Jason Momoa Says He And Lisa Bonet Were "Starving" After His Early GOT Exit
Jason Momoa said that when his short time on Game of Thrones came to an end during the first season of the HBO hit in 2011, he and then-girlfriend Lisa Bonet had a hard time making ends meet for themselves and their two children.
Momoa played Khal Drogo, husband of Daenerys Targaryen, leader of the Dothraki in Season 1. He appeared only briefly as an illusion in Season 2 by the time the series was a huge hit. In a new interview with InStyle, he revealed that things were tight because of a lack of roles coming in and the couple having two mouths to feed.
“I mean, we were starving after Game of Thrones,” he told the publication. “I couldn’t get work. It’s very challenging when you have babies and you’re completely in debt.”
It wasn’t the first time Momoa struggled to find work, though. In that same interview, he shared that after being the star of Baywatch Hawaii early in his career, roles dried up quickly when the series ended in 2001 and he moved to Los Angeles.
“I couldn’t even get an agent for three or four years,” he said.
Things, of course, changed for the better after Momoa, who at one time appeared in Johnson Family Vacation and a few episodes of The Game after Baywatch ended, became a leading man thanks to turns in Justice League and Aquaman.
Bonet’s roles, presumably somewhat by choice, have been very few and far between since the early 00s. She has however showed up in recurring guest roles on TV over the last few years, including Ray Donovan, Girls and the short-lived ABC drama Life on Mars as part of the main cast. She told Net-a-Porter in 2018 that the fame she had in the ’80s and early ’90s didn’t continue to explode due to some reasons she’s aware of, and others, not so much.
“I don’t know! I always had one foot in and one foot out of the business, so that’s part of it. But also, it’s slim pickings out there!” she said. “There aren’t endless opportunities for women of color, you’ve probably noticed.”
Opportunities are overflowing now for Momoa. He’s starring in the second adaptation of the science fiction novel Dune, coming out in 2021. And as for the pair, together since 2005 and married since 2017, they are now a Hollywood favorite in terms of couples. Hit the flip to check out 10 photos of the two from over the years.
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Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa arrive at the HBO After-Party held to honor the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Paul Mounce/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Bonet shared that the couple met in 2004 at a jazz club. She didn’t say it was love at first sight, but it was something serious. The fact that the actor was 13 years younger than her wasn’t and still hasn’t been an issue for the couple.
“I can’t say it was full-on from the moment we saw each other, but we have been together from the day that we met,” she told Net-a-Porter in 2018 about their relationship.
Description: Lisa Bonet, Jason Momoa attends the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 05, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California\n© Jill Johnson/jpistudios.com
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She has said that Momoa is a special kind of guy compared to what she was used to.
“What’s cool about Jason is that he’s an alpha male who stands for love and family,” she said. “And to circle back to my own wounds, having an absent father, then to be fully met by a man of that stature, is really incredible. Jason embodies a rare form of masculinity in this day and age – he’s a leader; he’s generous. Just in terms of charisma, physique, the right use of power, responsibility, work ethic, you can go down the line.”
Description: Actor Jason Momoa and wife/actress Lisa Bonet arrive at the World Premiere Of Apple TV+’s ‘See’ held at the Fox Village Theater on October 21, 2019 in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States.
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Earlier this year, Momoa revealed that he felt like he’s been in love with Bonet since he was an 8-year-old kid watching Cosby Show.
“Ever since I was like, eight years old and I saw her on the TV, I was like, ‘Mommy, I want that one,’” he revealed in a 2017 interview on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Description: Jason Momoa, Lisa Bonet at the premiere of Warner Bros Pictures “Joker” held at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on September 28, 2019 in Hollywood, California. Photograph: © Joe Sutter/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com
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He joked that he had planned since he was young to find the actress, saying he waited to tell her that until after they were married and started a family.
“I’m like, ‘I’m going to stalk you for the rest of my life, and I’m going to get you.’ I’m a full-fledged stalker,” he said. “I didn’t tell her that until we had two babies, otherwise, I’d be creepy and weird.”
Actors Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet arrive at the premiere of “Mad Max: Fury Road” held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood. (Photo by Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Momoa loves strong women like Bonet, as well as his mother, Coni. She is pictured here with his wife and his kids Lola and Wolf at the premiere of his film, Aquaman. The actor, and his kids, bear a striking resemblance to the woman who raised him.
“I was raised by a strong single mother. My mom’s an artist in every way,” he said in a short film he did for Carhartt. “She’s a painter, a photographer. She’s a wanderer, always searching, always seeing. I guess you could say my mom gave me her eyes.”
Description: Premiere Of Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Aquaman”
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“We just happened to be at the right place, right time, mutual friends,” Momoa said of the night he met Bonet at a jazz club in L.A. “I actually had dreaded my hair almost for her.”
“I had huge dreadlocks, she had dreadlocks. I literally turned around, I was with my best friend, and I see her,” he said recalling that it was hard not to lose it. “She goes, you know, ‘I’m Lisa.’ I was like, I turned around to my friend and was, like, [teen girl shriek of excitement]. I had f–king fireworks going off inside me, man!”
Description: Live By Night World Premiere held at the TCL Chinese Theatre
Source: Alexandra Wyman / Getty
Not only do Momoa and Bonet have a deep bond, but they also have a very strong relationship with her ex-husband and daughter Zoe’s father, rocker Lenny Kravitz.
“Zoë’s mom and I now are best friends,” Kravitz said. “It’s interesting because that’s how the relationship started. But it makes you feel really good when you can do that. When we’re all together now—her man, her kids, Zoë, me—we’re all together and we’re one big, happy family. It’s beautiful and it just shows you what can be done.”
Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa at Entertainment Weekly’s Party to Celebrate the Best Director Oscar Nominees held at Chateau Marmont on February 25, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alexandra Wyman/WireImage)
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When asked if he had advice for others on how to make a relationship last based on his success with Bonet, Momoa laughed.
“Ha ha! No. Men are idiots and women are crazy,” he said. “Generally speaking, I’m always wrong, so I just apologize. They’re queens, man. Take care of your queen, and she’ll take care of her king. Just do everything you can for her.”
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 31: Actors Jason Momoa (L) and Lisa Bonet attend CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, at The Colosseum of Caesars Palace on March 31, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Getty Images)
Source: Jon Kopaloff / Getty
But if you do want some inspiration, the actor recently said that the couple spent a lot of time and energy focusing on their relationship while in quarantine.
“Me and my wife we’ve been together 14 years, it’s been a beautiful time to work on us because I spent years trying to build a career to where I actually did stuff that I loved to do, which now I have that career, it was not the case 22 years ago. So it’s just been good to be home and now I’m back to work and it’s kind of sad because my kids can’t come up to see me because they have to do two weeks quarantine so it’s the first time I’ve ever been away from my family for this long.”
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 18: Actress Lisa Bonet and husband actor Jason Momoa arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere “Divergent” at Regency Bruin Theatre on March 18, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)