jason Momoa
I mean, we rock climb, so it's like. I tell my kids how to rock climb their whole life, so we rock climb. And, like, that just keeps us in the outdoors and rock climbing, surfing, or.
Sean Hayes
He's a real man. Jason riding. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Jason Bateman
I really am. You know, I used to rock climb when I was a little kid, but now my. It hurts my hands too much as I get older.
Jason Momoa
Yeah.
Jason Bateman
You know, it's just the rock. There's nothing soft about a rock. It's just scratchy. It's scratchy.
Jason Momoa
It's like, I like my hands to be strong and tough.
Jason Bateman
I know. I see you got a band aid on the one finger, and I'm like, that would just. I'd have to cancel the podcast if I had a band aid on my finger. You just. You push right through it, don't you?
Jason Momoa
And then music. And then music, man. I started playing with my kids, my daughter, so I started playing music, and they kind of moved me into bass because they both started doing everything else, and I. I just love playing music with them.
Sean Hayes
So it's like a family band.
Jason Momoa
Well, it's not a family band. I started making a. I started. I started doing. I have a. I have a vodka.
Jason Bateman
Company, so I called it called Halif Relief.
Jason Momoa
It's called Melee, Melee Relief.
Jason Bateman
I'm trying to. Look at the hat. I'm trying to see. It looks like. No, Melee. Melee.
Jason Momoa
Melee. Yeah. So we have a Vodka coming out of Montana, and so it's been nice to, like, have these gatherings where you get together with everyone and we play music and we play our favorite songs. So he plays Zeppelin and Sabbath and Chili Peppers and Princess and Zombie.
Jason Bateman
I mean, all great for the base. All those. All those groups have a John Paul Jones. Incredible.
Jason Momoa
You got it.
Sean Hayes
You've got a vodka company. You're building a studio between New Zealand and Hawaii. You're directing movies. You're writing series and acting in series and acting in, like, eight franchises.
Will Arnett
And you seem so, like, chill about it.
Sean Hayes
And you seem really happy.
Will Arnett
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
And like.
Will Arnett
Yeah. I mean, what. What pisses you on? Like, you seem like. You sure, whatever. Where you have some. Are we late?
Sean Hayes
That's cool.
Will Arnett
I'll just wait for it.
Jason Momoa
I'm pretty pissed. I Got to lose a bunch of weight. Hate that. Okay, ready for this role? You know, I mean, like, you know.
Will Arnett
All right, all right.
Jason Momoa
But that's everyone's thing. Yeah. I got to do a little extra. I got to take care of myself.
Jason Bateman
How do you. What's your.
Jason Momoa
With you guys? Like, listen, I'm 46. You guys are. Gets harder, you know, you said you're 55.
Sean Hayes
We got 10 years on you.
Jason Momoa
10 years on me.
Jason Bateman
I'm like, what's your favorite way of dropping. Dropping pounds?
Jason Momoa
You know, I.
Jason Bateman
No not eating or exercise.
Jason Momoa
So I don't exercise, and I don't. Don't. And I. And I eat whatever I want. I. And I eat whatever I want. So. And I. And I drink when I stop drinking, and I eat smart and I exercise. I lose weight.
Jason Bateman
Okay, Gotcha.
Sean Hayes
Oh, yeah. Your body must go.
Jason Momoa
Generally, I just keep it. Like, I don't. I don't do it until I have to.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
But I. My problem is, like, with all the things that you're taking off, like, oh.
Sean Hayes
You do this, do this.
Jason Momoa
The thing that I don't do is I don't take care of myself.
Jason Bateman
Well, you will. You will. You still got time.
Sean Hayes
Yeah, yeah.
Jason Momoa
So you got time. Like, you got to go. Like, there's a certain point where you take care.
Will Arnett
One, one. One kidney stone. You'll change your life.
Jason Momoa
Oh, haven't had one yet.
Sean Hayes
Okay, well, thanks, Granddad. Listen, I think. But. But how many people are listening right now going, momo doesn't even work out, and he looks like, I'm gonna throw myself up.
Jason Bateman
There must have been a time. There must have been a time when you were a gym rat and you put on all that size on that.
Jason Momoa
No, it's only when you. It's only when I. I was like, you know, I grew up skateboarding. I was a skateboarder and rock climber. So when I did Conan, they made me put. They made me train and learn all that stuff. I mean, you do it for roles.
Jason Bateman
Sure.
Jason Momoa
And. And you. And that's what's great about acting. They teach all these new things, and so, you know, you learn that. And then obviously for Aquaman, I had to train. And, you know, you're with all these best trainers, but I. I don't want to live like that. And I don't find, like, I. So what I did is I would build rock climbing gyms in our training facilities because I don't want to do sit ups, and I don't want to. I will just rock climb one of.
Will Arnett
The greatest Joys in the world is food.
Jason Momoa
I would just rock climb to do, like, kind of like the things that you love to do.
Jason Bateman
Yeah. And. And yeah, you think you're in shape till you try a pull up. And that's. That's what a lot of rock climbing is. Right? It's just like.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. It's just. I just try. I just want to have fun doing things I like to do. So, I mean, like I. I say physical doing things I love to do. I just like. I think I probably get hurt more lifting weights. If I do lift weights. It's very light now. Or I do like kettlebells, which has really helped, like, just for like my, like, legs. But I do pretty. Pretty light.
Jason Bateman
Avoid injury by just lifting chopsticks like.
Will Arnett
Sean, you know, into sodium.
Sean Hayes
I'm just thinking here we got two guys who both don't work out and eat whatever they want, and one is Jason Momoa and one Sean Hayes.
Jason Bateman
So I'd love to see it just. Just a speedo shot side by side.
Sean Hayes
The two of you. Although, jb, you were talking about. You were lifting really light weights recently and you were saying how hard it.
Jason Bateman
Was that lasted three days. Yeah.
Sean Hayes
Did it really?
Jason Bateman
It did, yeah. I'll get back at it, though.
Will Arnett
I've had a burger every day for the last three days.
Sean Hayes
Really?
Jason Momoa
Great. Yeah, that's. You work out?
Jason Bateman
No, not. Not really. I mean, I. I do cardio, but I. I don't lift weight and I should.
Jason Momoa
I mean, like, when you're directing, it's so hard. The hard thing for me is, like, I'm such a. I come from such an artist mentality where it's like. It's really hard to balance the physicality when I'm like. I'm giving everything to do right.
Jason Bateman
These things that you're doing, you're up too early too.
Jason Momoa
Yeah. And the thing is, like, I don't sleep much anyways, which is fine. It's just. I don't. If I. If I. If I burn out doing this to. For just. I just don't take care of myself.
Jason Bateman
Keep doing whatever you're doing. Whatever you're doing, just. Yeah, whatever you're doing, you're killing it.
Sean Hayes
Just.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Sean Hayes
My favorite thing. One time, Memo, you and I were in Vegas. We were at. For like, Cinemacon or something. We were on that. Remember we were on a shuttle bus.
Jason Momoa
Yeah.
Sean Hayes
And we're going. We were going back to the, to the airport and he had like, he had like a rucksack, like a roughly hewn rucksack and it was just filled. Filled with loose beers. It was the best. It was the greatest. I'm like, he's got a bag with him. And I was like, oh, it's a cooler.
Jason Bateman
So smart.
Sean Hayes
I know. So jealous.
Jason Bateman
All right, what are you gonna do the rest of the day today, Jason? You got. You got. You got the evening.
Jason Momoa
I go have dinner with my lady.
Jason Bateman
All right.
Jason Momoa
Yeah, I'm gonna go just have a nice romantic dinner with my lady.
Will Arnett
Who's your lady? I should know.
Jason Momoa
Should we Adrea. Adria Arjon. Yeah. Nice name. Movie. Yeah, she's. She's doing a movie. Thomas Crown Affair right now. Okay. So we're gonna go have a nice dinner and then I go back to Budapest to. Go back to do.
Jason Bateman
Yeah. Unbelievable. I can't.
Jason Momoa
The kids are in. The kids are in Budapest, so we're gonna be together. And Wolfie's working and my daughter Lola's there, so her friends are coming over and we're just celebrating because I get them in the summer, so. So we're going to go do fun stuff. Have my birthday here in a couple days, so. Big party.
Jason Bateman
Yeah. You got. Do you have plans for your birthday?
Jason Momoa
I think I was going to stay at the house, maybe get a DJ and just like eat.
Jason Bateman
You're going to stay at the house with. With a dj? A DJ at the house and just eat?
Sean Hayes
Get Scotty. Scotty.
Jason Bateman
I can spin it.
Will Arnett
My husband DJs sometimes.
Jason Bateman
Sure he does.
Sean Hayes
Send him over. He's in London. He'll go. He'll do the game. Listen, we'll. We'll make a deal here.
Jason Bateman
Momo, you're going to have to wait till. Till what, 50 for. For the big one, right? I mean, I feel like that's. That's when you get to our age, you got to wait for like 50, 60, 70, 80 for the big ones. You can't do it every year, right?
Jason Momoa
Yeah, yeah. No, I just think being. I'm like, I'm gonna. I'm with some really cool friends that I haven't seen a long time.
Jason Bateman
So how long is it? You haven't seen us for a long time.
Sean Hayes
Can we get an invite?
Jason Momoa
Jesus. I would love for you guys. We like to party, but it's Budapest, so it's like, it's pretty far.
Jason Bateman
We got mileage.
Jason Momoa
You're always invited.
Sean Hayes
Listen, dude, continue success. One of the all time great dudes and you deserve all of it. Honestly, I'm so happy for you. And you see. Thanks, man. Look so great. And you seem so happy and just continued. I'M so psyched that you and your son get to do this. Just all of it is great.
Jason Momoa
You're a Ram.
Will Arnett
A huge Dune fan.
Jason Bateman
I can't wait for the go get it.
Jason Momoa
Can't wait for you guys to see.
Sean Hayes
This Chief of War Apple TV on August 1st as well. I mean, just. Just all of it. All of it's so rad.
Jason Bateman
Congratulations, buddy. Keep it up. Keep going.
Jason Momoa
Thanks, baby. All right, guys.
Jason Bateman
All right.
Jason Momoa
Nice to meet you.
Jason Bateman
Good to see you.
Sean Hayes
See you, pal.
Jason Bateman
Bye, pal. All right. Nice going.
Jason Momoa
Big hug soon. All right.
Sean Hayes
Good to see you.
Jason Bateman
Aloha. Bye. Foul. He slammed it. He's a slammer. I love it.
Jason Momoa
Yeah.
Jason Bateman
Nice con. Well, you know, I thought it might have been Barack Obama. I was pleasantly surprised. It was Jason Momoa.
Sean Hayes
You know, those are the two Hawaiians that you know.
Jason Bateman
That's it. That and King Kamehameha, but he's gone, so.
Will Arnett
Yeah, that. That was great. I never met him.
Jason Bateman
Chris is great.
Sean Hayes
Oh, he's such a. The warmest guy.
Jason Bateman
Really fun.
Jason Momoa
Yeah.
Will Arnett
Just so cool and down to earth.
Jason Bateman
Yeah.
Sean Hayes
So, so good.
Will Arnett
I love the hit that. I love that his pants came down at. Shit.
Jason Momoa
Fucking.
Will Arnett
Is that what it's called?
Jason Momoa
Yeah, at.
Jason Bateman
At. He got taken from behind with his shorts down. Kind of was just the net result of all that.
Will Arnett
That's what I perked up.
Sean Hayes
We might. We might want to revisit the transcript on that, J. I don't know. You know what I mean? And also, you want to fall on the wrong side of Mimoa. I mean.
Jason Bateman
Yeah, but I truly thought was in Chelsea. Is it not?
Jason Momoa
I thought.
Will Arnett
But wait. You know what's great about him is, like, I had no idea he was that prolific in this business. Like, dude, no idea.
Jason Bateman
He's a busy man.
Will Arnett
Yeah.
Jason Momoa
Wow.
Jason Bateman
He's doing it all big, huge star. Yeah. Turns out, just a guy trying to mind his own business.
Sean Hayes
And then you're like. You're, like, complaining about tech rehearsals, you know?
Jason Bateman
I mean, hey, yeah. When do you. When do you go? When do you go up? Shawnie, it's got to be close.
Will Arnett
Two days. Three days.
Jason Bateman
Three days, dude. Oh, my God.
Sean Hayes
I can't wait to see you.
Jason Bateman
Oh, my.
Will Arnett
I don't normally have my. Wear my hair. Hair like this.
Jason Bateman
Well, we're not talking about the hair right now. About the show.
Will Arnett
I know, but I'm.
Sean Hayes
Three days.
Jason Momoa
Yeah.
Will Arnett
Yeah.
Sean Hayes
Jb, you're not going over, right? Jb we're gonna go over and see him.
Jason Bateman
Yeah. No, I saw it. It's good. Yeah, it's Fine.
Will Arnett
Yeah.
Jason Bateman
I saw it in New York. Okay. And plus, I was just there in London staying with him. Okay. Walking the stairs.
Sean Hayes
I liked it the first time.
Jason Bateman
I prefer it in the States.
Sean Hayes
I'm a fan of the original.
Jason Momoa
Yeah, I know.
Will Arnett
I'm excited.
Sean Hayes
He got so beleaguered, the guy. Yeah, go ahead.
Will Arnett
No, I was just gonna do a buy.
Jason Bateman
Oh, no, we know.
Sean Hayes
We saw you look out the window.
Will Arnett
Well, no, I was thinking. I was like, you know, I didn't. I. I knew. I didn't know he was from Hawaii. I thought it was like. But, you know, aloha not only means hello and in Hawaiian.
Sean Hayes
Sure.
Jason Bateman
What else does it mean?
Jason Momoa
What does it mean?
Will Arnett
Something like bye bye.
Jason Bateman
Oh, my God.
Jason Momoa
Aloha.
Sean Hayes
Smart Less. Smart less. Smartless is 100% organic and artisanally handcrafted by Rob Armchair. Are Bennett Barbico and Michael Grand Terry Smart Less. It's busy season for driving. Your car is likely getting some extra mileage, which means it may be time for an oil change. Check out Valvoline Instant Oil Change and they'll make it easy for you. Oil change only takes about 15 minutes and they'll check your tire press pressure, lights and top off fluid so you get that extra reassurance before hitting the road again. It's a trusted name for a reason. Visit vioc.com smartless to get an exclusive discount at Valvoline Instant Oil Change and find a location near you. Happy driving. The roses were living the dream.
Jason Momoa
To you, my darling. No, to you.
Jason Bateman
Until it all came crashing down.
Jason Momoa
You got five.
Sean Hayes
Buy it on August 29th. Stop and see the roses. Rated R. In theaters everywhere.
Jason Bateman
August 29th.
Podcast Summary: SmartLess Episode – "Jason Momoa"
Episode Information
The episode kicks off with light-hearted banter as the hosts reveal their guest, Jason Momoa. The trio playfully tease Momoa about his charismatic presence and extensive filmography.
Notable Quotes:
Before diving deep into Jason's professional life, the hosts share their morning routines, highlighting their grooming habits and time management. This segment sets a relaxed and relatable tone for the conversation.
Notable Quotes:
The conversation shifts to Jason’s latest endeavor, the Apple TV series "Chief of War." Jason elaborates on the show's premise, which reimagines Hawaiian history by focusing on King Kamehameha and the unification of the Hawaiian Islands.
Notable Quotes:
Jason shares the intense challenges faced during the production of "Chief of War," including unexpected volcanic eruptions that coincided with the shooting schedule. He recounts how both Mauna Loa and Kilauea erupted simultaneously, creating real-life drama on set.
Notable Quotes:
In a deeply personal segment, Jason narrates a harrowing experience where he almost drowned during a surfing expedition. This near-death experience profoundly impacted his life, leading him to quit smoking and reevaluate his priorities.
Notable Quotes:
Jason discusses his transition from being primarily an actor to taking on roles behind the camera as a director and producer. He expresses his passion for storytelling and the creative control it offers.
Notable Quotes:
A heartfelt conversation ensues about Jason's desire to involve his son, Wolfie, in the acting world. He shares the process of helping his son secure a role in the "Children of Dune" series, highlighting the pride and challenges of guiding a child into the industry.
Notable Quotes:
The hosts explore the challenges of managing fame, especially in the context of family life. Jason discusses how he navigates fan interactions, ensuring his children are protected while embracing his role as a public figure.
Notable Quotes:
Jason shares his love for outdoor activities such as rock climbing and surfing. He also talks about his passion for music, mentioning his involvement in a family band and his venture into the vodka business with "Melee Relief."
Notable Quotes:
The episode wraps up with the hosts expressing their admiration for Jason's multifaceted career and personal growth. They toast to his continued success and the exciting projects ahead, emphasizing the deep respect and friendship among the group.
Notable Quotes:
Key Insights and Takeaways:
Resilience and Personal Growth: Jason Momoa's near-drowning experience was a pivotal moment that led to significant personal changes, such as quitting smoking and embracing his role as a father and filmmaker.
Cultural Representation: Through "Chief of War," Jason aims to shed light on Hawaiian history and culture, uniting Polynesian communities and providing authentic representation in media.
Balancing Act: Managing fame while maintaining a private family life is a recurring theme, showcasing Jason's dedication to protecting his family's well-being.
Passion for Creativity: Transitioning from acting to directing and producing highlights Jason's commitment to storytelling and creative control, allowing him to craft narratives that resonate personally and culturally.
Conclusion
This episode of SmartLess offers a comprehensive look into Jason Momoa's dynamic life, blending his professional achievements with personal anecdotes. The hosts and guest create an engaging dialogue that not only entertains but also provides meaningful insights into overcoming challenges, embracing cultural heritage, and fostering family bonds.