Jason Momoa
Jason is the multiracial star of Aquaman. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Jason was raised by his mother in Norwalk, Iowa. His father is Native Hawaiian and his mother is of German and Native American ancestry. Jason is an American actor, writer, film producer, director and model. I have seen the movie Aquaman. It was interesting viewing it from a multiracial perspective and relating to Aquaman not fitting in.
Aquaman, Arthur Curry, is called a half breed or impure on several occasions throughout the movie. When asked about Aquaman’s identify battle, Momoa has stated “The guy was never really accepted on land, and he was never really accepted in Atlantis. He’s a half-breed. But he’s the best of both worlds. He just doesn’t know how to handle his powers. So it’s kind of a coming of age for a young man to a man, or a man to a king. He’s lost a lot of things and he’s got to cope. He’s an outsider.” Momoa was asked in an interview if his life experiences helped him relate to what he wanted to do with half-human and half-Atlantian Aquaman. Momoa said “I grew up in the Bridges of Madison County area, like one county over. I graduated with maybe 100 kids, all very much the same. I stood out. I didn’t kind of do the same stuff. I was a bit of a skateboarder, and I started rock climbing. I love Iowa, but I just didn’t fit in. If you’re a Hawaiian kid in Iowa, you’re kind of a fish out of water. Then I went back to Hawaii and I was ostracized there too. I loved both, but just made my own path. So I think it’s easy to relate to Arthur Curry, not really being accepted here and not really being accepted there.” Momoa said it was and honor to represent his people. He was also glad that this is the first movie his children were able to watch of him. They were even able to be on set. Momoa is married to Lisa Bonet. They met in 2005 and legally married in 2017. They have been a couple since 2007. They have two children together and Jason is the step father to Zoe Kravitz.
Even though “half breed” put downs where used throughout the movie I enjoyed the love story. From my perspective the reason Arthur Curry was a true King is because he could use his identity to unite both worlds and create peace. That’s how I view my own multiracial identity. I love being able to identify with multiple races and I believe that love conquers all. It was wonderful seeing Jason Momoa dominate the superhero movie as Aquaman.
Makensie Shay McDaniel
Project RACE Teen President Emeritus
Picture Credit: imdb.com