As if we couldn’t love Jason Momoa anymore, the actor performed an epic Haka dance during the Aquaman premiere alongside family and friends.
During the Aquaman premiere in Los Angeles, Jason Momoa changed the red carpet event standard forever. Instead of standing on the carpet with his family and staring into cameras during the photo op, Momoa broke into a traditional Maori war dance called the Haka. Alongside actors, friends, and family, the red carpet (actually, the carpet was blue for the aquatic occasion) became the stage of a very entertaining and ambitious performance.
The Haka is an ancient dance that was performed before a war that requires the group to chant words from the tribe’s history while stomping their feet, sticking out their tongues, and slapping their chests. According to New Zealand’s official page, the dance is still used today to honor individuals and to show the importance of an occasion such as Momoa’s superhero movie.
Watch Variety‘s footage of Jason Momoa leading a Haka dance at the Aquaman Premiere:
Momoa was joined by Temuera Morrison who plays his father in Aquaman and is a New Zealand native. While the dance itself was inspiring and intense, it also was adorable to see Momoa’s daughter and son, Lola and Nakoa-Wolf, join in, making it a family affair. Momoa stripped down into his undershirt and went straight into the dance carrying Aquaman‘s trident. Mid-dance Momoa broke the trident over his knee — but that’s okay — because the performance was well worth losing Atlantis’ golden trident.
This isn’t the first time that Momoa has performed the Haka. Last year, the actor took part in the traditional dance with members of Auckland’s UFC team to support his friend Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt ahead of an MMA fight in June.
And for those who fell in love with Momoa thanks to his role as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones, you can thank the Haka for landing him the role. Momoa told The New York Times he was initially unsure how to audition Khal Drogo but then realized the Haka would be perfect.
If that’s what got him a part in the HBO award-winning television series, why not open the premiere of his blockbuster superhero movie with the same epic energy?
Check out Jason Momoa in Aquaman when it premieres in theatres on December 21.