Jason Momoa has signed up to star in another movie adaptation of a video game – this time its Helldivers – but how much do you know about the superstar?
With movie adaptations of popular video games all the rage these days – everything from Super Mario to Minecraft – studios are scrambling to gain the rights to turn more into big screen events. One of the upcoming movies is an adaptation of Helldivers, which is scheduled to hit theatres in 2027, and it has recently been announced that Jason Momoa has signed up to star in it.
Jason is a big draw in movies today and, of course, won’t be the first big screen version of a video game he has starred in. In 2025, he was Garrett ‘The Garbage Man’ in A Minecraft Movie, and he is also set to star as Blanka later this year in the latest big screen version of Street Fighter.
But how much do you know about Jason Momoa? Here are some facts you might not know.
Jason went to school with Superman
While Jason was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, he was raised in Norwalk, Iowa after his mother moved there with him having split up from his father. He attended Norwalk High School and was on the school’s soccer team, where he played alongside Brandon Routh, who is most famous for playing Superman in Superman Returns in 2006.
Jason was once a lifeguard
Jason has always been the outdoor type, learning to swim at an early age, as well as being a keen rock climber and boulderer. When he was in his teens, he became the youngest lifeguard in the history of the Gulf Coast – helped by his impressive physique.
It was this training that was to come in handy when he decided on a career change…
He came to acting late
While many Hollywood stars have been on stage and screen from a young age, Jason came to acting relatively late, at age 19. He was living in Honolulu and working in a surf shop when he saw an advert calling for people to audition for Baywatch: Hawaii. Out of 1,300 applicants, he made the right impression and was cast as Jason Ioane, appearing in the show from 1999-2001.
Jason is a fan of heavy metal
Jason’s love of heavy metal music is well known and he has admitted it often informs his work – he has said he builds his characters from metal songs.
When he was in See, Jason invited members of the band Archspire to make cameo appearances, and he also learnt the proper screaming technique from Archspire’s vocalist, Oli Peters, for a scene in the show.
Jason was also part of heavy metal history in 2025, when he hosted Black Sabbath’s farewell concert – titled ‘Back to the Beginning’ – at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, in July 2025. The concert was to be Ozzy Osbourne’s final gig, as he passed away a few months later.
He has a large facial scar
Eagle-eyed viewers may have spotted a large scar on Jason’s face. This is a legacy from when Jason was slashed across the face with a broken glass during an altercation at a bar in Los Angeles, California in 2008. Jason required 140 stitches and reconstructive surgery afterwards. His assailant received a five-year prison sentence.
