Jason Momoa is one of the most well-known and beloved actors in the film industry. While he has gained immense recognition through his work as Aquaman in DC, he has proved his skills as an actor time and time again, through projects like the Fast and the Furious franchise, See, and most recently, his work in the Dune film series. His performance as Duncan Idaho managed to steal the screen on a project full of some of the finest actors Hollywood has to offer.
During a recent interview, Momoa revealed how he ended up getting this role and the story is extremely bizarre. It would seem that the Aquaman actor was climbing a mountain when he got a call from one of his favorite directors, Denis Villeneuve.
Jason Momoa Was On A Mountain When He Got A Call From Denis Villeneuve
The release of Dune: Part Two has been highly anticipated, and the interviews that the cast is doing for the promotion of the film are only adding to its hype. Jason Momoa recently gave one such interview with IndieWire, specifically talking about how he ended up getting the role of Duncan Idaho in the first part of the series. He stated that Denis Villeneuve ended up calling his agent asking to be connected with the actor at that very moment, all the while being extremely secretive of his intentions.
“I got a call from my agent literally on top of a mountain, and I was shocked, and he was like, ‘Denis Villeneuve wants to talk to you right now,” Momoa recalled. “I thought it was a prank. He said, ‘He wants to talk to you right now. He wants you for a role. He won’t tell anyone what it is.’”
Unfortunately for Momoa, at that moment, he was climbing a mountain with one of his friends, both of whom happen to be huge fans of Villeneuve’s work. The actor was convinced that this was a prank, not believing his agent in the slightest.
After some back and forth, he finally believed that the director did, in fact, want to talk with him. He was also told that Villeneuve was not telling anyone what the project was and what the role would be, wanting to directly speak to Momoa himself.
Denis Villeneuve Tried To Convince Jason Momoa To Be A Part Of Dune
Jason Momoa revealed that he and his friend rushed down the mountain as fast as they could so that they could get to solid ground. The call was on video and the moment the two were connected, the actor saw that Denis Villeneuve was with the entire crew, in costume. They had everything prepared with pictures, trying to convince the actor to be a part of the project. Ironically enough, Momoa did not need much convincing.
“Me and my best friend, who loves Denis, ran down the mountain, into the room, FaceTimed him, and he had everything laid out. He had this whole department there in costume. Everyone was staring at me, and he had a whole book. It was this manifest. Pictures, everything. It was almost like he was pitching it to me, and I was taken aback. He asked if I would play Duncan. That’s never happened before.”
He was a big fan of Villeneuve’s works and had a dream of working with him eventually. This is why he was extremely shocked when the person he looked up to, was trying to pitch a film to him. This entire call took the actor by surprise as nothing like this had ever happened to him before.
