Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist - Jason Momoa on Building His Own Projects and Never Sitting Still

Episode Date: January 25, 2026

Jason Momoa is an actor, producer, and director whose career spans blockbuster franchises like Aquaman and Game of Thrones, along with writing, directing, and producing his own projects. Momoa sits down with Willie Geist to discuss embracing comedy and action in The Wrecking Crew, telling Hawaiian stories through projects like Chief of War, and how creating his own work has shaped the direction of his career. Plus, he reflects on growing up between Hawaii and the Midwest, navigating fame, and why his efforts to reduce single-use plastic have become an important part of his life. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Got a great one for you and a little bit of a wild one this week with Jason Mamoa. I actually just got done talking to him about an hour ago, a little restaurant in New York City. Man, I enjoyed the conversation. I think partly because he's the kind of guy who makes you feel like you've known him your whole life. He just sits down, no filter, no pretense, no nothing, just two guys sitting at a table talking through his life and career. We sat down to talk about his new movie. It's called The Wrecking Crew.

It's on Prime Video. It stars him and Dave Batista, who was a former W.W.E. wrestler, who's now had this amazing acting career as well. They are estranged brothers who get together to sort out the murder of their father in Hawaii. Incredible, truly incredible action sequences, like violence in the fight scenes that is just creative, if that makes sense. Like, oh, I never thought to kill a bad guy that way, and they do it. Just amazing, but also hilarious. And Jason Momoe is the comedy of it. He's loose, you know, kind of down on his luck a little bit.

Can't nail down a life for himself. Always has a beer in his hand. He's very funny. The action's really good, good story. So we talk a lot about that. And then his career, you know, he was born in Hawaii, moved. He was six months or so old with his mother when his parents split, grew up in the Midwest. in Iowa and then in his middle school and teenage years started going back in the summers to

Hawaii and getting in touch with his father and with his Hawaiian roots, which is so much a part of who he is now. So the movie is set in Hawaii. He's just coming off this massive show, The Chief of War that was on Apple TV Plus, this epic movie that gets into the history of Hawaii and the colonialism of Hawaii. And he plays this great warrior chief. So that was sort of a love letter to Hawaii. Just, you know, what a fascinating guy. He's big dude. He's got the long hair. He was in college when he went to an audition for Baywatch Hawaii. He said there were like 1,300 people there. He got to the front of the line, told them he was a model and that he had won the title of Hawaii's model of the year, made up a resume, got the job, and he was kind of off and running

on his career in acting, which has become just so prolific, and he'll talk through so many of the projects that he's done. Also, there's a ton of stuff off the screen in terms of helping Hawaii, in terms of protecting the environment, all the natural resources from the place he loves. But more than all that, he's just a funny, loose dude. And I think you're about to find out what I mean. So sit back, relax, enjoy a great conversation right now with Jason Mamoa on the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Jason, thanks for doing this, man. You can see you. You can see you.

Love the movie, the wreck and crew. There's so much to talk about with it, but can I just start with the action sequences, the fight scenes, which are as intense as any, I think I've ever seen in any movie. And I'm not just saying that because you're sitting here. And you were just telling me you got a stunt crew that you travel with, and there's a little bit of a game of like one-upsmanship from movie to movie? 100%. So I'll be like on Minecraft and he'll be sending me like some of these funny skits where, you know, I'll be in a lava-la-law. where I have to fight them naked. They wanted me to find them naked.

So I'm like, they just try to crack me up, and I try to want up each other. So, you know, right now they're sending me stuff for like the one that I'm doing with Sandberg right now. But they'll do Minecraft too. And they'll always be kind of ahead. And then when we show up, there's like 12 guys and my same stunt double for, you know, over a decade now.

And I started with them all at 8711. And I just, I love them so much. And it's just you're doing those kind of, that kind of intensity at that level. you want people really protecting you. So it's very much like family. And we would all, you know, throw down for each other. Like one of them's here actually right now.

So, you know. Oh, there he is. We had first day of box. I had surgery exactly two months ago. So he's with me getting me ready for the next thing because I haven't been able to do anything. Yeah. So we were trying to, I was able to box this morning. So it was good.

Oh, did you already this morning? Yeah, because I can't really close the finger yet. They opened that up and kind of tried to fix it. But so I'm excited. Like hopefully 2026, I can get physical again. Well, I mean, there are creative ways of taking out bad guys, put it this way, without giving away too much. Yes.

Some of the things I saw, like I said, I've never seen before. So is that what it is? Like, hey, what if we did this? Yeah. Sure. Yeah, I just think that's pretty funny when you're in the bathroom, then you go into the kitchen, and there's, like, the cheese grater, and there's all these kind of fun little things that you're going to use the things that are around, right?

And so, yeah, I think that's amazing. and then, but there's definitely moments that I think we've done some pretty gory stuff and so some things don't work out and then we'll take it to another movie and they're like, that would be amazing and so John Valera is definitely he's at the helm of all of this

so. There is a cheese grater moment that's shocking and I'll leave it at that. I'll just leave it right there. What about the sword fight? What about the helicopter? Oh my, the helicopter. Helicopter distraction?

Yes. I just came out of nowhere. Because he was so drunk, he's like, helicopter distraction. throws it and he just like hits the one, like, damn it. He's such a loser. And by the way, there is a helicopter chase.

This is a different scene. You're described. Different guys. I think people will get it when I'm looking around. That's definitely the first time I've seen that as a misdirection in a movie fight. Like, check this out and then, you know, take them out. So let's talk a little bit about the origin story of this movie, which is so fun and so intense because it's funny, too, obviously,

which is now kind of well known that Dave Batista, your co-star, He kind of like manifested this in a tweet and was like, I'm seeing me, Jason Mamo, almost five years ago, I think it was, in a buddy cop kind of thing. What happens from there to make it a reality? I get a call from my agents going, what the hell are you guys doing over there? Why are you guys? And I get a call from my other buddy, David Leach, going, I'm in. So we just literally, here's the thing is that Dave and I got along really well. And we had a, when I was on C, on Apple, second season, I was called.

kind of like who would play my brother, who's a great actor, who's a great fighter, big, we need someone that's going to be able to go up against me. And I'm like, I want to fight Batista. And so at that time, I mean, he's amazing. He's a super skilled fighter. And it was perfect for that world. And also had just seen Blade Runner, and he was phenomenal with it. And Denny's like one of my favorites.

And he just, Denny loved him. And so we got him in. And we did that. We just had such a, like, no ego. He's got no ego. He's just a teddy bear. Super quiet. Keeps to himself.

And I'm obviously loud and obnoxious. And we're kind of opposite, but like really blend really well and very supportive. And so it's nice to work like that because no one's trying to like up show or do anything. We're all about the story and what we're moving. And so I was like, bro, I had this idea. It's my first kind of like second script that I wrote. and I pitched this one to him, and it was involved of these brothers in Hawaii,

and their father dies, and you end up turning into, it comes from someone from the family, and obviously you're involving all the underbelly of Hawaii because there's just so many things from the east, from the west, and the crime and the corruption, and the government, and so there's just so many land rights and water rights, and so I just felt like there's so many things we could do,

show another side of Hawaii, and we play, you know, a strange brothers. And when I was pitching that to him, he loved it. Our writer and showrunner, Jonathan Tropper, who's doing C, you know, he saw it in the tabloids. And he's like, what the fuck? I want to do this. I want to do this. And it was the weirdest thing.

We're like, so there's a lot of other guys. You're going to have to, like, come in and pitch it to us. I'm sorry, boss. And you're like, you have all the right to do this. Right. But there's three other guys that just jumped in line and said they want to do it. So our agents are giving us writers. So everyone comes in and pitches to me and they.

Dave. And then we end up picking, you know, obviously Tropper because it was phenomenal. And he's a fantastic writer, and he really knows how to write for me and Dave. And, yeah, we start doing it. And An Hell comes in. We really like On Hell. And then that all kind of brother ship fills in. And it's just really a amount of, it was a waiting game because he works more than I do. Like, he was not even on his press tour because he's working so much. So we're just like finding a gap in our careers. And so it ended up working out. And then it was from day one, you know, because I've only done Minecraft as a comedy. You know, that was the first ever thing except for like being on SNL.

I love, that's my favorite thing. It's like we were talking about. S&L is like life. That is it. Yes. To me, I'm like, I don't care about it. I mean, I just, I go to Lauren. I go like, do good.

Do you good. Can I come back next time? I was like, yes, Jason. You can come back. So I'm like, that's all. I do these movies so I can go on SNL. That's it. Well, they keep inviting you back.

They do. It's working. Yes. And so basically, I totally forgot what I was going on with that. We were just talking about how you like doing comedy and you don't always get a chance to do it. Yes. So, I mean, this is the second one. And generally, if I was going to do a comedy, it's like, oh, we're going to get like Andy Sandberg. So the next one I'm doing right now, he's going to be the comedian and I'm going to be the straight guy.

And you know, that's what you kind of end up doing. And so it's great that Dave's a straight guy and I'm the, you know, I got to do all these moments that need to be there. I really didn't, never done it before. I was pretty scared. And I kind of just, like, played my son, who's, you know, he's, you know, just like played a younger brother who really loves annoying his older brother, who is my, you know, I have a daughter. But he's just, there's these little things about my son that I love that is just, like,

I put in a couple things. Next thing, you know, just snowballed. And there's just, and then we started improv and so many things to the point where, like, trapper's like, you do it? Dial back. Dial back. You write to the script. I'm like, really?

Do we? Does your son know he was the inspiration for the character? Yes, yes. Has it feel about that? He loves this. He's very mad that this is not in theaters. He's very much like, and my daughter, they love this movie. And I'm just, I'm extremely proud.

So I'm stoked it's on Amazon. They were unbelievable, had the best time with them. So I'm like, I hope fingers crossed, I want to do sequel. Because it's just so much fun. You got an amazing writer and your actors are so strong. Morena's. She's beautiful. Jacob's hilarious and, like, I want to take it to Japan.

Oh, nice. You know what I mean, like, so we're over in Japan and we do something really, you know, spooky over there. I think you're going to get the chance because this is, the action's incredible, but it's also really funny. So it's like fun, right? It's fun. It's fun.

It's super fun. And it's got a lot of heart in the end. Yeah. Just all the shit that we got to work through and stuff. And, I mean, you know, brothers, I don't have any siblings, but I can imagine it would be, you know, you have problems with my own friends. They're right, David.

They're like brothers. Yeah, I mean, there's so much comedy in that strain relationship. You guys have an incredible fight scene, the two of you. In the rain. In the rain. Which, as 50-year-olds, and he's 50, and I'm almost there, and it hurts. Yeah. I mean, you can handle yourself, but Dave's a former professional wrestler.

He's a big dude. He's way better in shape than I am. He's like, he loves doing that stuff. And I know it's acting and it's stunt work, but there's still an element. Is there not of like Dave Batista's coming at me right now? But are you ready? He was on my chest with his knee, like just mounted up on me. And I'm like, because he does Jitza and all that stuff.

And he's just, you got to just watch that face and that size of his hand. And he's just raining down bombs on you. And I'm just like, oh my God, close my eyes. I'm like, Dave, if you fucking hit me, I'm done. Like, this is it. I don't ever want to be put in that position. I would tapped out. If someone got me like that, like, nah, no, no, we're good.

We're good. I can't move arms. He's got me pinned down like this with a knee on. I'm like, I'm good. Somebody yell cut. Well, I think if you get the sequel, though, because that scene is so good, they're going to want another one, I think. A brother fight scene. We'll be worry about that later.

I think it would be fun if it was just slaps. Like, our women were watching us like, stop. You can only be like slaps or do it. It's just annoying brotherly things. See, that would be funny. That would be funny. I can see it. Or just like slaps.

And there's no risk of you getting knocked out or killed by Dave Batista's right hand. And like the way I slap his ass because he's got no ass, it hurts him more, but I got all ass. So I'm like, there you go. So I went. Part of the pitch for the next movie. Slapping ass. You heard it here at Willie Geist. Jason Mamoa.

Slapping ass. Maybe that's the subtitle of the next one. He's his ass. The wrecking crew, too, slapping ass. They're like, no, no. Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Jason Mamoa. right after the break.

Welcome back now more of my conversation with Jason Momoa. One of the other cool things about this set in Hawaii, obviously, your home state, a place you love so much and highlight so often in your work. And you do, like you mentioned, there is that undercurrent of people coming to your beloved place and kind of trying to exploit it a little bit, whether it's developers or politicians or whoever.

So that runs through the movie too. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, which is great. And then also just dealing with my two, One of my favorite actors, Tim Walton Morrison, he plays our mayor. So that's nice, too. He's my father and Aquaman. Right, right, right. And just knowing that, you know, how connected and corrupted is,

just going up into our government system and, you know, who's doing what with our money and our land? And, yeah. It's amazing. There's action, there's funny. And there's a little message in there, too. There's a message in there. Speaking of, I got to ask you about Chief of War, which is...

Well, I shot both of those in Hawaii and New Zealand. So I was like... Right. Those two... My... Jesus is... actually all three did. Racking crew, Minecraft,

and Chief of War, we were both going from Hawaii to New Zealand, Hawaii, New Zealand. Wow, yeah. But Chief of War, man, I mean, co-creator, writer, star, producer, director. You did everything on what is, for people who haven't seen it,

is an epic, like, cinematic, you know, it's a movie every episode. Why did you want to take as much time and effort as you did to make that what it became? I mean, I really think, that's my, you know, when you're growing up, like, I would watch those Native American movies or those history movies and go, like, I would love to see our people up there. And one day, maybe I can do that. And I never thought I would be able to make, like, Command Mayo story.

It's just too big. It's like trying to tell Lincoln story. Like, they just tell the last moment of Gettysburg. It's just so much, such a big, beautiful life. And there's, and this was an opportunity to this one character was, you know, an area so we can play all these beautiful characters and what was going on in those time periods. Kind of shrink time a little bit. And we just spent a solid, I pitched it when I was doing Dune. C had just ended. So he took it to Zach, I pitched it.

And he's like, he said yes, right in the room. And then we started writing it. We'll get a writer's room together. I might, no, no, no, no, we'll write it. So we wrote all the episodes. Wow. And me and my partner, Thomas, and Doug, our showrunner. And that took, I want to say, like eight months to shoot.

something like that. But it's the biggest thing I've ever done. I feel like, I mean, I had my hand in everything and feel beautiful. I wish we were doing more. I don't think we're going to be doing more. No? No. Really?

Yeah. I'm actually shocked. I think the language is hard for people. I think a lot of... I think people didn't... Well, Hawaii was pretty proud, but it's not going to be enough to make another song. Yeah, because you learn the native language just to play this role. Yeah, which in itself was extremely challenging.

But I think, yeah. You know, Apple was not going to bring it back. It was sold as a limited series. It's kind of like, well, we can do this. And this is where it does go. And if people are interested, so you never know. There may be a movie. There may be a place for it to be somewhere else.

Yeah. You know, there's future for it. I mean, there's so many Hawaiian stories. And the truth of it is, we now have one. Yeah. And all the people are so proud. And, like, we've got to see our language up there. And, you know, these outfits that we're wearing, like,

they're in museum. I'm not a lot of wear that stuff. So just wearing that outfit is going to battle and finding other people. I mean, it was the most amazing experience in my life. It was like, you know, it was the last mojica's a brave heart. Yeah. For us.

And, yeah, I'll never have it. It's the best. But hopefully, maybe we'll be able to finish the story. I don't know in what format or with who, but, you know, I've worked this hard to get this far. I can't see why. Everything's possible, right? Yeah, I believe it.

I believe it. There's a lot of people out there that love it, so we'll see if it happens. And how gratifying for you to have reached the point in your career through all the work you've done for 25 years where you could deliver that product. You could sell it in the room, like you said, and have everybody back home in Hawaii say, thank you.

Finally, someone's telling our story. Yeah, I mean, I freaked out. We had Hans Zimmer sign on before he was shot of a frame of the movie. So he's the first TV show. It's pretty awesome. Yeah. And it feels good to go home and hear people think. You know what?

I haven't been home yet. Oh, really? But you hear from home. Yeah, I do. Yeah, and everyone was watching. So I'm going home now in about two weeks. There's this tour, and I mean, I think it's going to be a little bit different. Yeah.

So I'm excited. You're about to hear about it. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure. Your story rooted in Hawaii is so fascinating, which is that you were born there and then a young age you moved to the Midwest,

which Norwalk, Iowa couldn't be more different than where you were born. What was it like for you, for a young boy who felt Hawaiian because he is to be plopped down the middle of the Midwest and grow up there?

I mean, like I said, I left my, we left my father when I was probably six months old. So I really didn't even experience Hawaii until, you know, I think it was maybe like,

seven or something like that and then finally was i'd go over every summer we'd have the three months to be there and then i go to school in iowa and it was very much i mean what an eye-opener and what a beautiful like gift to you know i idolize my father i have with the biggest like watermen family these pro surfers or amazing lifeguards and just and just natural watermen and sailors uh fishermen and so come from this very rich family there and then I have this amazing like hunting loving like my uncles or my everything and just like

really rooted Midwest and a beautiful mother's an artist and I mean I was very happy I was raised to my mother I mean I's that's probably why I am because you know she raised me on Gone with the Wind and Streetcar named Desire like barefoot in the park I wasn't you know I wasn't raised with Conan and you know I mean

I did see die hard and all this kind of things but I mean like it just wouldn't have been like my neighbors were watching a bunch of different shit that I was not allowed to watch. Right. Which then changes what your music is and all that kind of stuff. But I feel like I was raised with a female.

And I was a single mother who worked four jobs. And it was fucking hard, man. And I lost for it from that side. And then, you know, the older I got, we did. And I spent more time over there getting to know him, being my family. But you go back to that side and we're on the reservation. So we're on Hawaiian homesteadland.

Yeah. you know, and I can speak. Basically, I'm white there. I'm highly there, you know, because I wasn't raised there. Right. And I have wonderful cousins who, you know, brought me into everything, and I served from being with everyone, but still, you know, even though you're Hawaiian and very much, you know, 50% of Hawaiian,

you're still not, you weren't raised with us. And then you go back here, and there wasn't one race that I grew up with. So there's no, there was no Spanish, there was no. Chinese, there's no black. Obviously in Iowa, yes, but in my small hometown, there was not. Yeah. And so growing up that way was very different. And I didn't, yeah, I have my own qualms with that, and I, like, it got out. But I'm really happy that I was raised in Iowa. So in a funny way, you didn't really feel quite at home in either place. But I mean, that's why my companies are, you know, Pride of Gypsies and on the Rome. Yeah. Basically, and I never fit still longer than four or five days. I mean, I've kind of, that's who I am.

I was constantly moving. I think rock climbing really, my mom took me rock climbing into the Dakotas when I was 13, I think. And the moment I touched rock and started moving and I just got to see the world. And, you know, you go from the beautiful, you know, like cornfields and all that flat, it is beautiful being out there. But then, like, when I get up into the mountains and then I, you know, I moved out to Colorado. And just every weekend I was just trying to rock climbing and go different places.

And that was, like, inspired me to travel and move. And so by doing that, that ended up getting me into going. My family's such a big surfers. They were toned into big waves. And so when I was in college, when I was out in Colorado, I just was like, I'm going to go, what am I doing? I worked in a family surf shop, started toned into big waves, and then a TV show came. And then it just everything clicked in it. And then the shit went off.

And well, then the story was 19, and I'm 47. Right. Right. But I've been a part of nothing but shows. And I generally gave up. up after doing that show and I just took that money I traveled the world and I just I dreaded my hair and I was like I just was not that I mean I grew up but a lot of people just didn't understand or where to put me yeah this was an artist man and just wanted to be outdoors and climb and so I

traveled from Tibet France Italy and just lived out of a backpack and then I bought an old airstream and I lived out of that for a couple of years and tried to get auditions and casting directors would kind of like throw something my way and through a couple casting directors they got me in on some roles and then through that I had to negotiate on something and they kind of got me in to see some agents and then that man right over there that white beautiful man right over there white hair he's the first agent's like the last person I was going to see and I went into his office and I was just I don't give a fuck anymore I'm like listen dude I'm gonna he's a Leo too so he's a That's what Pride of Jopsy says.

But he's, I'm like, I'm going to direct, I'm going to write, I'm going to create my own line, I want to do fashion, I want to do, I want to do environmentalism, I'm like, I want to do this, I want to do that, just laying into this guy. And he's just like, listening to me. And he's like, all right. And I'm like, by the way, I'm dreading my hair tomorrow. He's like, okay.

Because they just pissed me off. I went to William Morris, who I'm now with, but they're just like, you need to cut your hair. I'm like, I'm such a little arrogant kid. As you are when you're right. I was like, you tell Johnny Depp to cut his hair? And they're just like, you know, Johnny Depp?

I'm like, well, I'm not fucking cutting my hair. Why don't you get me the job first? If it needs it, then I'll cut my hair. I'll cut my hair when you want to give me the job. I'm not going to go looking around like you. I'm like, so it was very challenging until like really it hit for Drogo. Until a bottle smashed in my face and like changed the, and it probably made me look a little bit meaner.

And that's in real life, bottle smash. Yeah, yeah, it was an accident. And then it kind of, until Drogo hit, things changed a little bit. Yeah. But then no one knew I spoke English. Oh. Because they're like, oh, you're a great Game of Thrones. And they really didn't like me until the fourth season of Game of Thrones.

Because the first season, you're like, oh, dude, you're just that, dude, you're just Ganga's Kong kind of thing. And then people get so obsessed with Game of Thrones. Then everyone's watching it. And then it really kicked off. And it was until Zach cold. And from that point on, I started writing and directing. So after Game of Thrones, you know, David and Dan, who write that, really close to me and my partner, Brian Mendoza and myself.

And so we just write and shoot, and that's what the photographer, and like, we just, we wrote our first movie with a buddy of ours. It's called Road to Paloma. It was about the rapes on the Native American Reservations and how the loophole works. And I can't remember what year it was. It might have been 2016, maybe 2014, so we'll Google it. Anyways, Road to Paloma, we did. it and that really helped me get in the Sundance channel.

That's I got in the Red Road. Right. Which, like, I think, just came out on Netflix because everybody's like, Red Road, Red Road. I'm like, oh, cool, a decade later. He didn't see it on the Sundance Channel? Well, wait until you see what happened on Apple. Wait another. No one sees it.

Slow burn. It is, bro. I'm like, the guy, it's like, don't worry, in 10 years, you're going to love that movie I did 20 years ago. Trust me. But I think when Zach saw Game of Thrones, that's when he was like, he wanted to make, oh, cool, man. like that. And so I got called into the office.

And then that's, I still had to keep it a secret for a year. Yeah. Yeah. This is brutal. So I'm still trying to just put food on the table and keep it going and keep it going. And then slowly, but surely and just stack them up and then boom.

But now I'm like really, really happy where I get to be. I'm like, I want to do comedy my whole life. Like I've, it's cool. I'm going to do one movie with Sandberg in Hawaii. It's amazing. You got to be in a comedy with Batista, an action comedy. the ones that I love, like Leith Weapon, you know, 48 hours, Dyer,

and all those things that we just grew up with that loved them. Yeah, you've earned the right to do them now. You've got a little place where you can say this is what I'm doing. Yeah. And the audience goes with you. Yeah. Stick around for more of my conversation with Jason Mamoa right after a quick break. Welcome back now to the rest of my conversation with Jason Mamoa.

Just to go back for a minute because you did the genesis of your career, talking about Baywatch Hawaii. I love... See, I was trying to move through that shit real quick. I know, I know. But here you are bringing up old shit. Only because we don't have to talk about the show, but the way you got on the show,

which is you wait in this long line of like more than a thousand people auditioning. And when you get up there, you make the claim that you were named Hawaii's model of the year. Yeah, so there was my girlfriend at the time was with, she was like a pageant thing. Yeah, and so her agents,

or managers were like running pageant. and stuff like that. And so I was like, yeah, I was like, we made up a bunch of shit because you have to have a resume. I'm like, what am I going to tell them? I don't have anything. I'm like, I worked on Colorado Trail Crew.

Like, there's nothing I could put on that resume. So I was like, yeah, I've done Louis Vuitton. I did some Gucci and like, you just make some shit up. And then, yeah. And then she was in a pageant, and then I took some photos and did a little pageant thing for them. And I'm like, yeah, I was in the, handed out the crowns.

It's like some big shit. So we just bullies. So we just bullsh-h our way through it. And it worked. I just didn't have no fear. So it was just kind of like, yeah, I just didn't give a shit. And you got nothing to lose at that boy. You're 19 years old.

I'm going back to college. I was a biology major. I'm like, I don't be a f***ing a watch. I'm like, the funny thing is, it's like, all my family's working on it because they do all the water safety. But the stuff we did on that show was like crazy. And I'm like, we're in heavy, heavy conditions. And I'm like, I know what I'm doing because of my family.

So in turn, it's like, even if I didn't, I would have been working as water safety. Right. Because that's what my family is. Might as well be the star. Yeah. There you go. And still to this day, that was the hardest job I've ever had. Like, that shit was hard.

Just all the time in the water. I mean, you do 22 episodes over nine months. You're an episode a week and you're in the water. And it doesn't matter if it's 80 degree water. When you're in it for 13, 14 hours, you're like, after lunch, it's freezing. Yeah. And you're just like, yeah. And you're constantly.

Yeah. And then there's the, you know, 100 naked women walking around. And you're 19 years old and, you know, just got board shorts on. like here to tell this thing not to always be awesome you know like my mind control and this guy is like i can i can shut it down i can pick it up that's how f*** good i am thanks baywatch oh my god my experience is when you're 19 it doesn't always listen it doesn't bro it doesn't you really got a you got a you got to torture that guy just make sure he is you don't want to look like an idiot on set torture that guy oh my

God. All right. Now we've got that on tape. I'm really stoked you got the Baywatch stuff out of the way. Hope I'll never have to do that again. That's it. We're done. I am curious. I'm always curious, somebody who stays with it, because you're talking about between that show and Game of Thrones like a decade, right? Yeah, then it started Atlanta for four years. Right. Which was like college. Right. So that's when I really was like, I can do this. Right. So it feels like I'm in like your nine months of work. You know, I got to love my cast. I'm still friends with my cast.

and you're doing sci-fi jargon, you know? Yeah. It's, you know, 22 episodes, nine months of your life up in Vancouver. And I just learned how to do it. And you're like, I'm going to make my own stories. Yeah. And I built my own crew. And all my friends were really talented, weren't getting work.

And that's why we made Friday gypsies. So if I was holding the boom for my buddies who were shooting, if I was holding camera for them, when they were, we would just, we just formed an alliance. And they're still with me to this day. Yeah. I love them. They do everything. We do everything together.

Aquaman, you mentioned. 2018 changes everything for you. I think it's fair to say. Movie makes more than a billion dollars. You're a standalone superhero. You've somehow made Aquaman like super cool. It wasn't for those of us who grew up watching. I'm a word for that.

Come on. Jesus Christ. We're like, oh, Aquaman's a badass now. Yeah. Talk about hard. Yeah. I was scared. What did that movie mean to your career number,

one, but also your life, because now everybody knows who you are. Yeah, I mean, it did amazing things for my career, so, you know, no one needs to know about the bruises and dens and fights, but it did wonderful for my career. Now, look at me. Finally playing Lobo, I'm here with you. Life's good. Life is good. Yeah, life's good.

How did you grapple with the idea that you walk down the street and there's no mistaking who you are anymore, that you're that famous? It's tough, but, you know, I just try to be in a good mood in as much as you can, And generally if I'm with my kids or my lady, I try to be like, I don't get to see them. I'm not going to break concentration for you and just like, sorry, I'm with my family. Because it's so rare that I could be with my 17, 18 year old. You know what I mean? Aside from that of them by myself, yeah, let's do this.

Yeah. Absolutely. It feels to me, and this is coming from the outside, like you're not that different. Despite everything that's happened in your career. No. You're not that different a guy. You're with the same people. You live your life.

You enjoy being home. Same guy? Yeah, absolutely, yeah, absolutely. Just a lot more toys. Right, which... Still don't really have a house, but we got a lot of cool toys. We got to get you a house. I'm working on it.

I like Barnes and, like, different things. Yeah. So let's talk about what's coming up. You mentioned the Sandberg thing. Supergirl's exciting. Yeah, Sanberg's coming up. That's what I'm going to shoot next. Supergirl's coming out.

The next thing coming out before... Oh, we got Recruit Crews coming out. Then on the room, Season 2, which on HBO Max. It's like a handoff. crafted artisans thing so there's six episodes of that and then animal friends which is me and ryan ryan ryan ralds it's live action it's hilarious it's rated r me and ryan rome i'm a bear and he's a shetland pony oh oh yeah beer and popcorn you're gonna be there it's awesome it's hilarious it's freaking hilarious and then i go to uh and then it's super girl i come out

playing lobo but it's you know it's her movie i'm just doing a little cameo yeah i'm gonna come You know, a little bit of that, a little bit of this. Sure, sure. And then a little thing called Dune 3. Yeah, yeah. Ended out with Dune 3, yeah. Oh, maybe Street Fighter will come out. Yeah, Street Fighter will come out before Dune.

Yeah, so Street Fighter, which is, you know, I mean, literally this is the year of, like, childhood dreams. Incredible. I mean, I did not read Dune. I wish I would have. I was a Star Wars fan. That's, like, the last one that tick off. I want to do Star Wars at some point and be a bad guy,

but I kind of like, Dune's bigger and better. Like, that's what inspired Far Wars. Yeah. So it's really cool that my child was that. Obviously, street fighter. I can play Blanca. That is like,

I have the arcade. Yeah. In my garage. And then, yeah, you got to stand up on my side. Absolutely. And then, and playing Lobo,

which is what I thought I was originally going to play. It's like, I have every comment from Lobo, so that's my big. Incredible. Yeah, so it's a good. Yeah, was it,

2018 was the last, you know, a good one? 2026 is going to be, is going to be amazing. And then another Minecraft down the road. We shoot Minecraft too after that. Yeah. We're doing another thing that's going to be,

no one knows yet, but we're going to do Peking to Paris. I'm going to do the endurance race from China to France. Oh. Yeah. It's like 40 days racing. So our team's going to be shooting it. Dude, when do you like... I'm racing old Dantley's across the Mongolia.

When's your downtime? And what do you do if there is any? You so f*** this guy. Right now is my... This is downtime. I'm just too hung over to have a beer right now, but in about two hours. You'll be ready? I'll be on downtime on Fallon. Yeah. There you go. There you go. Yeah. But you don't, you're not, you don't go home and sit in a hammock. You're always moving.

You know, I did. I just got a hammer from Guatemala, and I just sat, it was heaven. It was amazing. It's the most beautiful. Yeah. No, I was in, I have a, I do. There's a place I want to be in New Zealand. And so I'm just, hopefully, going to be a resident down there. Catch your breath for a minute. Yeah. But that's where I want to be, South Island. Before I let you go, love all the work you do environmental for Hawaii in particular. Why is that stuff so important to you using the platform for all that? I mean, the environmental aspect of it, I mean, honestly, my thing that geeks me out is I was an environmentalist, and that's what I wanted to do.

I wanted to save the planet. I want to save the Earth, and I wanted to, and so there's obviously a lot of things to do, and a lot of things to help with, but I felt like I could chip away. single-use plastic and so you know I think that's almost like eight years ago I started Mononalu and just got people I made that can that screws on and off that was with me with ball which has become now it's everyone and so just so you can have it in an airport just so people can just like have a choice just sitting on a plane flying back from God does wear and it's like everything else is in aluminum

and there's this little tiny shot of water DeSandi that's got three different types of plastic on it that you can't recycle right it's just killing our planet and also So the idea of bottling some shit water in California, shipping it over on a boat that takes emissions, to give it to the people who have the freshest water in the world, let them, just sits bakes in the sun, we drink the plastic water bottle, put it into our landfills or in our ocean,

is the most craziest idea. So we've now eliminated Mononalo, and we've turned it into, so it's a little bit harder. Yeah. And this can be, these caps can be resealed. So think of it as like going to a restaurant or the milkman. You know what I mean? Yeah.

Milkman brings your milk. You drink your milk. You put the bottle back in. It goes away. It gets clean. They put it back in. You go to a restaurant. Eat off the plate.

You leave the silverware. You come back. They got a new one for you. Yeah. So in a hotel, it will drop off. And so, like, you know, places like four seasons. I mean, we're trying to do everyone in hospitality because everyone comes, tourists come. Yeah.

They drink the water bottle. You just have a crate that goes into your, into your room. You drink it, take it to the beach. And all you have to do is just bring it back, put it in there. and there'll be a new one. And it's a circular system because it happens on the site. It uses local water.

So it's fresh water. It's purified. They put the minerals back into it. Get it to the right pH. And it's like fresh, beautiful water and say anything like COVID hit again and ship stuff sets down. You can still run off

because those people to run off the local system. So hospitals, schools, we're in commandment of schools and like where kids have to be responsible for it and they can go in and be a part of like resealing it. But it's double sterilized. And it's, it's, It's just being in all these places where it can be responsible and going to the big businesses.

Because I think now people can make the choice. But now it's pretty cool. Like when you come to our island, if I can, you know, that it's island earth and we were completely self-contained. If I can make that blueprint very quickly and get people in schools and businesses, hospitality, like changing that and tours taking them back home with those ideas, then we can branch off and be able to take it to different places. but just show how we can turn those boats back. We don't need your plastic water bottles. I find, too, if I have the choice, I'm choosing that. It's just we didn't use to have the choice.

They put the plastic in front of you. Okay. Yeah, and I bring mine everywhere. But, I mean, imagine just being at work and you just go to the water cooler. You just pick one up. Boom, you have it, and then we're done for the day. You're responsible and put it back. Yeah.

Like, grow up. Good for you. Yeah. It's not that hard. Teach you this kindergarten. But you got to put it in front of people. Yeah, so like, this is, you know, once everyone was doing it, but it's owned by, you know, it's the two big thing.

It's the red guy and the blue guy, and everyone owns each other. And so at least we can counter shift with that going like, hey, now we're eliminating waste. It's circular. It's healthier for you. It's healthy for the plant. There's no emissions. It's like, it all makes sense. In.

Yeah. It just makes sense. And so it's just trying to get people on the same page as that. Watching your mind work, even right here, makes me wonder what else you're cooking up. I'll give other. You only want to be. I dare ask. 23 minutes a day.

Bro, if you ask me, you'd be like, what? What? Yeah, this is too much. What's the most serious idea you have in front of you right now that you want to do, working on, think could happen? Yeah, because I'm really trying to work with... I mean, we moved a lot of things in Hawaii, changed a lot of things, and so I'm excited to get...

You know, if we're talking about acting the film board and things like that, there's a lot of things we're trying to uplift and do. And then there's also the, you know, the UNIP side where it's like, you know, working for the UN and being, you know, helping, you know, life below water is what I work with. And so deep sea mining and trying to be, like, with our, you know, our president now, trying to just kind of, like, navigate the things that are important and how we can help and the importance of listening to what planet Earth's happening and we need to save certain things

if you want to have a nice, beautiful world. So just the passion is the ocean and I love it. And so in our forest and just being able to, like, give my, I put a spotlight on things. Maybe I didn't make that, but I can just shine a line on that. Great. So, there's a lot. That's a lot.

Yeah, there's a lot. We're doing, like, we started doing some really fun things this year. I started playing music, and I started DJing, which has always been a dream. Yeah. Playing music. And I'm playing with my best friends because I started this vodka company like 10 years ago with my other best friend we designed with. And now it's everywhere.

It's in all 50 states. But now I'm going to go open the CL towers in Dubai. and I'm going to go playing Dubai. Like I'm leaving London premiere to go to Dubai and play for everyone there. And we got Maley in there. So I'm going to be the tallest hotel there. And obviously we're in England and been traveling around. So we've been doing these fun nights of playing our favorite music with people

and just sharing the vodka. Because we won like every award you could ever possible win. Yeah. It's just beautiful, like affordable luxury, kind of like sippable vodka. Because it just tastes like shit. So we wanted it tastes good. I wish I, I try to get you a bottle. It's really good.

We just drink it, like, neat. Yeah. It's just really clean. Nothing. You want people to drink it in room temperature. Yeah. It's like 24 hours. Yeah.

Teas. Dude, you're living the dream out here, man. Buddy. Love watching it. Yeah, man. Thank you very much. Thank you. We should do them.

Thank you. Let's just make this a must. Yeah. Yeah? Just catch up in different places. I like that. I do too. Vodka.

We got a lot of ketchup on you. Yeah, man. My big thanks to Jason for great conversation that at times was all over the place in the best possible way. I loved it. The Wrecking crew, his new movie, begins streaming globally on Prime Video on January 28th. My thanks to all of you for listening again this week. If you want to hear these conversations with our guests every week, be sure to click follow so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday today every weekend on NBC to see these interviews in

living color. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit Down podcast.