Looking at Jason Momoa these days, you typically think three things: tall, dark and handsome. Right? The 39-year-old is a daunting presence at 6’4” with 19-inch biceps, and, thanks to Khal Drogo, we’re not exactly in the dark about his figure.
I guess I just always assumed that Momoa was this hefty, rough-and-tumble dude. Take all of his major film and TV roles thus far: Khal Drogo, Declan Harp from “Frontier” -- all really burly bros. Turns out, though, when Momoa was in his 20s, he was more “Aaron Carter” than “Aquaman.”
It makes sense -- Momoa was first discovered as a model in the late ‘90s, winning Hawaii’s Model of the Year in 1999. It was then that he got into acting with a role in “Baywatch Hawaii.” You can’t say he looks anything less than Abercrombie & Fitch in this clip.
It would be a years later that Momoa morphed into something resembling the buff, long-haired Tarzan-esque man that wields a trident these days. He rocked dreadlocks starting in 2004 and danced between a sort of Paolo-from-“Friends” and hippie look after that. It’s been the standard long locks and scruffy beard since then.
Whatever choice of haircut Momoa has committed to these days, it’s still hard to reconcile present-day Momoa with the very New Kids on the Block vibe he began his career with.
Not that I’m complaining.