Forty-two-year-old actor Jason Momoa was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, with his mother a photographer and his father pursuing painting, per the Des Moines Register. Once his parents’ marriage came to an end, the young Momoa moved back to Madison County, Iowa, and grew up close with his maternal side of the family, per Yahoo! Entertainment.
In a classic case of “don’t judge a book by its cover,” the 6’5” actor revealed to Square Mile that his childhood provided him with a softer, emotional core. “I think being raised by a single mother gives you more vulnerability and sensitivity as an individual. I can be tough when I need to, but that’s not the way I am in person.”
Beyond coming to terms with his vulnerability, the “Baywatch” alum also faced some internal turmoil regarding his identity. His mom contributes both Irish-German roots and Native American ancestry while his dad is Native Hawaiian, per Square Mile. In the same article, Momoa revealed that he resonated with Aquaman on having a mixed identity. “That’s a feeling I can relate to — my father is Hawaiian and I grew up in Iowa where I didn’t fit in easily because I really didn’t look like any of the other kids. Aquaman was raised by his mother like I was, and I think that kind of experience helped me to identify with his way of looking at things,” Momoa said.