Whether you know him from Game of Thrones or as the star of the Aquaman franchise, Jason Momoa has pretty much been a major frontman in pop culture for the past decade.
The 44-year-old is known for his jocular attitude, and in talking to him, it’s easy to see that it’s entirely genuine. Momoa is truly happy to be here—whether “here” is riding a motorcycle or throwing tridents on The Tonight Show. His typical on-screen personas may be portrayals of the toughest guys around, but in real life, it seems Momoa’s got that golden retriever boyfriend energy.
While you may have to really squint to see the connection between certain brands and their celebrity spokesperson, Guinness and Momoa just make sense. That’s partially because the star has been incredibly open about loving the beer for years—and he was super excited when he got the opportunity to co-direct, co-write, and star in the latest Guinness ad. Momoa even found a part in the video for his mom, who he says is also a huge fan of the beer.
Below, he told us about long days on set, his favorite Hawaiian food, and more.
For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.
GQ: Well, good morning!
Jason Momoa: The problem with doing Guinness interviews for breakfast is you want to have a Guinness. But I’ve got to wait ‘til the end of the day cause I’ve got to go to work.
So tell me what you’re having for breakfast instead of a Guinness.
Okay, so I just had a breakfast burrito. I love them. I put pork sausage in there with Cholula—I have it shipped down here because I love it. If I don’t have that, I love my poi. And I’ll have an omelet. Poi is taro root; it’s Hawaiian.
Are you working out in the morning?
When it comes to lifting, it just depends on the role that I’m working on. For example, right now, my guy is a bit of a—I don’t want to give too much away—but he’s definitely not in shape, so there’s not a lot of lifting going on.
But, I am maintaining my legs, which I never used to do because I love climbing, and I’m already 230 to 240 pounds without adding weight onto my legs. When I lift for my legs, I go up to 250 to 260 pounds, so I’m kind of fucked, and am not able to climb anymore, but I feel great. When I’m doing my legs, my whole body feels better, and it just kind of maintains everything.
What do the maintenance workouts look like?
I use a couple of different kettlebells—I swing ‘em and do some squats and some deadlifts.
How much weight are we talking about with the kettlebells?
I keep an 88-pound and a 106-pound kettlebell around, and they’re easy to use.
And you usually do that in the morning?
I try to, but I am not doing much right now. I’m a bit of a shit. I’m not doing what I should be doing, but I usually do it in the mornings. I only do mornings because, for me, afternoons are Guinness time. Like, when I’m done working, there’s no way my ass is going to the gym. I am a morning person. I wake up every morning, and it’s Christmas. It’s Christmas morning.
So, are you getting up early?
Generally, 5 to 6 a.m. I generally get six hours of sleep and am good with six. I don’t get more than that.
So you’re going to bed every night at midnight?
I would say 11 to midnight, yeah. But I went to bed the other night at nine, and my body woke me up at 3:30 a.m., and I was like, “Get fucked!” And my body’s like, “That’s six hours, bro!”
Okay, what are we doing for lunch?
I love sandwiches, and for lunch, I keep it simple and have a sandwich.
