Man Candy Monday: Jason Momoa

Who is Jason Momoa? The Vital Stats:

Name: Joesph Jason Namakaeha Momoa
Nicknames: Jason
Height: 6’5″
Age: 32
Born: August 1, 1979 in Honolulu, Hawaii
Profession: Model, actor, director, writer
Status: In a relationship with actress Lisa Bonet
Filmography (year, title, role):

1999-2001: Baywatch Hawaii (Jason Ioane) – television series, 44 episodes
2003: Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (Jason Ioane) – made for TV movie
2003: Tempted (Kala) – Made for TV movie
2004: Johnson Family Vacation (Navarro) – feature film
2004-2005: North Shore (Frankie Seau) – television series, 21 episodes
2005-2009: Stargate: Atlantis (Ronon Dex) – television series, 78 episodes
2007: Pipeline – feature film
2009: The Game (Roman) – television series, 4 episodes
2010 (completed): Brown Bag Diaries: Ridin’ the Blinds in B Minor (Mikey) – short film
2011: Game of Thrones (Khal Drogo) – television series, 9 episodes
2011: Conan the Barbarian (Conan) – feature film
2012 (filming): Bullet to the Head (Keegan) – feature film

When I added two new names to last week’s Man Candy Monday poll, I didn’t expect Jason Momoa to win. He has long been one of my personal favorite of mine so I was pretty excited to see the votes coming in for him. There really isn’t much to say about Jason, to be honest. Born in Hawaii but raised in Iowa, Jason returned to Hawaii after high school where he won his role on Baywatch Hawaii. Before playing a lifeguard on television, however, Jason was a lifeguard in real life – the youngest in the history of the Gulf Coast, earning his certification in his mid-teens.

Shortly after returning to Hawaii, Jason was discovered by international fashion designer Takeo Kikuchi and his modeling career began. His career began in 1998 and only one short year later, he was crowned Hawaii’s Model of the Year and hosted Miss Teen Hawaii contest later that same year. Jason has said his decision to put dreadlocks in his hair had a lot to do with wanting to escape the ‘pretty boy’ image he had cultivated through his modeling work and his role on Baywatch Hawaii.

Those distinctive dreads began to pose problems for Jason while filming Stargate: Atlantis. He’s often said the weight of his locks gave him headache which lead to his decision to cut them off between seasons four and five of the show. Although he had cleared this decision with producers and the change was even written into the show, the network refused to support the decision and Jason was forced to reattach the locks for the first episode of the season. The process proved to be far too long however so Jason wore his stunt man’s wig. Two weeks into filming, a custom made wig arrived and was used for the duration of filming.

source: Jason Merritt/Getty Images North America

More than an actor and a model, Jason also has a production company (Pride of Gypsies) which has allowed him to expand his resume to include that of filmmaker, writer and director. Over the years, he has directed a few short films but he is currently working on his first feature length film, Road to Paloma. The story for Paloma is taken from a series of stories he calls the Brown Bag Diaries. The first part of this series, Brown Bag Diaries: Ridin’ the Blinds in B Minor was written, directed and starred Momoa and was released in 2010. It tells the story of a vagabond in search of a home through a disorganized travel log.

Not just an actor, model, director and writer, Jason is also a talented guitarist, even showing off his skills at a Stargate convention in 2008 and then auctioning off a guitar with the proceeds going to the Make a Wish Foundation. He’s also an avid athlete. It isn’t hard to understand how Jason keeps his toned physique when you consider how he enjoys spending his free time. Ice climbing, rock climbing, mountain biking, skateboarding and snowboarding are among his favorite activities alongside roller hockey. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a spiritual side. Jason has an active interest in Buddhism and spends much of his spare time with Buddhist studies.

While Jason really broke out to a wider audience as Ronon Dex on the popular but often underappreciated Sci-Fi series Stargate: Atlantis, Jason seems poised to break into the big time with his role as Conan in the just-released Conan the Barbarian remake. It seems to be a role suited perfectly for him. His hulking, intimidating frame and booming voice work perfectly in this one. Choosing to play the role based more on the original comics rather than the version of the character popularized by Arnold Schwarzenegger. While this isn’t really the kind of movie that’s going to win any Academy Awards, it definitely shows Jason has what it takes to be a major action star.

Jason and Lisa (Ryan Miller/Getty Images)

Jason keeps his private life private. He was engaged to actress Simone Mackinnon from 2004-2006 but the relationship ended shortly before he began dating actress Lisa Bonet. Although Jason and Lisa stay out of the limelight, they often accompany each other to public events and film premieres. Together, Lisa and Jason have two children; Lola Iolani (born on July 27, 2007) and Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha (born on December 15, 2008).

In November of 2008, while Lisa was pregnant with the couple’s second child, Jason was assaulted by a man in a bar. During the assault, the attacker shattered a beer glass across Jason’s face. While Jason was ultimately okay, he required a reported 140 stitches and needed reconstructive surgery due to his injuries. The attack left him with a distinctive scar over his eye but Jason rarely talks about it. He once told Access Hollywood the incident was ‘crazy’ but that the scars helped him get ‘those mean roles’. I can’t imagine it’s easy to have a sense of humor about something so serious, but you can chalk that up to just one more thing that makes Jason so awesome.

Alright, so let’s talk about last week’s poll before we get to the reason you’re all here – the pictures. It was a close race but Jason bested Robert Pattinson by a single vote; taking the second place spot. Behind Robert, Blake Shelton and Chris Hemsworth tied for third and Hunter Parish came in last. This means this week’s poll choices will be: Robert Pattinson, Blake Shelton, Chris Hemsworth and a little man candy of my choosing. It’s a hard call, but I’m going to go with 50 Cent and my personal celebrity crush, James Franco. So I know who gets my vote, but who gets yours? It’s free, it’s fast (no sign ups required), you can nominate someone of your choosing if you don’t like the options and you can vote as many times as you want. Click the link below to place your vote and then enjoy this week’s Man Candy Monday hotness; Jason Momoa.